embodiments of the presently disclosed anvil delivery system will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views . in the description that follows , the term “ proximal ,” as is traditional , will refer to the end of anvil delivery system , or a portion thereof , that is closer to the operator , while the term “ distal ” will refer to the end of the anvil delivery system that is farther from the operator . with reference to fig1 , an anvil delivery system is generally shown as 10 . anvil delivery system 10 includes a flexible tube 12 , an adapter 14 , and an anvil assembly 16 . anvil assembly 16 may be a 21 mm or a 25 mm anvil assembly , sold under the trademark eea orvil ™. alternatively , other anvil assemblies may be used with the presently disclosed anvil delivery system . flexible tube 12 has an open end 12 a and a blunt end on the opposite end . adapter 14 and anvil assembly 16 are supported on open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 , as described in detail below . referring to fig2 and 3 , anvil assembly 16 includes an anvil head 30 , an anvil center rod 20 , and an anvil 60 . anvil 60 , which is supported on anvil head 30 , has a plurality of pockets 60 a for receiving and deforming surgical staples . center rod 20 is operatively connected to anvil head 30 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , center rod 20 is pivotably coupled to anvil head 30 . further , center rod 20 includes flexible legs 26 configured to capture at least a portion of adapter 14 therebetween . with continued reference to fig2 and 3 , adapter 14 includes a first end 14 a dimensioned to be received within open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 and a second end 14 b configured to be received in the center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . first end 14 a includes a series of annular rings 22 dimensioned to frictionally retain first end 14 a of adapter 14 within open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 . it is envisioned that other retaining structure can be provided to retain first end 14 b of adapter 14 to flexible tube 12 , e . g ., clamps , pins , threads , etc . second end 14 b of adapter 14 includes a longitudinal guide member 24 dimensioned to be received between flexible legs 26 of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . in addition , second end 14 b of adapter 14 is dimensioned to allow center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 to freely slide on and off second end 14 b of adapter 14 . referring to fig4 , anvil head 30 of anvil assembly 16 includes spaced apart openings 32 that are in communication with each other . adapter 14 includes a first throughbore 40 formed in a central hub portion 14 c and a second throughbore 42 formed in first end 14 a . as will be discussed below , anvil delivery system 10 includes a suture 50 to secure anvil assembly 16 to adapter 14 . referring to fig2 and 4 , suture 50 has a first end 50 a and a second end 50 b . to secure adapter 14 to anvil assembly 16 , first end 50 a of suture 50 is inserted into one opening 32 of anvil head 30 and pulled out of the other opening 32 such that the ends 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 are positioned on opposite sides of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . next , second end 14 b of adapter 14 is positioned within center rod 20 and each end 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 is inserted through an opposite end of throughbore 40 of central hub portion 14 c of adapter 14 to define a first suture loop 54 ( see fig2 ). each end 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 is pulled tight such that adapter 14 is held against center rod 20 . thereafter , each end 50 a and 50 b is inserted through an opposite end of throughbore 42 of first end 14 a of adapter 14 to define a second suture loop 56 ( see fig2 ). second suture loop 56 extends about first end 14 a of adapter 14 . the frictional contact between rings 22 of first end 14 a of adapter 14 and the inner surface of flexible tube 12 secures adapter 14 to flexible tube 12 and prevents suture 50 from loosening up . with reference to fig1 a and 1b , after operatively connecting flexible tube 12 to anvil assembly 16 via adapter 14 , a healthcare professional may decide to shorten flexible tube 12 . in some bariatric surgeries , for instance , short flexible tubes 12 are beneficial . therefore , the healthcare professional may decide to cut flexible tube 12 , thereby creating another open end 12 b on the new distal end of flexible tube 12 . because the cut end of flexible tube 12 may be abrasive and / or include jagged or irregular surfaces , a fitting 62 may be attached to open end 12 b of tube 12 to facilitate smooth atraumatic passage of tube 12 through or into a body lumen . with reference to fig5 - 9 , fitting 62 includes a body 64 having a proximal end portion 66 adapted to be supported in open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 , a distal end portion 68 , and a middle portion 70 . distal end portion 68 has bore 74 defined therethrough and a blunt tip 72 configured for insertion into a body lumen such as the esophagus . in a preferred embodiment , the tip 72 is bullet - shaped to aid insertion . bore 74 may be dimensioned to receive a suture ( not shown ) so it can be pulled through the lumen if desired . middle portion 70 is between proximal end portion 66 and distal end portion 68 . proximal end portion 66 includes a plurality of protrusions 76 adapted to frictionally retain proximal end portion 66 of fitting 62 within open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 . in operation , a surgeon employs anvil delivery system 10 to position anvil assembly 16 in the body during minimally invasive procedures . during such procedures , the surgeon initially secures adaptor 14 to open end 12 a of flexible tube , 12 and sutures anvil assembly 16 to central hub portion 14 c of adapter 14 . flexible tube 12 may then be cut at any desired length . the cut creates a distal open end 12 b from the blunt closed end in flexible tube 12 . after cutting flexible tube 12 , the surgeon secures fitting 62 in open end 12 b . specifically , proximal end portion 66 of fitting 62 is inserted into open end 12 b . the frictional contact between protrusions 76 of distal end portion 66 of fitting 62 and the inner surface of flexible tube 12 secures fitting 62 to flexible tube 12 . for transoral applications , once fitting 62 has been secured to flexible tube 12 , the surgeon inserts fitting 62 in the patent &# 39 ; s mouth and moves fitting 62 along with flexible tube 12 down through the esophagus to the surgical site , e . g ., stomach . it is also contemplated that the anvil delivery system can be used for other applications besides transoral insertion , such as transgastric and transanal approaches for colorectal , bariatric and other applications . this can be achieved due to the bullet shaped tip which can penetrate tissue , e . g . the stomach wall to deliver the anvil assembly . other penetrating tip configurations could be provided . after insertion , the surgeon should then make a small incision at the surgical site to create an inner access to the fitting 62 . after making the incision , the surgeon pulls fitting 62 through the incision , thereby pulling anvil assembly 16 through the esophagus ( or other body tissue or organ depending on the procedure ) to the surgical site . if a suture is used through bore 74 , the suture can be grasped and pulled to pull the anvil assembly . as flexible tube 12 is pulled through the incision , the distal end of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 advances through the incision . when anvil assembly 16 is properly positioned at the surgical site , the surgeon may release adapter 14 from anvil assembly 16 by cutting suture 40 and sliding center rod 20 from end 14 b of adapter 14 . next , the flexible tube 12 ( with fitting 62 ) and adapter 14 may be pulled from the body through the incision . the surgeon can now mount center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 on a surgical stapling device ( not shown ) and perform the desired surgical procedure . the components of anvil delivery system 10 may be provided in kit form . the kit may include a flexible tube 12 adapted to be secured to the anvil assembly 16 , an adapter 14 configured to secure an anvil assembly 16 to the flexible tube 12 and a fitting 62 configured to be attached to flexible tube 12 . fitting 62 , in turn , may include a body 64 having a proximal end portion 66 and a distal end portion 68 , a blunt tip 72 disposed on the distal end portion 68 , and a plurality of protrusions 76 disposed on the proximal end portion 66 . proximal end portion 66 of body 64 may be dimensioned to be supported within flexible tube 12 . the plurality of protrusions 76 may be adapted to operatively attach the body 64 of the fitting 62 to flexible tube 12 . blunt tip 72 may be configured for insertion into a body lumen . fitting 62 may include a bore 74 extending through distal end portion 68 of body 64 . the kit may further include an anvil assembly 16 . in one embodiment , the anvil assembly 16 , the flexible tube 12 , and adapter 14 are fastened together with a suture 50 , as discussed above , and the fitting 62 is provided to blunt the end of flexible tube 12 if the flexible tube 12 has to be cut and to provide an insertion tip . with reference to fig1 a and 10b , another embodiment of anvil delivery system 10 includes an alternative fitting 82 . like fitting 62 , fitting 82 is attached to open end 12 b of tube 12 to facilitate smooth atraumatic passage of tube 12 through or into a body lumen . since the structure and operation of an anvil delivery system 10 with fitting 62 is substantially identical to the structure and operation of an anvil delivery system 10 with fitting 82 , the present disclosure only discusses in detail the structural features of fitting 82 . referring to fig1 - 14 , fitting 82 includes a body 84 having a proximal end portion 86 supported in open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 , a distal end portion 88 , and a middle portion 90 . distal end portion 88 has a bore 94 defined therethrough and a blunt tip 92 configured for insertion into a body lumen such as the esophagus . body 90 of fitting 82 has a tapered surface 98 leading to blunt tip 92 . tip 92 is bullet - shaped to aid insertion . bore 94 is dimensioned to receive a suture ( not shown ). the suture is attached to tip 92 and pulled to pull tube 12 through a lumen if desired . proximal end portion 86 includes a plurality of protrusions 96 adapted to frictionally retain proximal end portion 86 of fitting 82 within open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 . protrusions 96 are disposed around an outer periphery of proximal end portion 86 . it will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein . for example , the particular configuration of fitting 62 need not be exactly as shown but rather may be configured in any manner capable of facilitating atraumatic passage of tube 12 through a body lumen . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplifications of the embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto .
a method for performing a surgical procedure is disclosed which uses an anvil delivery system including an anvil assembly , a flexible tube having a first end portion and a second end portion , and a fitting to deliver the anvil assembly to a desired site . the method includes the steps of cutting a second end portion of the flexible tube , attaching a fitting to the second end portion of the flexible tube which has been cut , inserting the insertion tip into tissue , advancing the insertion tip along with the flexible tube and anvil assembly to the desired site within a patient &# 39 ; s body , and removing the flexible tube from the anvil assembly and from the desired site leaving the anvil assembly in a patient &# 39 ; s body at the desired site .