Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and modular surgical system that allows for a user of modular surgical instruments to manipulate an end effector directly from the instrumentation contained in the handle assembly. A nozzle assembly that is detachable from a handle assembly may include an onboard circuitry board that allows for the RF generator to attach directly to the nozzle assembly and supply RF energy to the end effector, while also interfacing with a microprocessor of the handle assembly. In some aspects, the unique circuitry of the nozzle assembly also allows for shaft rotation while still supplying proper energy and functionality to the end effector.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a surgical instrument that includes an end effector having a first jaw, a second jaw that is movable relative to the first jaw, and at least one electrode in the first jaw. The surgical instrument also includes a control circuit configured to provide electrosurgical energy to the at least one electrode and a electrical conductor electrically connected between the end effector and the control circuit. The control circuit includes a shaft control segment and an electrosurgical energy control segment. The shaft control segment is configured to provide a control signal for operating the end effector to the end effector through the electrical conductor. The electrosurgical energy control segment is configured to provide the electrosurgical energy to the at least one electrode through the electrical conductor.

Abstract: A surgical instrument is provided for controlling control circuits for an independent energy delivery over segmented sections. The surgical instrument comprises an end effector comprising a first jaw and a second jaw, a first set of electrodes and a second set of electrodes and a slot defined between the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes. A cutting member configured to reciprocate within the slot. A control circuit is configured to receive information about impedance of tissue located between the first jaw and the second jaw of the end effector, provide electrosurgical energy to the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes and repeatedly alternate the electrosurgical energy between the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes at a predetermined time interval, and advance the cutting member.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a shield member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm is movable toward the ultrasonic blade to compress tissue against the ultrasonic blade. The shield member is selectively movable from a first position to a second position in response to movement of the clamp arm toward the ultrasonic blade. The shield member is configured cover at least a first portion of the ultrasonic blade in the first position. The shield member is configured to uncover the first portion of the ultrasonic blade in the second position.

Abstract: A surgical stapling apparatus. Various embodiments include a handle assembly that has a movable handle that is movable through actuation strokes relative to a stationary handle housing. An actuation is shaft supported at least in part within the stationary handle housing and is movable in response to manipulation of the movable handle. Various embodiments further include a firing lock out assembly that is configured to selectively prevent longitudinal movement of the actuation shaft in a distal direction. A firing release trigger is supported on the movable handle for travel therewith and is configured to interface with the firing lockout assembly to selectively release the firing lockout assembly to permit the actuation shaft to move longitudinally in the distal direction upon manipulation of the movable handle.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical blade includes a body having a proximal end, a distal end, and an outer surface. The distal end is movable relative to a longitudinal axis in accordance with ultrasonic vibrations applied to the proximal end. At least a portion of the outer surface of the body comprises a lubricious coating adhered thereto. The lubricious coating has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the body.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical blade includes a body having a proximal end, a distal end, and an outer surface. The distal end is movable relative to a longitudinal axis in accordance with ultrasonic vibrations applied to the proximal end. At least a portion of the outer surface of the body comprises a lubricious coating adhered thereto. The lubricious coating has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the body.

Abstract: An ultrasonic instrument comprises a handle assembly or other kind of body configured to receive an ultrasonic transducer, a shaft assembly having an acoustic waveguide and an ultrasonic blade, and a removable clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is in acoustic communication with the acoustic waveguide such that the ultrasonic transducer is operable to drive the ultrasonic blade to vibrate ultrasonically via the acoustic waveguide. The clamp arm is configured to selectively couple with and decouple from the shaft assembly and/or handle assembly of the ultrasonic instrument. The clamp arm may include a coupler or other coupling feature configured to selectively couple the clamp arm with the shaft assembly and/or the handle assembly. The ultrasonic instrument may further comprise a guidance system configured to position and/or orient the clamp arm relative to the ultrasonic instrument.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical blade includes a body having a proximal end, a distal end, and an outer surface. The distal end is movable relative to a longitudinal axis in accordance with ultrasonic vibrations applied to the proximal end. At least a portion of the outer surface of the body comprises a lubricious coating adhered thereto. The lubricious coating has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the body.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a wetting member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade that is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The wetting member is selectively movable between a first position and a second position. The wetting member is configured to be spaced away from the ultrasonic blade in the first position. The wetting member is configured to contact the ultrasonic blade in the second position and thereby apply a cooling fluid to the ultrasonic blade.

