Surgical suturing instrument for application of a staple suture

Claim 1

A surgical suturing instrument comprising: a supporting body a set of replaceable dies, each of said dies adapted to be supported on said body and having a plurality of recesses for interacting with staples formed in a surface thereof in a particular pattern corresponding to a particular suture and further including a shaped end guide plate extending in the direction of staple ejection situated in a plane substantially normal to the surface in which said recesses are formed, said guide plate having a particular shape corresponding to the respective particular pattern of staple recesses formed in the die; a set of change magazines, each of said change magazines adapted to be supported on said body and having a plurality of staple slots formed in a particular pattern corresponding to the pattern of a respective die and an end surface having a shape which conforms to the shape of the guide plate of said respective die; mechanically-actuated carriage holder means for carrying said change magazines and advancing the latter towards said die during the course of a suturing operation; and a set of replaceable staple ejectors, each of said ejectors adapted to be supported on said body and having an end surface having a shape which conforms to the shape of the guide plate of a respective die; whereby said suturing instrument is capable of applying different types of sutures determined by the respective die, change magazine and staple ejector being utilized.