Abstract: A surgical stapling anvil is disclosed comprising an anvil body comprising a longitudinal slot configured to receive a firing member therethrough and a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets defined therein. The anvil further comprises an anvil cap and a plurality of welds welding the anvil cap and the anvil body together. The welds comprise a shallow-welded zone comprising a first weld depth and a deep-welded zone comprising a second weld depth which is different than the first weld depth, wherein the shallow-welded zone and the deep-welded zone are configured to increase overall weld depth of the plurality of welds.

Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to methods for use with a surgical device to harvest energy from a surgical generator. The surgical device in use in conjunction with the surgical generator may comprise an energy storage device in electrical communication with a surgical generator to provide energy to charge the energy storage device. The method may comprise the steps of receiving a drive signal from the generator. The method may also comprise directing at least a portion of the drive signal to the energy storage device in a first mode. The method may further comprise directing at least a portion of the drive signal to at least one energy element in a second mode.

Abstract: Apparatus and method to permit selective cutting and coagulation required in fine and delicate surgical procedures. The apparatus includes two body members having proximal ends and distal ends with jaw members located adjacent the body member's distal ends. The body members are joined at a pivot located adjacent to the first and second jaw members joining the first and second body members where the body members' rotation about the pivot defines a plane of rotation. The scissors are adapted for selective application of energy to at least one jaw member by a switch located in the plane of rotation.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes an end effector, a handle assembly, and a knife drive assembly. The end effector includes a first jaw, a second jaw, a knife, and an electrode assembly. The second jaw is pivotably coupled with the first jaw and is operable to move between an open position and a closed position. The knife is configured to actuate between a pre-fired position and a fired position. The electrode assembly is configured to apply RF energy to tissue. The handle assembly includes a housing associated with the first jaw and an arm associated with the second jaw. The arm is configured to pivot the second jaw between the open position and the closed position. The knife drive assembly includes an input assembly, an output assembly, and a threaded member rotatably disposed within the housing. The threaded member includes a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion. The first threaded portion is associated with the input assembly and includes a first pitch extending in a first pitch orientation.

Abstract: Surgical systems and methods are provided for controlling actuation and movement of various surgical devices.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods and devices for controlling movement of an end effector, and in particular for causing mimicked motion between an input tool and an end effector during a surgical procedure. In an exemplary embodiment, a surgical system is provided having a master assembly with an input tool and a slave assembly with an end effector. The master assembly and the slave assembly can be coupled together by a mechanical assembly that is configured to mechanically transfer mimicked, rather than mirrored, motion from the input tool to the end effector. A floating frame is also provided and can be utilized with the surgical system. The floating frame can have a counterbalance that allows the surgical system to “float” above a patient and provide a weightless feel to movement of the surgical system. In addition, the floating frame can provide a number of additional degrees of freedom for ease of movement of the surgical system around the patient and/or the operating room.

Abstract: A piece of buttress material and an end-effector of a surgical instrument including features which can aid a surgeon in properly and quickly attaching the piece of buttress material to the end-effector. In various embodiments, a piece of buttress material can include retention features which can be engaged with portions of an end-effector to releasably retain the piece of buttress material to at least a portion of the end-effector. Similarly, an end-effector can include features configured to engage portions of a piece of buttress material to releasably retain the piece of buttress material to the end-effector. In at least one embodiment, more than one piece of buttress material can be releasably retained to an end-effector.

Abstract: A method of operating a surgical tool includes sending a command signal from a computer system to a motor to drive rotation of a drive shaft mounted within a drive housing of the surgical tool, monitoring one or more operational parameters of the motor with one or more monitoring devices in communication with the computer system, and measuring an unexpected change in the operational parameters of the motor with the monitoring devices. The unexpected change includes a measured operational parameter that is inconsistent with the command signal. The unexpected change is reported to the computer system as a bailout signal, and the surgical tool is disabled once the bailout signal is received at the computer system.

Abstract: Various surgical tools with bailout mechanisms are provided that allow direct engagement with one or more actuators to provide rapid and effective bailout (such as release, reversal, and/or retraction) of surgical tools while minimizing the amount of force and/or time to complete the bailout. Robotic surgical tools generally have a housing and an elongate tool shaft extending from the housing and having an end effector on a distal end thereof. The housing has a plurality of actuators for causing various functions of the end effector, such as rotation, articulation, clamping, firing, stapling, etc. The housing attaches to a tool driver on a robotic arm that electromechanically drives the actuators to control the end effector. A bailout mechanism can extend from the housing into the elongate shaft and directly engage the actuators to apply a force thereto to retract an actuator.

