Surgical clip applier instruments with articulating jaws

Abstract

A surgical instrument for applying surgical clips to tissue comprises an end effector having first and second jaws that are movable between open and closed positions. The instrument comprises a drive member configured for distal translation from the shaft into the end effector to deliver one or more clips to the first and second jaws. The instrument further comprises at least one actuator rod extending through the shaft lateral of the drive member relative to the longitudinal axis and configured to move the jaws between the open and closed positions. Positioning the jaw actuator lateral of the drive member provides space for the drive member to deliver multiple clips to the jaws without interfering with the opening and closing of the jaws.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.