Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Bennie Thompson

Grant Duque

Jeffrey A Smith

Ashley Lynne Wellman

Donald Frank Wilson, Jr

Thomas N McNamara

Tom McNamara

Don Wilson

Jeffry A Smith

Ashley Wellman

A surgical instrument having an elongated shaft having a shaft distal end and a shaft proximal end. An end effector is coupled to the shaft distal end and includes opposed jaws. A housing is included in one of the jaws, the housing having a housing proximal end, a housing distal end, an upper surface, a distal garage having lateral surfaces that extend above the upper surface, and a plurality of staple openings extending through the upper surface. A knife member is supported within the housing for movement distally. The knife member is moveable into a predetermined parked position such that a first portion of the cutting blade displaces below the upper surface and a second portion remains displaced above the upper surface. There is enough lateral clearance in the predetermined parked position between the lateral faces and the second portion to accommodate a dislodged staple.

Surgical staple cartridge with enhanced knife clearance

Growing community of inventors

San Carlos, CA, United States of America

Bennie Thompson