US Patent 7588177 Tool assembly for surgical stapling device

A surgical stapling device including an independently rotatable tool assembly is disclosed. The tool assembly includes an anvil and a cartridge assembly which are movable in relation to each other between spaced and approximated positions. A clamp member is provided to maintain a proximal end of the cartridge assembly and anvil in juxtaposed alignment in the approximated position. A dynamic clamping member is provided to define a maximum tissue gap between the cartridge assembly and anvil during firing. A drive member including a flexible coaxial drive cable including a center rod and an outer sheath is connected to the clamp member and dynamic clamping member to move the member between first and second positions.