Cilag International Gmbh

Bruce Brunson, Jr

Frederick E Shelton, IV

Tyler N Brehm

Kevin Michael Fiebig

Sarah Alexandra Worthington

Frederick L Estera

Demetrius N Harris

Seth Daniel Holdmeyer

Guion Y Lucas

Chad Paul Boudreaux

Jeffrey David Messerly

Geoffrey S Strobl

Craig N Faller

John E Brady

Stephen M Leuck

William A Olson

Ellen E Burkart

Richard W Flaker

John Michael Sarley

Nina Mastroianni

Lauren M Valente

Michael A Keenan

Wei Guo

Joseph S Salguero

Joseph H Kemper

Robert S Bishop

A loading unit for use with a surgical stapling instrument is disclosed. The loading unit comprises a shaft and an end effector extending from the shaft. The end effector comprises a first jaw that comprising an anvil, and a second jaw. At least one of the first jaw and the second jaw is movable relative to the other to grasp tissue. The second jaw comprises an elongated channel comprising retaining features, and a staple cartridge insertable into the elongated channel for assembly therewith. The staple cartridge comprises a cartridge pan, and a sled translatable relative to the cartridge pan from a first position toward a second position. The retaining features are configured to resist a movement by the sled beyond the first position up to a predetermined force.

Surgical instruments with interactive features to remedy incidental sled movements

Disclosed is a surgical instrument with an end-effector adapted and configured to deliver a plurality of energy modalities to tissue at a distal end thereof. The energy modalities may be applied simultaneously, independently, or sequentially. A generator is electrically coupled to the surgical instrument and is configured to supply a plurality of energy modalities to the end-effector. In one aspect, the generator is configured to supply electrosurgical energy (e.g., monopolar or bipolar radio frequency (RF) energy) and ultrasonic energy to the end-effector to allow the end-effector to interact with the tissue. The energy modalities may be supplied to the end-effector by a single generator or multiple generators.

Method of operating a combination ultrasonic / bipolar RF surgical device with a combination energy modality end-effector

An end-effector and a surgical instrument including the end-effector are disclosed. The end-effector includes a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator. The clamp arm incudes a clamp jaw, a cantilever electrode, and a clamp arm. The cantilever electrode is biased in a direction toward the clamp jaw and the clamp arm includes a retainer to oppose a biasing force and maintain the cantilever electrode in a substantially flat configuration relative to the ultrasonic blade. A skirt may be disposed around the clamp jaw. The clamp arm pad may include multiple support elements arranged in multiple rows to support the cantilever electrode.

Non-biased deflectable electrode to minimize contact between ultrasonic blade and electrode

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Bruce Brunson, Jr