Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.

Ethicon, Gmbh

Cilag International Gmbh

Brian D Bertke

Thomas W Huitema

Robert L Koch, Jr

Jeffrey David Messerly

Jacob Spencer Gee

Tylor C Muhlenkamp

William David Kelly

Foster B Stulen

Richard William Timm

Craig N Faller

John B Schulte

Kevin L Houser

Timothy G Dietz

Patrick A Weizman

Michael R Lamping

Sean P Conlon

Mark A Davison

David C Yates

Eitan T Wiener

Daniel W Price

Jeffrey L Aldridge

Cory G Kimball

James R Giordano

William D Dannaher

Sora Rhee

Gregory J Bakos

William Bruce Weisenburgh, Ii

David A Witt

Ryan M Asher

John E Brady

Chad S Frampton

Richard C Smith

Amy L Marcotte

Aron O Zingman

Nicholas G Molitor

Dario Vitali

Eric B Smith

Kevin A Larson

Vincent P Battaglia, Jr

Douglas J Turner

Karalyn R Tellio

Elizabeth DeBenedictis

Robert P Fuchs

Robert L Koch

Richard P Fuchs

JoAnn M Stegeman

Alissa L Welling

Craig T Davis

Patrick Jarvis Scoggins

Matthew S Schneider

Tamara S Vetro Widenhouse

Michael D Ehninger

Jose Domingo Vasquez

Brian J Walter

Mark Thomas Davidson

Mark Glassett

John S Frazier

Gaetana Michelet

Robert L Koch Jr

Kenneth Moran

Robert D Weaver

Jr Larry A Pummil

Elizabeth Debenedictis

Matthew L Reed

Jeffery T Kirk

William B Ii Weisenburgh

A surgical instrument is disclosed including a transducer configured to produce vibrations along a longitudinal axis at a predetermined frequency and an ultrasonic blade extending along the longitudinal axis coupled to the transducer. The ultrasonic blade includes a body having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end is movable along the longitudinal axis by the vibrations produced by the transducer. The surgical instrument further includes a protective sheath including a proximal end and a distal end and disposed adjacent to the body. The protective sheath further includes a pad positioned toward the distal end of the protective sheath and located between the body and the distal end of the protective sheath.

Ultrasonic end effectors with increased active length

An apparatus includes a shaft assembly, an ultrasonic blade, and a clamp assembly. The shaft assembly includes an acoustic waveguide operable to transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the blade. The clamp assembly includes a clamp arm pivotable toward and away from the blade about a pivot axis, to clamp tissue between the clamp arm and the blade. A rotation feature may provide rotation of the blade relative to the clamp arm about the longitudinal axis of the waveguide. Alternatively, the rotation feature may provide rotation of the clamp arm relative to the blade about the longitudinal axis. The rotation feature may be driven based on pivotal positioning of the clamp arm relative to the blade about the pivot axis. The rotation feature may selectively lock and unlock the angular position of either the blade or the clamp arm about the longitudinal axis at any of a number of predetermined angular positions.

Rotation features for ultrasonic surgical instrument

A surgical instrument is disclosed including a transducer, an ultrasonic blade, a protective sheath, and a non-vibrating clamp arm assembly. The ultrasonic blade extends along the longitudinal axis coupled to the transducer. The ultrasonic blade comprises a body having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end is movable along the longitudinal axis by vibrations produced by the transducer. The protective sheath comprises a proximal end and a distal end and disposed adjacent to the body. The protective sheath further comprises a pad positioned toward the distal end of the protective sheath and located between the body and the distal end of the protective sheath. The non-vibrating clamp arm assembly has a proximal end and a distal end and pivotally positioned adjacent to the body. The clamp arm assembly is pivotally moveable from an open position to a closed position.

In general, systems, methods, and devices for electrosurgical devices with monopolar and bipolar functionality are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a surgical device can have bipolar functionality, in which tissue engaged by the device is treated in a bipolar energy delivery mode, and can have monopolar functionality in which tissue engaged by the device is treated in a monopolar energy delivery mode.

Electrosurgical devices with monopolar and bipolar functionality

An ultrasonic instrument comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an ultrasonic blade, and a pivoting member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The ultrasonic blade is positioned distal to the shaft assembly. The pivoting member is pivotable with respect to the blade from an open position to a closed position to thereby clamp tissue between the pivoting member and the blade. One or both of the shaft assembly or the pivoting member comprise a guide feature. The guide feature is configured to provide lateral alignment of the distal portion of the pivoting member with the blade as the pivoting member is pivoted to the closed position.

Alignment features for ultrasonic surgical instrument

A surgical clip applier and methods for applying surgical clips to a vessel, duct, shunt, etc., during a surgical procedure are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a surgical clip applier is provided having a housing with a trigger movably coupled thereto and an elongate shaft extending therefrom with opposed jaws formed on a distal end thereof. The trigger is adapted to advance a clip to position the clip between the jaws, and to move the jaws from an open position to a closed position to crimp the clip positioned therebetween.

Surgical clip applier methods

An apparatus comprises an end effector, a body assembly, a power source, and a control module. The end effector is operable for use in a surgical procedure and can deliver energy to a surgical site. The end effector comprises at least one sensor. The sensor is able to measure at least one physical characteristic associated with the surgical site. The body assembly is in communication with the end effector. The power source is in communication with the body assembly and is operable to deliver power to the end effector. The control module is in communication with the sensor and is operable to change delivery of power to the end effector based on data from the sensor indicating a change in tissue density.

Surgical instrument with tissue density sensing

An end effector includes a first portion having a first specific acoustic impedance value, and a second portion having a second specific acoustic impedance value less than the first specific acoustic impedance value. The first portion may include a proximal end segment and a distal end segment. The proximal end segment and the distal end segment are composed of a first material. The second portion may include an insert segment composed of a second material. The insert segment is located between the proximal end segment and the distal end segment along the longitudinal axis of the end effector. The insert segment functions to bridge or fill a nodal energy gap defined by the end effector.

An ultrasonic instrument comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an ultrasonic blade, and a pivoting member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The ultrasonic blade is positioned distal to the shaft assembly. The pivoting member is pivotable with respect to the blade from an open position to a closed position to thereby clamp tissue between the pivoting member and the blade. The shaft assembly comprises a feature to provide for the removal of surgical debris (e.g. tissue, coagulated blood, etc.), body fluid, etc. from the shaft assembly. The feature may remove the surgical debris, body fluid, etc. from a cavity within the shaft assembly. The feature may also prevent the collection of surgical debris, body fluid, etc. within the shaft assembly.

Ultrasonic surgical instrument with integral blade cleaning feature

Various forms are directed to a method for operating an ultrasonic surgical instrument. The ultrasonic surgical instrument may be activated by generating a drive signal provided to the ultrasonic drive system to drive the end effector. A plurality of input variables may be applied to a multi-variable model to generate a multi-variable model output, where the multi-variable model output corresponds to an effect of the ultrasonic instrument on tissue. The plurality of input variables may comprise at least one variable describing the drive signal and at least one variable describing a property of the ultrasonic surgical instrument. When the multi-variable model output reaches a threshold value, feedback may be generated indicating a corresponding state of at least one of the ultrasonic surgical instrument and tissue acted upon by the ultrasonic surgical instrument.

Techniques for cutting and coagulating tissue for ultrasonic surgical instruments

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Fort Thomas, KY, United States of America

Brian D Bertke