Surgical clip, applier, and method

The combination of:

• (a) a surgical slip comprising
• a plastically deformable bridge portion,
• a pair of spaced arms extending generally parallel in one direction from opposite ends of said bridge,
• a tang extending from said bridge in a direction opposite that of said arms, for deforming said bridge so as to bring said arms together around apposed tissues,
• a neck connecting said tang to said bridge,
• said neck being breakable upon application of a predetermined tensile force to said tang,
• said bridge being deformable by application to the tang of less than said predetermined tensile force, and
• a pair of shoulders on said bridge portion, one on either side of said neck, said shoulders being defined by bearing surfaces having an obtuse angle B between them;
• and
• (b) a tool for deforming said clip, comprising
• means for gripping and applying tension to said tang, and
• a pair of spaced stationary jaw faces adapted to engage said clip shoulders respectively, wherein said jaw faces are generally flat, and lie at an obtuse angle A with respect to one another, wherein said angles initially are defined by the relationships
• 120.degree..ltoreq.A<180.degree.
• B.ltoreq.180.degree., and
• A<B,
• whereby said jaws initially engage said shoulders at contact points sufficiently widely spaced that the forces developed thereat in reaction to application to said tang of less than said predetermined tensile force cause plastic deformation of said bridge and consequent closure of said arms, and whereby, once the obtuse angle between the shoulders becomes equal to the angle between the jaws, the contact points between the jaws and the arms move closer to one another, whereafter increasing tang tension does not further deform the bridge, but instead results in breakage of said neck.