Surgical stapling apparatus
AssigneeTyco Healthcare Group LP
InventorsPaul A. Scirica, Roman Czernik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides for a loading unit for use with and/or supportable on a distal end of a surgical stapling apparatus. The loading unit includes a housing portion including a connecting feature, preferably in the form of a pair of axially oriented and diametrically opposed slots formed therein, and a drive assembly slidably supported within the housing portion of the loading unit, the drive assembly including a pair of axially spaced apart radially inwardly extending fingers, wherein when the distal end of a control rod of a surgical stapling apparatus is axially advanced in the direction of and engages the resilient fingers, the distal end of the control rod biases the resilient fingers radially outward into the slots of the housing portion.
Claims16
A surgical apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a control rod extending distally from the housing;
- and
- a loading unit supportable on a distal end of the housing, the loading unit including:
- a housing portion including a pair of axially oriented opposed elongated slots formed therein said control rod being movable in an axially direction of said housing portion;
- and
- a drive assembly slidably supported within the housing portion of the loading unit, the drive assembly adapted to engage the control rod and including at least one resilient finger, wherein each resilient finger extends radially inwardly with respect to the housing portion, wherein when the distal end of the control rod is axially advanced in said direction to engage the at least one resilient finger, the distal end of the control rod biases the at least one resilient finger radially outward into the slots of the housing portion.
A loading unit for use on a distal end of a surgical stapling apparatus comprising a tool assembly having a cartridge housing a plurality of staples, an anvil moveable with respect to said cartridge, and a control rod, the loading unit comprising:
- a housing portion including a pair of axially oriented opposed elongated slots formed therein, said control rod being movable in an axially direction of said housing portion;
- and
- a drive assembly slidably supported within the housing portion of the loading unit, the drive assembly adapted to engage the control rod of the surgical stapling apparatus to drive said staples housed in said cartridge, and including at least one resilient finger, wherein each resilient finger extends radially inwardly with respect to the housing portion, wherein when the distal end of the control rod is axially advanced in said direction to engage the at least one resilient finger, the distal end of the control rod biases the at least one resilient finger radially outward into the slots of the housing portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.