Patent ID: 7264623

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: a support portion, said support portion including a support member and an upper handle, said support member having a narrow elongated configuration, said upper handle extending from a trailing end of said support member in a fixed relationship thereto, an actuation member having a narrow elongated configuration, said actuation member slidingly disposed along an upper surface of said support member, a lower handle disposed below said support portion, an upper end of said lower handle having a pivot arm, said pivot arm pivotally connected to said support portion adjacent a trailing end of said support member and further pivotally connected to a trailing end of said actuation member, an upper jaw having a leading end and a trailing end, said trailing end of said upper jaw pivotally connected to a leading end of said actuation member, a hinge member extending below said trailing end of said upper jaw, and said upper jaw further pivotally connected to a leading end of said support member via said hinge member of said upper jaw, a lower jaw, said lower jaw extending from a leading end of said support member and disposed below said upper jaw for use in gripping tissue between said upper and said lower jaws, said upper jaw having an upper surface and a lower surface, said upper jaw having a hole passing through said upper surface and said lower surface, said leading end of said upper jaw having a slit formed through a distal end of said upper jaw and extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of said upper jaw and in communication with said hole of said upper jaw, said slit being narrower than said hole of said upper jaw and configured to allow a suture thread in pass therethrough, said lower jaw having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower jaw having a closed perimeter hole extending therethrough between said upper and said lower surface, said closed perimeter hole aligned with said hole of said upper jaw, whereby spreading said lower handle away from said upper handle of said support portion draws said actuation member rearward and pivots said upper jaw to an open position, and whereby pulling said lower handle toward said upper handle pushes said actuation member toward a leading end of the instrument and pivots said upper jaw to a closed position adjacent said lower jaw.