Surgical fastener applying apparatus

A surgical fastener applying apparatus comprising:

• an anvil half-section including a distal anvil portion and a proximal handle portion;
• a cartridge-receiving half-section including an elongated channel member, the elongated channel member having a U-shaped configuration defined by sidewalls, a closed lower portion, and an open upper portion, the cartridge-receiving half-section including a pair of opposed openings extending completely through the sidewalls of the elongated channel member from interior surfaces of the sidewalls to exterior surfaces of the sidewalls;
• a clamping lever secured to the cartridge receiving half-section, the clamping lever having a proximal end and a distal end and including a handle portion;
• and
• a disposable assembly including a single use loading unit and a single use firing unit, the disposable assembly configured to be releasably supported within the cartridge-receiving half-section and including a stationary housing for supporting the firing unit, the stationary housing including a distal extension extending therefrom for supporting the single use loading unit, the stationary housing including a pair of sidewalls each including a flared tab biased towards an at-rest position wherein the flared tabs extend outwardly at an angle relative to the sidewalls of the stationary housing, the flared tabs being configured to contact the sidewalls of the elongated channel member and flex inwardly towards an aligned orientation with respect to the sidewalls of the stationary housing upon insertion of the stationary housing through the open upper portion of the elongated channel member and into the elongated channel member, the flared tabs being configured to return under bias to the at-rest position upon alignment of the flared tabs with the opposed openings of the elongated channel member such that the flared tabs extend through the opposed openings of the side walls of the elongated channel member to protrude outwardly from the exterior surfaces of the sidewalls of the elongated channel member, and are thereby releasably received within the opposed openings of the elongated channel member to releasably engage the disposable assembly within the cartridge-receiving half-section;
• wherein the stationary housing includes a pair of outwardly-extending serrated gripping surfaces to facilitate insertion and removal of the disposable assembly in relation to the cartridge-receiving half-section;
• the clamping lever being operably associated with the anvil half-section and the cartridge receiving half-section and being movable from an unclamped position to a clamped position to releasably secure the anvil portion of the anvil half-section in close approximation with the single use loading unit.