Apparatus for applying surgical clips

An apparatus for application of surgical clips to body tissue, which comprises:

• a) a handle portion;
• b) a body extending distally from the handle portion and defining a longitudinal axis;
• c) a plurality of surgical clips disposed within the body;
• d) a jaw assembly mounted adjacent a distal end portion of the body, the jaw assembly including first and second jaw portions movable between a spaced-apart and an approximated position;
• e) a clip pusher movably mounted to individually distally advance a surgical clip to the jaw assembly while the jaw portions are in the spaced-apart position;
• f) an actuator at least partially disposed within the body and longitudinally movable in response to actuation of the handle portion;
• g) a jaw closure member positioned adjacent the first and second jaw portions, the actuator and the jaw closure member including interlocking structure, the interlocking structure being movable from an unlocked position to an interlocked position to produce corresponding movement of the actuator and the jaw closure member when the actuator is positioned adjacent the distal end portion of the body, wherein in the unlocked position, the actuator and the jaw closure member are longitudinally moveable relative to each other.

An apparatus for application of surgical clips to body tissue, which comprises:

• a) a handle portion having a first handle and a second handle mounted for relative movement, the handles defining a single closing stroke between an open position and a closed position, the closing stroke defining an initial throw and a final throw;
• b) a body extending distally from the handle portion and defining a longitudinal axis;
• c) a plurality of surgical clips disposed within the body;
• d) a jaw assembly mounted adjacent a distal end portion of the body, the jaw assembly including first and second jaw portions movable between a spaced-apart and an approximated position;
• e) a clip pusher configured to individually distally advance a surgical clip to the first and second jaw portions while the jaw portions are in the spaced-apart position during the initial throw of the handles;
• f) an actuator at least partially disposed within the body and longitudinally movable in response to actuation of the handle portion;
• g) a jaw closure member positioned adjacent the first and second jaw portions, the actuator and the jaw closure member including interlocking structure, the interlocking structure being moveable from an unlocked position to an interlocked position to produce corresponding movement of the actuator and the jaw closure member during the final throw of the handles wherein in the unlocked position, the actuator and the jaw closure member are longitudinally movable relative to each other.