Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.

Ethicon, Gmbh

Cilag International Gmbh

Leslie M Fugikawa

Frederick E Shelton, IV

Eugene L Timperman

Jerome R Morgan

Jeffrey S Swayze

Charles J Scheib

Joseph Charles Hueil

Richard William Timm

Chad Paul Boudreaux

Mark S Ortiz

John N Ouwerkerk

William Bruce Weisenburgh, Ii

Christopher J Hess

James Walden Voegele

Rudolph Henry Nobis

James T Spivey

Michael A Murray

Christopher J Schall

Jeremy David Jarrett

Glen A Armstrong

Charles A Hansford

John I Izuchukwu

William B Ii Weisenburgh

Fredrick E Shelton Iv

A surgical instrument comprising a housing, an elongate shaft, an end effector for performing a surgical operation, a firing drive, an advancement assembly, and a retraction assembly is disclosed. The end effector operably supports a firing member that is movable from a proximal position to a fired position during a firing stroke in response to a longitudinal firing motion applied thereto. The firing drive is configured to transmit the longitudinal firing motion to the firing member upon actuation of a firing control actuator. The advancement assembly is supported by the housing and configured to transmit a rotary motion which is exclusively dedicated to the advancement of the firing member through the firing stroke. The retraction assembly is configured for manual rotary actuation about a longitudinal retraction axis. The retraction assembly is exclusively dedicated to the retraction of the firing member from the fired position to the proximal position.

Surgical instrument including dedicated firing and retraction assemblies

An end effector for use with a surgical system is disclosed. The end effector comprises a medical adjunct gradually releasable from the end effector, a pair of jaws configured to grasp tissue therebetween, a firing member, and a cutting member configured to cut the tissue and gradually release the medical adjunct from the end effector in an overlapping timeframe, based on advancement of the firing member.

End effector including a gradually releasable medical adjunct

A surgical end effector comprising a first jaw, a second jaw, a strain gauge, and a thickness measurement cartridge is disclosed. The first jaw comprises a first jaw undersurface. The first jaw is selectively movable relative to the second jaw. The strain gauge is supported by the second jaw and configured to communicate with a central processing unit configured to calculate thickness of tissue. The thickness measurement cartridge comprising a cartridge body and a pivot formation. The cartridge body is configured to be removably supported in the second jaw such that a tissue contacting surface thereon faces the first jaw undersurface. The pivot formation on the cartridge body facilitated pivotal movement of the cartridge body relative to the second jaw.

Laparoscopic clamp load measuring devices

An end effector for use with a surgical instrument includes a plurality of staples, an agent reservoir comprising a medical agent, a dispensing passage configured to convey the medical agent from the agent reservoir to tissue, and a firing system which includes a cutting member, a movable member, and a firing member, wherein the firing system is configured to cooperatively move the movable member and the firing member to simultaneously fire the plurality of staples and dispense at least a portion of the medical agent near the cutting member owing to the advancement of the firing member.

Surgical stapling instrument having a medical substance dispenser

In various embodiments, a surgical system is disclosed. The surgical system comprises a medicament and a surgical instrument comprising a plurality of staples, a cavity configured to store the medicament, a delivery passage configured to convey the medicament from the cavity to tissue, and a firing system. The firing system comprises a movable member and a firing member, wherein the firing system is configured to cooperatively move the movable member and the firing member to concurrently fire the plurality of staples and deliver at least a portion of the medicament to the tissue owing to advancement of the firing member.

A surgical instrument particular suited to endoscopic use is disclosed. Various embodiments include an end effector that is sized to be inserted through a trocar. An elongated shaft assembly is coupled to the end effector and a control handle. The elongated shaft assembly has a distal portion that is adjacent to said the effector for insertion into the trocar. The elongated shaft assembly further has a proximal portion that is remote from the distal portion such that the proximal portion protrudes from the trocar when the end effector and distal portion are inserted therethrough. The control handle is articulatably coupled to the proximal portion of said elongated shaft assembly to enable the surgeon to move the handle portion to a more ergonomically comfortable position while carrying out the endoscopic procedure. Various articulation joint embodiments and locking arrangements are disclosed.

Endoscopic surgical instrument with a handle that can articulate with respect to the shaft

A surgical instrument having opposed jaws that can be selectively moved between open and closed positions. Various embodiments include components for measuring the thickness of tissue clamped between the opposed jaws. Some embodiments are configured to ascertain the amount of compressive force that is being applied to the tissue while the thickness of the tissue is being determined. The tissue thickness data is displayed on the instrument itself and/or on a display that is remote from the instrument. The various embodiments may comprise different types of surgical instruments such as surgical staplers and graspers. A jaw arrangement with jaws shaped to define a cradle that corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of an object is also disclosed. The components that generate the thickness data may be electrically or mechanically actuated.

Laparoscopic tissue thickness and clamp load measuring devices

A surgical instrument that includes a distal member configured to receive a pneumatically operated tool assembly therein. The instrument may also include pneumatically powered drive member configured to generate at least one actuation motion upon receipt of at least one pneumatic signal from a source of pneumatic power fluidically coupled thereto. A drive shaft assembly communicates with the pneumatically powered drive member for transmitting the actuation motions to the distally mounted pneumatically operated tool. The device further includes a power assist member that communicates with the drive shaft assembly for transmitting additional manually generated actuation motions to the drive shaft assembly.

Pneumatically powered surgical cutting and fastening instrument with a variable control of the actuating rate of firing with mechanical power assist

In various embodiments, an assembly of a surgical instrument is disclosed. The assembly includes a housing, a cutting member relatively movable with respect to the housing, and an agent cartridge connected to the housing. The agent cartridge houses a medical agent. The assembly is configured to deliver the medical agent proximate a cutting surface of the cutting member.

A surgical cutting and fastening instrument that includes an elongate channel that is attached to a handle assembly by an elongate shaft assembly. The elongate channel is configured to receive a cartridge and has a pivotally translatable anvil attached thereto and a knife bar supported therein. The anvil may be selectively opened and closed by manipulating a closure trigger supported by the handle assembly. The knife bar may be distally advanced through the elongate channel by actuating a firing trigger that cooperates with a reversible rotary drive supported by the handle assembly. The knife bar may also be retracted to its starting position by actuating the firing trigger after the reversible rotary drive has been shifted to a retraction orientation.

Manually driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument

A surgical stapling system comprising a first staple, a second staple, and a bridge connecting the first staple and the second staple. In at least one embodiment, the first staple and the second staple are part of a strip of staples. For example, the first and second staples can be included in a strip of staples that includes several staples that are attached end-to-end and/or attached side-by side. In use, the strip, or strips, of staples are inserted into a stapler which can be used to insert the staples into soft tissue, for example, and deform at least a portion of the staples to hold the tissue, or several layers of tissue, together.

Connected surgical staples and stapling instruments for deploying the same

Closure systems for applying a closure motion to an anvil assembly of a surgical instrument. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument includes a cable drive knife assembly and the anvil assembly thereof is moved to a closed position when contacted by a closure tube assembly that has a pushing force applied thereto. Other embodiments include closure systems that may be actuated by rotary motion. Various lockable articulation joints are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Leslie M Fugikawa