Cilag International Gmbh

Ethicon, Gmbh

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.

Jason M Rector

Frederick E Shelton, IV

Nicholas Fanelli

Jeffrey C Gagel

Douglas B Hoffman

Ryan J Laurent

Robert J Simms

John C Schuckmann

Gregory J Bakos

Richard L Leimbach

Jason L Harris

Jeffrey S Swayze

Charles J Scheib

Michael J Vendely

Mark S Zeiner

Mark D Overmyer

Richard F Schwemberger

Adam David Hensel

Christopher C Miller

Shannon L Jones

Ryan W McGhee

Shashi S Pathak

Jesse L Hontz

David C Yates

Chester O Baxter, Iii

Taylor W Aronhalt

John P Measamer

Brian D Schings

Brian F Dinardo

Johnny H Alexander, Iii

Christopher Q Seow

Bingshi Wang

Shane R Adams

Brett E Swensgard

Lauren S Weaner

Chad E Eckert

Daniel L Baber

Jeffery D Bruns

Jason E Zerkle

Raymond E Parfett

Scott A Jenkins

Sol A Posada

Stefan Beck

Darryl A Parks

Andréas N Ward

Kharyl Evenson George Stephens

Sol E Posada

Laura R Corsetto

James Bernar Ogzewalla

Benjamin A Roll

Sean J Moser

Iii Chester O Baxter

Iii Johnny H Alexander

A staple cartridge including a tissue supporting deck and a set of arbor inserts removably coupled to the deck adjacent a staple pocket, the staple pocket being configured to hold a staple. The set of arbor inserts is configured to plastically deform the staple as the staple exits the staple pocket during a firing stroke.

Deployable arbor sets that break away from staple cartridge

A staple cartridge including: a cartridge body; a staple pocket in the cartridge body, the staple pocket having an opening and containing an unformed staple including a first leg and a second leg, the staple pocket containing the first leg and the second leg of the unformed staple in an unfired position; and two or more guide surfaces in the staple pocket disposed adjacent the opening, wherein the guide surfaces are configured to deform the first leg of the unformed staple as the first leg exits the staple pocket at the opening during a firing of the unformed staple.

Staple cartridge containing forming surfaces that bend staple legs upon exiting

A method of preparing a staple cartridge includes forming first staples with a first alloy, and forming second staples with a second alloy that is different than the first alloy. The method includes positioning the first staples into staple cavities of a first row of staple cavities of the staple cartridge, the first row of staple cavities being a first distance from an elongate slot of the staple cartridge, and positioning the second staples into staple cavities of a second row of staple cavities, the second row of staple cavities being a second distance from the elongate slot of the staple cartridge. The second distance is greater than the first distance. The first staples are configured to degrade at a first rate in a tissue environment, and the second staples are configured to degrade at a second rate that is different than the first rate.

Method for implementing a staple system

An adjunct configured for use with an end effector of a surgical stapler includes a plurality of resiliently compressible elements interconnected with each other. The adjunct also includes a tissue-engaging face configured to contact tissue clamped by the end effector during closure thereof, and a stapler-engaging face configured to be releasably secured to a stapling surface of the end effector. Each resiliently compressible element of the plurality of resiliently compressible elements includes a hollow interior and an open end at one of the tissue-engaging or stapler-engaging faces. The hollow interior expands outwardly toward the open end. Each resiliently compressible element of the plurality of resiliently compressible elements is configured to be captured and compressed by a corresponding staple ejected from the end effector into the clamped tissue and thereby reinforce the engagement between the ejected staples and the clamped tissue.

Tissue cushion adjunct for surgical stapler end effector

A surgical instrument comprises a body, shaft, and end effector. The shaft couples the end effector and body together. The end effector comprises an anvil and lower jaw configured to receive a surgical staple cartridge. The anvil is configured to pivot toward and away from the staple cartridge and lower jaw. The shaft assembly comprises a knife member configured to longitudinally translate to thereby substantially simultaneously cut clamped tissue and staple the severed tissue. The end effector may comprise lockout features configure to prevent longitudinal translation of the knife member. The end effector or staple cartridge may comprise lockout bypass features configured to prevent lockout of the knife.

Lockout engagement features for surgical stapler

A surgical instrument including a first jaw that is configured to support a staple cartridge therein. An axially movable firing member is configured to move between a beginning position and an ending position by a first flexible drive member and a second flexible drive member. A firing member lock is configured to prevent the firing member from distally moving from the beginning position to the ending position unless an axially movable camming member in the staple cartridge that is supported in the first jaw is in a starting position.

