Patent ID: 8382789

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: a shaft; an end effector assembly at a distal end of the instrument; a handle extending from the shaft, the handle having a wishbone configuration in a plier-type arrangement and being provided with an actuating mechanism on the handle, wherein the handle includes a movable handle and a stationary handle, the movable handle and the stationary handle being provided substantially symmetric relative to a longitudinal axis of the instrument; a ratchet mechanism for locking the handle, the ratchet mechanism being actuated by the actuating mechanism, the actuating mechanism being actuatable by a user in a first direction to partially open the ratchet mechanism, and in a second direction to fully release and unlock the ratchet mechanism, the first direction being different than the second direction; and a rod extending along the shaft and linking the end effector assembly at the distal end of the instrument to the handle.