Abstract: A surgical apparatus comprises a body, an ultrasonic transducer, a shaft, an acoustic waveguide, an articulation section, an end effector, and an articulation lock assembly. The ultrasonic transducer is operable to convert electrical power into ultrasonic vibrations. The shaft couples the end effector and the body together. The acoustic waveguide is coupled with the transducer and includes a flexible portion. The articulation section is coupled with the shaft and encompasses the flexible portion of the waveguide. The articulation section comprises a first member and a second member. The second member is longitudinally translatable relative to the first member. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade in acoustic communication with the ultrasonic transducer. The articulation lock comprises a tensioning feature, which is configured to selectively apply tension to at least one of the first member and the second member of the articulation section to thereby increase rigidity in the articulation section.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical instrument for cutting a tissue of a patient includes an end effector projecting from a shaft assembly, which has an acoustic waveguide configured to acoustically couple with an ultrasonic transducer. The end effector includes an ultrasonic blade, a clamp arm, and a first clamp pad. The clamp arm is coupled with the shaft assembly and is configured to selectively move relative to the ultrasonic blade from an open position and toward an ultrasonic blade to a closed position. The clamp arm further includes an abutment configured to engage a portion of the shaft assembly in the closed position thereby inhibiting further movement of the clamp arm toward the ultrasonic blade. The first clamp pad thus remains offset from the ultrasonic blade to prevent the first clamp pad from direct contact with the ultrasonic blade.

Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to a method of driving an end effector coupled to an ultrasonic drive system of a surgical instrument. In accordance with the method, a generator is configured to generate at least one time varying electrical signal having a resonant frequency, monitor the resonant frequency of the at least one electrical signal, compare the resonant frequency to a threshold frequency, and trigger a first response of the generator when the resonant frequency crosses the threshold frequency.

Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to a method of driving an end effector coupled to an ultrasonic drive system of a surgical instrument. In accordance with the method, a generator is configured to generate at least one time varying electrical signal having a resonant frequency, monitor the resonant frequency of the at least one electrical signal, calculate a frequency slope between frequency data points of the time varying electrical signal, where the frequency slope is the change in resonant frequency over time, compare the frequency slope to a threshold frequency slope, and trigger a first response of the generator when the frequency slope crosses the threshold frequency slope.

Abstract: An ultrasonic surgical blade includes a body having a proximal end, a distal end, and an outer surface. The distal end is movable relative to a longitudinal axis in accordance with ultrasonic vibrations applied to the proximal end. At least a portion of the outer surface of the body comprises a lubricious coating adhered thereto. The lubricious coating has a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the body.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm comprises a clamp pad. The clamp arm is movable toward the ultrasonic blade to compress tissue between the clamp pad and the ultrasonic blade in two stages. During the first stage, the clamp arm is configured to compress tissue with only a distal portion of the clamp pad. During the second stage, the clamp arm is configured to compress tissue with the distal portion and a proximal portion of the clamp pad. Thus, the tissue compression begins at the distal portion and subsequently progresses toward the proximal portion.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade, a clamp arm, and a sleeve. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm is configured to move toward the ultrasonic blade. The sleeve extends along at least part of the length of an outer portion of the ultrasonic blade or the clamp arm. The sleeve is configured to prevent tissue from contacting a portion of the ultrasonic blade or clamp arm covered by the sleeve.

Abstract: A surgical apparatus comprises a body, a user input feature, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a blade cooling system. The end effector comprises a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade that may be coupled with an ultrasonic transducer. The clamp arm is configured to pivot toward and away from the ultrasonic blade. The cooling system is operable to deliver liquid coolant to the ultrasonic blade to thereby cool the ultrasonic blade. The user input feature is operable to both actuate the clamp arm and actuate the cooling system.

Abstract: A method for determining motional branch current in an ultrasonic transducer of an ultrasonic surgical device over multiple frequencies of a transducer drive signal. The method may comprise, at each of a plurality of frequencies of the transducer drive signal, oversampling a current and voltage of the transducer drive signal, receiving, by a processor, the current and voltage samples, and determining, by the processor, the motional branch current based on the current and voltage samples, a static capacitance of the ultrasonic transducer and the frequency of the transducer drive signal.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a shield member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm is movable toward the ultrasonic blade to compress tissue against the ultrasonic blade. The shield member is selectively movable from a first position to a second position in response to movement of the clamp arm toward the ultrasonic blade. The shield member is configured cover at least a first portion of the ultrasonic blade in the first position. The shield member is configured to uncover the first portion of the ultrasonic blade in the second position.