An endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes a frame portion, an elongated portion extending from the frame portion, and an articulating fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end of the elongated portion. The fastener applying assembly includes a base portion, a staple cartridge housing, and an anvil member which has a forming surface thereon against which surgical fasteners are driven as they ...

An electrosurgical stapling apparatus is provided which uses thermogenic energy as well as surgical fasteners or staples for strengthening tissue, providing hemostasis, tissue joining or welding. The thermogenic energy also strengthens tissue in proximity to a staple line and knife cut line and provides hemostasis along the staple and cut lines formed by the staples and a knife blade during surgical stapling. The use thermogenic energy provides short-term hemostasis and sealing, and reduces or p...

An endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes a frame portion, an elongated portion extending from the frame portion, and an articulating fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end of the elongated portion. The fastener applying assembly includes a base portion, a staple cartridge housing, and an anvil member which has a forming surface thereon against which surgical fasteners are driven as they ...

A surgical stapling device for applying an array of surgical staples to tissue is provided. The stapling device includes an approximation mechanism for moving a cartridge assembly and an anvil assembly between spaced and approximated positions and a firing mechanism for ejecting the array of staples from the cartridge assembly. A single trigger is operable to effect approximation and firing of the device. The device also includes an alignment pin assembly which can be selectively manually or aut...

A surgical stapling apparatus includes an anvil having a trunnion with outward facing protuberances. The anvil has planar lateral sides. A mounting bracket for attaching a handle to the anvil has planar lateral sides which are flush against the planar lateral sides of the anvil by and fixedly attached thereto by, for example, a plurality of spot welds.

A surgical stapling apparatus having tissue bolstering material releasably attached thereto for application of the material and staples to body tissue is disclosed. The tissue bolstering material is preferably releasably held to surfaces of the stapling apparatus through pins, clips or similar securing structures. The tissue bolstering material can be either planar or tubular in configuration. Preferably, both the anvil portion and the fastener ejecting portion of the stapler are at least partia...

A surgical stapling device particularly suited for endoscopic procedures is described. The device can be used with both articulating and non-articulating disposable loading units and has a sensing mechanism for sensing the type of disposable loading unit secured to the device.

A method and device for efficiently and effectively stapling an opening in an anatomical structure such as veins, arteries, organs, and other body members within a living body is disclosed. The opening may be from a deliberately placed incision, as from an invasive surgical procedure, or caused by other damaging events. The device includes a stapling mechanism having a main body with a handle, a trigger for activating the staples, and a central passage through which a balloon catheter may pass. ...

A finisher distributes image-formed sheets into bins while sorting and stapling the sorted and stacked sheets. The bins are movable vertically pitch by pitch, and the image-formed sheets are distributed so that each bin will store a set from the first page to the last page (sort mode). Further, chucking units are provided to take stacks of sheets on bins set in specified levels out of the bins. The chucking units pinch the respective stacks of sheets and move along the bins in the same direction...

A surgical stapling apparatus particularly suited for endoscopic procedures is described. The device includes a firing lockout assembly including a linearly movable plunger which is movable into operative engagement with a locking member to move the locking member from a first position obstructing longitudinal advancement of an actuation shaft to a second position permitting longitudinal advancement of the actuation shaft.