Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.

Ethicon, Gmbh

Cilag International Gmbh

Biomet C.v.

Senmed, Inc.

Sorin Group Usa, Inc.

Bepuy Products, Inc.

Rudolph Henry Nobis

Christopher J Hess

Michael F Clem

Dale R Schulze

Gary W Knight

John A Hibner

William Bruce Weisenburgh, Ii

Geoffrey S Strobl

Sean P Conlon

David James Cagle

Charles J Scheib

Chad Paul Boudreaux

Benjamin J Danziger

David C Yates

Barry C Worrell

David Stefanchik

Omar J Vakharia

Benjamin D Dickerson

Jeffrey David Messerly

Michael J Stokes

Gregory A Trees

Ryan M Asher

Jacob Spencer Gee

Eric N Johnson

Benjamin M Boyd

Christopher Paul Swain

Ronald J Brinkerhoff

Jerome E Reckelhoff

Jeffrey S Swayze

Kevin L Houser

Mark S Zeiner

Gary Lee Long

Craig N Faller

William D Fox

James T Spivey

Mark A Davison

Aaron C Voegele

Frederick L Estera

Catherine A Corbett

Chester O Baxter, Iii

Mark D Overmyer

Gavin Martin Monson

Jason R Lesko

Ronald John Kolata

Amir Feriani

Rafael J Ruiz Ortiz

Jason L Harris

Gregory J Bakos

Foster B Stulen

Richard L Leimbach

Kevin Michael Fiebig

Richard William Timm

Brett E Swensgard

Anil K Nalagatla

Gregory W Johnson

Matthew C Miller

Daniel J Mumaw

Lawrence Crainich

David T Martin

Brian D Black

John B Schulte

Kristen G Denzinger

Kevin D Felder

Stephen M Leuck

Tylor C Muhlenkamp

William David Kelly

Richard C Smith

Michael R Lamping

Federico Bilotti

Disha V Labhasetwar

Robert J Laird

Carl J Draginoff, Jr

Paul F Riestenberg

William A Olson

David Alexander Monroe

Kip M Rupp

Patrick J Swindon

Frederick E Shelton, IV

Jerome R Morgan

Mark S Ortiz

InBae Yoon

Bryan Dale Knodel

James Walden Voegele

Eugene L Timperman

Richard P Nuchols

Jonathan A Coe

Douglas B Hoffman

Bennie Thompson

Michael A Murray

Patrick J Minnelli

Kenneth S Wales

Jesse J Kuhns

John E Burbank, Iii

Robert Mason Trusty

Kevin M Montgomery

Leslie M Fugikawa

Michael D Cronin

David B Griffith

Steven Paul Woodard

Richard L Grant

An apparatus comprises a body assembly, a shaft assembly, an end effector, an articulation section, and an articulation control assembly. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly and comprises an ultrasonic blade. The articulation section is coupled with the shaft assembly and is operable to articulate to thereby deflect the end effector from the longitudinal axis. The articulation control assembly comprises first and second threaded members and an articulation control. The first and second threaded members have respective first and second pitch orientations. The articulation control is rotatable to thereby drive articulation of the articulation section by causing translation of the first and second threaded members along a path that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft assembly. The axis of rotation of the articulation control is non-parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shaft assembly.

Ultrasonic surgical instrument with opposing thread drive for end effector articulation

Surgical tools that are capable of both manipulating a needle and cutting surgical thread during a suturing operation can sometimes be problematic due to inadvertent severing of the surgical thread. Surgical tools capable of exposing a bladed cutting surface only when severing of surgical thread is desired can substantially alleviate this issue. Such surgical tools may comprise an end effector comprising an end effector axle, a first jaw and a second jaw rotatably mounted to the end effector axle, and a first cutting body having a first blade and second cutting body having a second blade. The first cutting body is configured to move in tandem with the first jaw and the second cutting body is configured to move in tandem with the second jaw, such that the first and second blades are occluded when the first and second jaws are closed or partially opened.