Abstract: A surgical system comprises a surgical hub coupleable to inventory items of an institution. The inventory items include medical devices. The surgical hub comprises a processor, a memory, and a cloud-based analytics system. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to communicate with the inventory items. The cloud-based analytics system is coupled to the surgical hub, and comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to receive data associated with the inventory items, determine availability of inventory items based on unique identifiers and system-defined constraints, generate a cloud interface for the institution, and transmit an alert for each inventory item determined as not available based on the system-defined constraints.

Abstract: A surgical instrument for treating a patient includes a shaft assembly and a body assembly. The shaft assembly includes a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and an articulation joint operable to selectively articulate the distal end portion relative to the proximal end portion. The body assembly includes a joint drive assembly, an actuator, and a joint stabilizer. The joint drive assembly is operatively connected to the articulation joint and configured to actuate the articulation to thereby articulate the distal end portion relative to the proximal end portion. The actuator is configured to actuate the joint drive assembly for articulating the articulation joint. The joint stabilizer includes a detent abutment and a detent notch configured to releasably capture the joint drive assembly and thereby inhibit articulation of the distal end portion of the shaft assembly relative to the proximal end portion of the shaft assembly.

Abstract: An end effector for a surgical clip applier includes an elongate body, a clip revolver rotatably positioned within the body and providing an inner bore that defines a plurality of clip slots angularly spaced from each other about an inner surface of the inner bore, wherein a plurality of surgical clips are receivable within the plurality of clip slots in a nested helical array. First and second jaw members extend past a distal end of the body and aligned to receive a distal-most surgical clip of the plurality of surgical clips, wherein the clip revolver is rotatable to sequentially align each surgical clip with the first and second jaw members.

Abstract: Ultrasonic surgical instruments having angularly and/or linearly off-set blades are described. The angularly and/or linearly off-set blades may facilitate increased surgical site access, visibility, and manipulability.

Abstract: A surgical instrument comprising an end effector configured to perform a plurality of end effector functions is disclosed. The surgical instrument further comprises a drive shaft which is both rotatable and translatable to drive the end effector functions.

Abstract: A staple cartridge configured to be contained within a channel of a stapling device that has a sled that is selectively actuatable and an anvil portion that is selectively movable between open and closed positions to produce a different opening between the anvil portion and the staple cartridge in the open and closed positions is disclosed. The staple cartridge comprises a plurality of staples, a cartridge body, a first staple driver defining more than one staple forming distance defining at least one first formed staple height, and a second staple driver defining more than one staple forming distance. At least one of the staple forming distances of the second staple driver is different than any of the staple forming distances of the first staple driver and defines at least one second formed staple height which is different than the at least one first formed staple height.

Abstract: An end effector for a surgical clip applier includes an elongate body and a clip track provided within the body and containing one or more surgical clips. Each surgical clip includes a crown and a pair of legs extending longitudinally from the crown and diverging from each other at a diverging opening angle. A pre-forming region is provided within the body and arranged to receive and deform the one or more surgical clips from a first state, where the pair of legs diverge at the diverging opening angle, and a second state, where the diverging opening angle is minimized. First and second jaw members are positioned at a distal end of the body and arranged to receive the one or more surgical clips from the pre-forming region in the second state.

Abstract: A surgical stapling device that comprises an end effector. According to various embodiments, the end effector comprises a circular anvil having a staple forming surface and a plurality of staples facing the staple forming surface of the anvil. The end effector also comprises a staple driver assembly comprising a plurality of staple drivers. Each staple driver supports one of the plurality of staples and is configured such that, when the staple driver assembly is actuated, each staple driver drives the staple into the staple forming surface of the anvil. A first quantity of the plurality of staple drivers has a first height and a second quantity of the plurality of staple drivers has a second height, wherein the first height is less than the second height.

Abstract: An implantable restriction device includes a plurality of beads and a plurality of links that join the beads together. The beads include a housing including a contact surface, a passageway extending through the hosing along an axis, and at least one magnet disposed around the passageway. Portions of the links are slidably disposed in corresponding passageways of the beads such that the beads are operable to transition between a constricted configuration and an expanded configuration. The contact surfaces of adjacent beads abut against each other in the constricted configuration. Adjacent magnets within adjacent beads generate an interactive magnetic field foxed on the abutting contact surfaces of adjacent beads.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a sled and an end effector. The end effector includes a first jaw, a second jaw movable relative to the first jaw, an anvil, and a cartridge channel. The staple cartridge includes a proximal end, a distal end, a cartridge body, and staples supported in the cartridge body, wherein the sled is movable to deploy the staples from the cartridge body against tissue captured between the staple cartridge and the anvil. The cartridge channel is configured to removably retain the staple cartridge, wherein a load is required to remove the staple cartridge from the cartridge channel, and wherein the sled is configured to reduce the cartridge removal load.