Abstract: A surgical procedure is disclosed for joining, e.g., by stapling or clipping, body tissue of a patient situated in an internal body cavity of the patient from within the body cavity through a small opening into the body cavity. For example, the surgical procedure may be employed to repair indirect inquinial or femoral hernias in a laparoscopic procedure. A small opening is made into the body cavity at a site on the patient's body remote from the body tissue to be joined in the internal body cavity. The body cavity is insufflated. An elongate tissue-joining instrument is inserted into the body cavity through the small opening. The instrument is moved through the insufflated internal body cavity to position a distal end of the instrument close to and on an internal side of the body tissue to be joined in the body cavity. The pieces of body tissue are then joined by the instrument by manipulation of the instrument at a proximal end thereof.

Abstract: A surgical instrument and method for joining internal body tissue are disclosed. In the preferred embodiment the instrument staples a hernial opening in internal body tissues of a patient comprises an elongate staple cartridge rotatably mounted to an elongate frame at a distal end thereof and an elongate staple forming plate movably mounted to the frame for ejecting a staple from the cartridge into the body tissues of the patient and deforming the staple from an open position to a closed position in which the staple holds together two pieces of body tissue on opposite sides of the hernial opening. The instrument further includes a rotator assembly operatively connected to the cartridge for rotating the cartridge from an orientation aligned with the frame means to a staple ejection orientation transverse to the frame.

Abstract: A tissue suturing method involves C-shaped suturing staples (16) embedded in a cartridge (14) formed of a carrier (18) and opposite cartridge jaws (20 and 22). The opposite cartridge jaws are moved linearly along a track in the carrier to bend the C-shaped staples into spiraling overlapping loops by a separate elongated pliers-like clamping tool (12). The cartridge jaws selectively engage the pliers-like tool jaws (90) so that a loaded cartridge can be mounted on the pliers-like tool, the suturing staples mounted therein can be rolled up from their ends to theregy pass through tissues positioned in mouths of the staples, the cartridge can be removed from the pliers-like tool jaws, and a new loaded cartridge can be mounted on the pliers-like tool jaws to repeat this process. An equalizer mechanism (84) is included on the pliers-like tool to cause opposite jaws of the pliers-like tool to move correspondingly uniformed distances.

Abstract: A surgical instrument for suturing a hernial opening in internal body tissues of a patient comprises an elongate staple cartridge rotatably mounted to an elongate frame at a distal end thereof and an elongate staple forming plate movably mounted to the frame for ejecting a staple from the cartridge into the body tissues of the patient and deforming the staple from an open position to a closed position in which the staple holds together two pieces of body tissue on opposite sides of the hernial opening. The instrument further includes a rotator assembly operatively connected to the cartridge for rotatating the cartridge from an orientation aligned with the frame means to a staple ejection orientation transverse to the frame. A tissue positioning assembly separate from the staple forming plate is provided for gripping, approximating and temporarily holding together in a stapling position the two pieces of body tissue prior to and during a stapling operation.

Abstract: A tissue suturing assembly (10) and method involves C-shaped suturing staples (16) embedded in a cartridge (14) formed of a carrier (18) and opposite cartridge jaws (20 and 22). The opposite cartridge jaws are moved linearly along a track in the carrier to bend the C-shaped staples into spiraling overlapping loops by a separate elongated pliers-like clamping tool (12). The cartridge jaws selectively engage the pliers-like tool jaws (90) so that a loaded cartridge can be mounted on the pliers-like tool, the suturing staples mounted therein can be rolled up from their ends to thereby pass through tissues positioned in mouths of the staples, the cartridge can be removed from the pliers-like tool jaws, and a new loaded cartridge can be mounted on the pliers-like tool jaws to repeat this process. An equalizer mechanism (84) is included on the pliers-like tool to cause opposite jaws of the pliers-like tool to move correspondingly uniformed distances.

Abstract: A tissue suturing assembly (10) and method involves C-shaped suturing staples (16) embedded in a cartridge (14) formed of a carrier (18) and opposite cartridge jaws (20 and 22). The opposite cartridge jaws are moved linearly along a track in the carrier to bend the C-shaped staples into spiraling overlapping loops by a separate elongated pliers-like clamping tool (12). The cartridge jaws selectively engage the pliers-like tool jaws (90) so that a loaded cartridge can be mounted on the pliers-like tool, the suturing staples mounted therein can be rolled up from their ends to thereby pass through tissues positioned in mouths of the staples, the cartridge can be removed from the pliers-like tool jaws, and a new loaded cartridge can be mounted on the pliers-like tool jaws to repeat this process. An equalizer mechanism (84) is included on the pliers-like tool to cause opposite jaws of the pliers-like tool to move correspondingly uniformed distances.