Surgical clips for sealing and/or closing tissue and vessels

Abstract

A surgical clip comprises a main body having first and second arms pivotally coupled to each other about a hinge between open and closed positions. The first arm comprises a hook with a slot and the second arm comprises a latch sized to advance into the slot to secure the latch to the hook in the closed position. This configuration provides a clip with a narrower profile than conventional surgical clips that include boss protrusions to lock the clip. The clip also comprises one or more engagement elements configured to remain coupled to a drive member of a surgical instrument after the clip has been delivered to the jaws of the instrument, thereby allowing user the surgeon to fully open the clips after they have been advanced into the jaws and/or to retain and control the clip as the jaw is opened, closed or articulated relative to the instrument shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.