Surgical instrument for suturing organs

A surgical instrument for suturing organs, such as parenchymal organs, comprising:

• a supporting part having a working end;
• a staple-receiving part having a working end, said staple-receiving part being pivotally connected with said supporting part;
• a first longitudinal jaw of generally rectangular cross-section carried by the working end of said supporting part;
• a second longitudinal jaw carried by the working end of said staple-receiving part in opposition to said first longitudinal jaw;
• staples having two legs, the whole being generally "U" shaped;
• indentations in said first longitudinal jaw for bending over the legs of staples;
• longitudinal staple magazines accommodated in said second longitudinal jaw, each of said magazines confining and spacing a plurality of single staples along said second longitudinal jaw;
• sliding members for driving said staples,
• transverse guide slots formed in said staple magazines in opposition to said indentations, to accommodate therein staples and said sliding members for driving said staples;
• longitudinal slots in said staple magazines;
• bars with wedge-shaped ends facing said members for driving said staples, and accommodated in said longitudinal slots for direct communication and cooperation with said staple-driving members, for driving out and bending over the legs of said staples;
• a separate longitudinal slot located between said longitudinal slots in said staple-receiving part;
• a knife blade movably accommodated in said longitudinal slot in said staple-receiving part for motion jointly with said bars;
• a latch-type locking means for preventing substantial traumatisim of layer-by-layer sutured organs and for ensuring rigid aligment of said jaws of the instrument in the course of a suturing operation;
• said means comprising:
• rods attached to said second longitudinal jaw in two parallel longitudinal rows and projecting from the medial surface thereof;
• transverse grooves in said rods near their medial ends;
• a longitudinal guide slot in said first longitudinal jaw;
• jaw openings spaced in said first longitudinal jaw for receiving a portion of said rods;
• a locking strip slidably engaged in said longitudinal guide slot, said strip having apertures therein which are alignable with said jaw openings;
• manual means for sliding said locking strip within said longitudinal guide slot so that when said rods have been received in said openings the rim of said apertures is slidably engagable in said transverse grooves, thus locking the jaws together.