A surgical stapler including an anvil, a staple cartridge, and a buttress material removably retained to the anvil and/or staple cartridge. In various embodiments, the staple cartridge can include at least one staple removably stored therein which can, when deployed, or fired, therefrom, contact the buttress material and remove the buttress material from the anvil and/or staple cartridge. In at least one embodiment, the anvil can include at least one lip and/or groove configured to removably retain the buttress material to the anvil until deformable members extending from the surgical staple are bent by the anvil and are directed toward and contact the buttress material.

Embodiments include an end effector including an anvil, the anvil having an anvil face, an anvil blade channel defined by the anvil face, a first pocket row of first row staple pockets, a second pocket row of second row staple pockets, a third pocket row of third row staple pockets, a fourth pocket row of fourth row staple pockets, a fifth pocket row of fifth row staple pockets, a sixth pocket row of sixth row staple pockets, a cartridge having a cartridge face defining a cartridge blade channel, the cartridge being configured to retain a plurality of staples, and a blade, the blade having a cutting edge, where the blade is movable from a first position at a distal end of the cartridge to a second position at a proximal end of the cartridge.

A motorized surgical instrument is disclosed. The surgical instrument includes a displacement member, a motor coupled to the displacement member, a display, and a control circuit coupled to the motor and the display. The control circuit is configured to measure distance traveled by the displacement member over a predetermined period of time, cause the display to present a selection menu indicia that is indicative of a velocity mode, receive a user input corresponding to the velocity mode, and set the motor velocity of the displacement member based on the measured distance traveled by the displacement member over the predetermined period of time and the user input.

Disclosed is a surgical stapling apparatus and method of use that includes a cartridge assembly which is capable of being reloaded during a surgical procedure without being removed from the surgical site. This allows a surgeon to continue a surgical operation without withdrawing or removing the surgical stapler for reloading and thus reduces the length of the surgery while allowing the physician to concentrate solely on the surgical procedure rather than dividing attention between the surgical procedure and reloading of the surgical stapler. The surgical stapling apparatus includes an elongate member having a plurality of fasteners arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows which is longitudinally translatable through the cartridge to position the plurality of fasteners relative to a plurality of retention slots extending through an upper surface of the cartridge.

A surgical stapler, or fastening instrument, may generally comprise a layer, such as a tissue thickness compensator, for example, releasably attached to a fastener cartridge and/or anvil by a flowable attachment portion. The flowable attachment portion may be indefinitely flowable. The flowable attachment portion may be flowable from the time that layer is installed to the fastener cartridge to the time in which the layer is implanted to patient tissue. The flowable attachment portion may comprise a pressure sensitive adhesive. The flowable attachment portion may comprise an adhesive laminate comprising a base layer comprising the tissue thickness compensator and an adhesive layer on at least a portion of a surface of the base layer comprising the pressure sensitive adhesive. Articles of manufacture comprising flowable attachment portion and methods of making and using the flowable attachment portion are also described.

A surgical device comprising a first clamping member, a second clamping member, an electric motor, and a control system is disclosed. The electric motor is configured to drive at least one of the first clamping member and the second clamping member toward a predetermined tissue gap between the first clamping member and the second clamping member to clamp the tissue of a patient. The control system is configured to monitor a parameter of the electric motor. The parameter is indicative of a clamping force exerted to the tissue by the first clamping member and the second clamping member. The control system is further configured to control the electric motor based on the parameter to limit the clamping force to a predetermined maximum limit.

Systems and methods for controlling staple firing include an end effector including a first jaw and a second jaw holding staples, a drive system configured to apply a force or torque to cause staple firing to occur, and a processor. The processor is configured to monitor the applied force or torque and control application of the force or torque by the drive system based on a comparison of the applied force or torque to an acceptable range of force or torque. In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to determine one or more of a position of the first jaw and the second jaw or a displacement of the drive system and control application of the force or torque by the drive system based on one or more of the position of the first jaw and the second jaw or the displacement of the drive system.

An adapter assembly for selectively interconnecting a surgical end effector including at least one axially translatable drive member and a powered actuator device including at least one rotatable drive shaft is provided. The adapter assembly includes an actuation shaft configured to convert rotation of a first drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a first drive member of the surgical end effector. The adapter assembly further includes an elongate tube configured to convert rotation of a second drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a second drive member of the surgical end effector. The actuation shaft is disposed within the elongate tube, and the actuation shaft and the elongate tube translate axially independent of each other.

A surgical instrument includes a body portion, a shaft, and an end effector that is operable to compress, staple, and cut tissue. The end effector includes an anvil and a staple cartridge. The anvil has a rigid bent tip configured to contact an angled surface of a nose portion of the staple cartridge. The staple cartridge includes gripping features along a staple deck that assist in gripping tissue during clamping. The staple deck of the cartridge may include multiple levels. The anvil further includes a slot with lateral portions having curved ends for receiving portions of a firing beam to guide the firing beam during a cutting and stapling action.

A surgical stapler, or fastening instrument, may generally comprise a layer, such as a tissue thickness compensator, for example, releasably attached to a fastener cartridge and/or anvil by a flowable attachment portion. The flowable attachment portion may be indefinitely flowable. The flowable attachment portion may be flowable from the time that layer is installed to the fastener cartridge to the time in which the layer is implanted to patient tissue. The flowable attachment portion may comprise a pressure sensitive adhesive. The flowable attachment portion may comprise an adhesive laminate comprising a base layer comprising the tissue thickness compensator and an adhesive layer on at least a portion of a surface of the base layer comprising the pressure sensitive adhesive. Articles of manufacture comprising flowable attachment portion and methods of making and using the flowable attachment portion are also described.