CPC A61B 17/1155 (2013.01) [A61B 17/1114 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00473 (2013.01); A61B 2017/07257 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
1. An apparatus for stapling tissue, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a stapling head assembly housing an annular array of staples;
(b) a coupling shaft slidably disposed within the stapling head assembly such that the coupling shaft is configured to translate relative to the stapling head assembly, wherein the coupling shaft extends along a long axis, wherein the coupling shaft comprises an actuatable element;
(c) an anvil configured to selectively couple with the coupling shaft such that the coupling shaft is configured to drive translation of the anvil relative to the stapling head assembly while the anvil and the coupling shaft are coupled together, wherein the anvil comprises an annular array of staple forming pockets, wherein the actuatable element is configured to pivot toward and away from the long axis to selectively couple the anvil with the coupling shaft; and
(d) an alignment assembly operable to rotationally align the anvil relative to the coupling shaft such that the annular array of staple forming pockets is aligned with the annular array of staples housed within the stapling head assembly, wherein the alignment assembly is configured to rotate the anvil about the long axis into rotational alignment with the coupling shaft in response to the anvil coupling with the coupling shaft.
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