ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 6 -- United States Patent no. 12,458,357, issued on Nov. 4, was assigned to Covidien LP (Mansfield, Mass.).
"Retractable trocar for circular stapling instruments" was invented by Yishuai Xu (Shanghai) and Li Xiang (Shanghai).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A trocar member for a circular stapling instrument includes a tubular housing and a tip member moveable relative to the tubular housing between an extended position and a retracted position. The tubular housing includes proximal and distal portions and defines a longitudinal passage. The tubular housing includes a flange configured for operable engagement with an anvil assembly. The tip member is disposed entirely within...