Surgical stapler

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG.
1, a hand-held and hand-operated multistage surgical stapler 10 delivers and closes one staple at a time to the adjacent edges of an incision being closed or adjacent tissue or other substances being joined.
Surgical stapler 10 is formed generally of a vertical case 12 having two halves 13a and 13b.
The case has trigger opening 14 through which a trigger 16 is engageably inserted.
Trigger 16 moves between a first extended position (shown in FIG.
1) and second retracted position upon hand pressure being applied on the trigger 16 by the surgeon.
The bottom 19 of trigger 16 angles upwardly.
FIG.
1 illustrates that trigger 16 is pivotable with about 30.
degree.
of movement.
The case of the stapler of the present invention also includes a barrel 20 having a cylindrical portion 22 and an upper cartridge housing 24.
Cylindrical portion 22 includes a circumferential depression or cavity 26 formed therein, as best shown in FIGS.
3 and 9.
Case 12 includes a plurality of tabs 28 extending outwardly therefrom and each tab 28 is provided with a head 30 depending downwardly therefrom.
Cavity 26 is rotatably engaged by heads 30 of tabs 28 permitting rotational detent of the barrel 20 in relation to the case 12.
Cavity 26 also includes a plurality of undulations 32, as best shown in FIG.
9, which provide a controllable orientation of the angular position of barrel 20.
The surgeon may specifically direct a staple to the desired tissue as the barrel 20 "locks" at an angular orientation with minimum effort when head 30 is retained within undulation 32.
With this invention, the surgeon has a free hand and need not restrain the barrel from further rotation with his free hand.
Upper cartridge housing 24 of case 12 includes a top face 34 and a bottom face or roof 35 and a pair of side faces 36 depending downwardly from the ends of top face 34.
Upper cartridge housing 24 terminates in a front face 38 disposed adjacent to the staple discharge area