Surgical stapler for aortic anastomosis

1. A method for connecting a graft vessel to a target vessel, the method comprising:

advancing a guidewire, attached to and extending from an anvil of a surgical stapler, into the target vessel through an opening at a first location on the target vessel;

coupling a stapler cartridge carrying the graft vessel with the anvil of the surgical stapler;

activating the anvil to staple the graft vessel to the target vessel at a second location on the target vessel, apart from the first location;

removing the guidewire from the target vessel; and

closing the opening in the target vessel, wherein closing the opening comprises cinching a purse string suture previously placed in the target vessel around the first location.

2. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising, piercing the target vessel at the first location to form the opening, prior to advancing the guidewire, using a pointed distal tip of the guidewire.

3. The method as in claim 2 , further comprising, forming a purse string suture in the target vessel around the first location, prior to piercing the target vessel, wherein closing the opening comprises cinching the purse string suture.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the target vessel comprises an aorta.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the advancing step comprises advancing the guidewire until the anvil of the surgical stapler contacts the target vessel.

6. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising loading the graft onto the cartridge, using a graft loading device, before coupling the cartridge with the anvil.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein activating the anvil causes two rows of staples to be deployed to staple the graft vessel to the target vessel.

8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein activating the anvil causes four rows of staples to be deployed to staple the graft vessel to the target vessel.

9. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising stabilizing the surgical stapler relative to the target vessel, using the guidewire.

10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first location and the second location are separated by at least about 1 cm.

11. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising, removing the cartridge from the anvil.

12. The method as in claim 11 , further comprising:

attaching another cartridge to the anvil; and

activating the anvil to further staple the graft vessel to the target vessel.

13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the guidewire remains in position in the target vessel during the coupling the stapler cartridge carrying the graft vessel with the anvil.

14. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the guidewire is inside the target vessel while the anvil is activated to staple the graft vessel to the target vessel.

15. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising, replacing the stapler cartridge with a further stapler cartridge, prior to the removing the guidewire and the closing the opening.

16. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first location on the target vessel is separated by a distance from an anastomosis formed by the graft vessel stapled to the target vessel at the second location on the target vessel.

17. A method for connecting a graft vessel to a target vessel, the method comprising:

advancing a guidewire, attached to and extending from an anvil of a surgical stapler, into the target vessel through an opening at a first location on the target vessel, wherein advancing the guidewire through the opening at the first location on the target vessel includes advancing an entirety of the guidewire into an interior of the target vessel;

coupling a stapler cartridge carrying the graft vessel with the anvil of the surgical stapler;

activating the anvil to staple the graft vessel to the target vessel at a second location on the target vessel, apart from the first location;

removing the guidewire from the target vessel; and

closing the opening in the target vessel, wherein closing the opening comprises cinching a purse string suture previously placed in the target vessel around the first location.