Surgical instrument for applying two-piece fasteners comprising frictionally held U-shaped staples and receivers (Case III)

Claim 1

In a surgical instrument for stitching tissue by means of two-piece fasteners, said fasteners comprising a substantially U-shaped staple member and a receiver to engage the legs of said U-shaped staple member and lock therewith, said instrument having a pair of oppositely disposed jaws with the U-shaped staple members disposed in one jaw and the cooperating receivers disposed in said opposite jaw, said instrument including means for positioning the jaws with respect to each other while the tissue is therebetween to form an appropriate gap between the jaws and said instrument including means for driving the legs of the U-shaped members through the tissue to be joined and causing said legs to lock with the receiver in the opposite jaw, the improvement comprising a plurality of deflectable portions disposed in the jaw with each deflectable portion frictionally engaging a U-shaped staple member for releasably holding said staples as they are driven through the tissue and for releasing said U-shaped staple members when the legs thereof are locked by the receiver.