Surgical instrument

A surgical instrument comprising:

• a manually engageable handle;
• a first stem section having a longitudinal axis and extending from said handle;
• tissue engaging means for engaging tissue, said tissue engaging means including at least a first tissue engaging member;
• a second stem section connected between said first stem section and said tissue engaging means, said second stem section having at least a portion which is bendable, said second stem section supporting said tissue engaging means for movement between a plurality of orientations relative to said axis and to said first stem section;
• means for supporting said tissue engaging means on said bendable portion of said second stem section;
• and
• means for bending said bendable portion of said second stem section to change the orientation of said tissue engaging means relative to said axis and to said first stem section from a first orientation to a second orientation, said means for bending including a plurality of elongate control members extending axially along said first and second stem sections;
• said movable portion of said second stem section comprising:
• a resilient inner tubular member defining a central passage in said second stem section through which said elongate actuator member extends, said inner tubular member being made from a superelastic metal;
• a flexible outer tubular member coaxial with and disposed radially outward of said inner tubular member;
• and
• passage means for defining a plurality of control member passages disposed radially between said inner tubular member and said outer tubular member, said elongate control members extending through said control member passages.

A surgical instrument comprising:

• a manually engageable handle;
• a first stem section having a longitudinal axis and extending from said handle;
• tissue engaging means for engaging tissue, said tissue engaging means including at least a first tissue engaging member;
• a second stem section connected between said first stem section and said tissue engaging means, said second stem section having at least a portion which is bendable, said second stem section supporting said tissue engaging means for movement between a plurality of orientations relative to said axis and to said first stem section;
• means for supporting said first tissue engaging member on said bendable portion of said second stem section;
• and
• means for bending said bendable portion of said second stem section to change the orientation of said tissue engaging means relative to said axis and to said first stem section from a first orientation to a second orientation;
• said movable portion of said second stem section comprising a plurality of independently movable link portions and a plurality of pivot joints, each pivot joint defining a respective pivot axis, each pivot joint interconnecting a pair of adjacent ones of said plurality of link portions for relative pivotal movement about its respective pivot axis, all of said pivot axes extending generally parallel to each other.

A surgical instrument comprising:

• a manually engageable handle;
• a first stem section having a longitudinal axis and extending from said handle;
• tissue engaging means for engaging tissue, said tissue engaging means including at least a first tissue engaging member;
• a second stem section connected between said first stem section and said tissue engaging means, said second stem section having at least a portion which is bendable, said second stem section supporting said tissue engaging means for movement between a plurality of orientations relative to said axis and to said first stem section;
• means for supporting said first tissue engaging member on said bendable portion of said second stem section;
• and
• means for bending said bendable portion of said second stem section to move said tissue engaging means through an arcuate path between a plurality of orientations relative to said axis and to said first stem section;
• said bendable portion of said second stem section comprising means for enabling bending movement of said bendable portion of said second stem section to move said tissue engaging means through a plurality of arcuate paths which are of different lengths and which are spaced apart from each other along said longitudinal axis.