Patent ID: 7059510

Claim:
A method for creating an end-to-end anastomosis between first and second luminal structures, comprising the steps of: providing a surgical instrument which includes: a housing having an actuator; a disposable loading unit having a longitudinal axis defined therethrough and removably mounted to the housing, the disposable loading unit being configured to releasably support a plurality of surgical fasteners at a distal end thereof in an array-like and substantially uniform manner along a plane normal to the longitudinal axis; a retractable anvil being movable to simultaneously deform the surgical fasteners; inserting an end of the first luminal structure into a passage defined within the loading unit; everting the first luminal structure over the retractable anvil; inserting a distal end of the disposable loading unit into an end of the second luminal structure such that a distal end of each of the plurality of fasteners and the first luminal structure are sufficiently inserted into the second luminal structure; and activating the actuator to retract the anvil to simultaneously deform the surgical fasteners and complete the end-to-end anastomosis wherein the resulting eversion is exterior to the luminal structures.