Patent ID: 8177794

Claim:
An endoscopic stitching device, comprising: an articulatable neck assembly configured and adapted for articulation in at least one direction transverse to a longitudinal axis thereof; a tool assembly operatively supported on a distal end of the neck assembly, the tool assembly including: a pair of juxtaposed jaws pivotally associated with one another, each jaw defining a needle receiving recess formed in a tissue contacting surface thereof; a rotatably supported camming hub, the camming hub defining a central lumen therethrough and a groove formed in an inner surface thereof; and a center rod slidably and rotatably disposed within the lumen of the camming hub, the center rod being operatively engaged with the groove formed in the inner surface of the camming hub and being operatively engaged with the pair of jaws; and a suture needle operatively associated with the tool assembly; wherein the inner groove of the camming hub is configured such that, in at least one position, axial translation of the center rod relative to the camming hub results in rotation of the camming hub and at least one of opening and closing of the pair of jaws; and wherein the inner groove of the camming hub is configured such that, in at least one other position, rotation of the center rod results in rotation of the tool assembly.