Surgical tools with occluded blade

A surgical instrument includes an end effector and a handle assembly. The end effector is configured to operate at a first energy level and at a second energy level. The end effector is further configured to transition between an open position and a closed position. The end effector is configured to grasp tissue in the closed position. The handle assembly includes a body, a trigger, and an activation element. The trigger is configured to pivot in a first direction relative to the body to actuate the end effector from the open position to the closed position. The activation element is configured to activate the end effector at either the first energy level or the second energy level. The trigger is configured to either activate the activation element or determine whether the end effector operates at the first energy level or the second energy level.

Surgical instrument with multi-functioning trigger

An end effector includes a distal clevis, an axle mounted to the distal clevis, a first jaw holder and corresponding first jaw member rotatably mounted to the axle, and second jaw holder and corresponding second jaw member rotatably mounted to the axle. A cylindrical sleeve axle having opposing first and second ends and defining a central passageway extending between the opposing first and second ends, the sleeve axle providing a continuously straight and uninterrupted outer surface extending entirely between the opposing first and second ends. The axle is received within the central passageway and the sleeve axle is rotatable relative to the axle.

Dual axle robotic end effector

A surgical apparatus comprises a body, a user input feature, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a blade cooling system. The end effector comprises a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade that may be coupled with an ultrasonic transducer. The clamp arm is configured to pivot toward and away from the ultrasonic blade. The cooling system is operable to deliver liquid coolant to the ultrasonic blade to thereby cool the ultrasonic blade. The user input feature is operable to both actuate the clamp arm and actuate the cooling system.

Features to drive fluid toward an ultrasonic blade of a surgical instrument

An end effector includes first and second jaws movable between open and closed positions, a guide track defined in the second jaw, and a cutting element extendable into the guide track and longitudinally movable within the guide track. A retention feature is positioned within the guide track and operatively couples the cutting element to a drive rod. The drive rod is actuatable to move the cutting element within the guide track, and the retention feature is larger than a width of an opening to the guide track such that the retention feature is retained within the guide track as the cutting element moves.

Surgical instruments with a retention feature that retains a cutting element

An apparatus comprises a body assembly, a shaft, an acoustic waveguide, an articulation section, an end effector, and an articulation drive assembly. The shaft extends distally from the body assembly and defines a longitudinal axis. The acoustic waveguide comprises a flexible portion. The articulation section is coupled with the shaft. A portion of the articulation section encompasses the flexible portion of the waveguide. The articulation section comprises a plurality of body portions aligned along the longitudinal axis and a flexible locking member. The flexible locking member is operable to secure the body portions in relation to each other and in relation to the shaft. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade in acoustic communication with the waveguide. The articulation drive assembly is operable to drive articulation of the articulation section to thereby deflect the end effector from the longitudinal axis.

Method of operating an articulating ultrasonic surgical instrument

An end effector includes a distal clevis, an axle mounted to the distal clevis, a first jaw holder and corresponding first jaw member rotatably mounted to the axle, and a second jaw holder and corresponding second jaw member rotatably mounted to the axle. A sleeve axle has a first end, a second end, and a central passageway that extends between the first and second ends. The axle is received within the central passageway and the sleeve axle is rotatable relative to the axle.

An end effector for a surgical tool includes a distal clevis, first and second jaws rotatably mounted to the distal clevis at a first axle, and a proximal clevis rotatably coupled to the distal clevis at a second axle. An electrical conductor extends through the proximal clevis and terminates at the distal clevis to supply electrical energy to one or both of the first and second jaws.

Supplying electrical energy to electrosurgical instruments

Surgical tools are provided herein that are configured to apply suction and irrigation at a surgical site during the course of a surgical procedure. A surgical tool can include a handle that has a suction flow path configured to provide suction therethrough and an irrigation flow path configured to provide irrigation therethrough. The suction flow path and the irrigation flow path can share a common path along at least partial lengths thereof. An elongate shaft can extend distally from the handle and can have an inner lumen that is in communication with the suction flow path and the irrigation flow path. The inner lumen can thus be configured to provide suction from the suction flow path to a surgical site to remove matter therefrom and to provide irrigation from the irrigation flow path to the surgical site to provide fluid thereto.

Surgical tool with fluid control pathways

Growing community of inventors

Mason, OH, United States of America

Rudolph Henry Nobis