Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A surgical stapling assembly including a resiliently mounted anvil member and a staple holding assembly containing a plurality of surgical staples and mounted relative to the anvil member for movement into substantially parallel spaced relation thereto to clamp tissue inserted between the anvil member and staple holding assembly for stapling. If the surgical stapling assembly is overloaded with tissue and clamped, the clamping force results in a displacement of the anvil member relative to the staple holding assembly in the general direction of the clamping force. The amount of displacement of the anvil member permitted by the resilient means is large enough to prevent excessive pressure on the tissue, but not so large that the anvil member is no longer sufficiently close to the staple holding assembly to perform its function of crimping the ends of the staples driven from the staple holding assembly.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim