Surgical instrument

Claim 1

A SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR RETAINING A TOWEL ALONG THE MARGINAL EDGES OF AN INCISION AND FOR COMPRESSING THE TISSUE ADJACENT THERETO, SAID INSTRUMENT COMPRISING: A FIRST PIVOTABLE JAW MEMBER; A SECOND PIVOTABLE JAW MEMBER CO-FUNCTIONING WITH SAID FIRST JAW MEMBER IN A GIVEN LONGITUDINAL PLANE; MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID JAW MEMBERS; A FIRST LATERAL ELONGATED MEMBER RIGIDLY COUPLED TO THE FREE END OF SAID FIRST JAW MEMBER; A SECOND LATERAL ELONGATED MEMBER RIGIDLY COUPLED TO THE FREE END OF SAID SECOND JAW MEMBER, SAID FIRST LATERAL MEMBER AND SAID SECOND LATERAL MEMBER BEING PROVIDED FOR AND SPACED SUCH AS TO FUNCTION AS TISSUE COMPRESSION MEMBERS, AND SAID FIRST LATERAL MEMBER AND SAID SECOND LATERAL MEMBER COOPERATIVELY DEFINING A GIVEN TRANSVERSE PLANE RELATIVE TO SAID PLANE OF SAID JAW MEMBERS UPON CLOSURE OF SAID JAW MEMBERS; AT LEAST ONE PRONG CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING FROM ONE PORTION OF SAID FIRST LATERAL MEMBER; AT LEAST ONE PRONG CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING FROM ONE PORTION OF SAID SECOND LATERAL MEMBER, THE REMAINING PORTION OF EACH OF SAID LATERAL MEMBERS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER LENGTH, SAID PRONGS FUNCTIONING TO PIERCE SAID TOWEL AND UNDERLYING TISSUE AND EXTENDING IN DIRECTIONS, RELATIVE TO SAID, RESPECTIVE, LATERAL MEMBERS SO AS TO BE IN OPPOSING RELATIONSHIP AND TO LIE IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND ADJACENT SAID GIVEN TRANSVERSE PLANE UPON CLOSURE OF SAID JAW MEMBERS, AND SUCH THAT THE PIERCING APPLICATION OF SAID PRONGS WILL OCCUR IN SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED UNDERLYING RELATIONSHIP TO THE COMPRESSIVE APPLICATION OF SAID REMAINING PORTION OF EACH OF SAID LATERAL MEMBERS.