Lockout arrangements for surgical instruments

A surgical instrument comprises a body, shaft, and end effector. The shaft couples the end effector and body together. The end effector comprises an anvil and lower jaw configured to receive a surgical staple cartridge. The anvil is configured to pivot toward and away from the staple cartridge and lower jaw. The shaft assembly comprises a knife member configured to longitudinally translate to thereby substantially simultaneously cut clamped tissue and staple the severed tissue. The end effector may comprise lockout features configure to prevent longitudinal translation of the knife member. The end effector or staple cartridge may comprise lockout bypass features configured to prevent lockout of the knife member. These lockout bypass features may operate to permit longitudinal translation of the knife member once or multiple times. The end effector may comprise features configured to ensure proper alignment of the anvil relative to the staple cartridge.

Method of using lockout features for surgical stapler cartridge

A surgical instrument includes a first and second jaw actuatable between an open and closed position, a buttress assembly having a compressible material, and a fastener assembly associated with the second jaw. The fastener assembly and the buttress assembly may cooperatively grasp tissue while the first and second jaws are in the closed position. The fastener assembly includes a deck defining a plurality of openings and a plurality of fasteners each housed within a respective opening of the plurality of openings. Each fastener can actuate out of the respective opening and into the buttress assembly. Each fastener includes a first leg having a piercing tip, and an attachment feature associated with the first leg. The attachment feature can engage the buttress assembly to couple the first leg with the buttress assembly without bending a portion of the first leg associated with the piercing tip.

Surgical stapler features for stapling variable thickness tissue

A surgical instrument includes an end effector including a first jaw having a plurality of pockets and a second jaw. The first and second jaws are operable to clamp tissue therebetween. The surgical instrument also includes a stapling assembly supported by the second jaw of the end effector. The stapling assembly includes a deck, a plurality of staple openings extending through the deck, and a plurality of staples slidably housed within corresponding staple openings. Each staple has a respective pair of legs configured to be driven into contact with a corresponding pocket. The surgical instrument further includes a plurality of staple leg constraints. Each staple leg constraint is aligned with and extends at least partially across a corresponding staple opening for guiding a respective leg of the corresponding staple toward the corresponding pocket.

Tissue cushion adjunct with staple leg support features for surgical stapler end effector

A surgical instrument comprises a body, shaft, and end effector. The shaft couples the end effector and body together. The end effector comprises an anvil and lower jaw configured to receive a surgical staple cartridge. The anvil is configured to pivot toward and away from the staple cartridge and lower jaw. The shaft assembly comprises a knife member configured to longitudinally translate to thereby substantially simultaneously cut clamped tissue and staple the severed tissue. The end effector may comprise lockout features configure to prevent longitudinal translation of the knife member. The end effector or staple cartridge may comprise lockout bypass features configured to prevent lockout of the knife member.

A method and apparatus of adaptively controlling a surgical stapling instrument are disclose. The method includes identifying a staple cartridge type, configuring the surgical stapling instrument based on the identified staple cartridge, and adaptively controlling, by a control circuit, operation/functionality of the surgical stapling instrument based on the configuration of the surgical stapling instrument loaded with the identified staple cartridge type. The apparatus includes a control circuit including a microcontroller and a memory coupled to the microcontroller. The memory stores machine executable instructions that when executed by the microcontroller cause the microcontroller to execute the above method.

Adaptive control of surgical stapling instrument based on staple cartridge type

A surgical instrument includes an anvil and an elongate channel. The elongate channel includes a plurality of first electrical contacts and a plurality of electrical connectors comprising a plurality of second electrical contacts, wherein the electrical connectors are spring-biased such that a gap is maintained between the first electrical contacts and the second electrical contacts. The surgical instrument further includes a staple cartridge releasably attachable to the elongate channel, wherein the staple cartridge has a cartridge body comprising a plurality of staple cavities, a plurality of staples deployable from the staple cavities into the tissue, and a plurality of third electrical contacts, wherein the attachment of the staple cartridge to the elongate channel moves the electrical connectors causing the second electrical contacts to bridge the gap and become electrically coupled to the first electrical contacts.

Surgical stapling instruments with smart staple cartridges

A staple cartridge comprising staples that are lubricated before they are loaded into the staple cartridge and after they have been loaded into the staple cartridge is disclosed.

Staple cartridge comprising lubricated staples

Methods for resetting a fuse in a surgical instrument are disclosed.

Method for resetting a fuse of a surgical instrument shaft

Growing community of inventors

Maineville, OH, United States of America

Jason M Rector