A surgical instrument comprising an interchangeable shaft assembly is disclosed. The interchangeable shaft assembly comprises a shaft portion, an end effector configured to receive a staple cartridge including a plurality of staples, a firing assembly movable from a firing home state to deploy the plurality of staples from the staple cartridge, and an articulation assembly movable from an articulation home state to articulate the end effector relative to the shaft portion. The surgical instrument further comprises a housing detachable from the shaft portion, a circuit configured to transmit a home state input signal in response to an action performed to decouple the housing from the shaft portion, and a controller configured to cause the firing assembly to return to the firing home state and the articulation assembly to return to the articulation home state in response to the home state input signal.

A surgical device comprising a first jaw member, a second jaw member, a clamping member and a clamp apparatus is disclosed. The clamping member is slidably positioned to translate at least partially through the first jaw member. The clamping member engages the first jaw member and the second jaw member, and has a knife blade for cutting tissue. A flange of the clamping member is configured to engage a cam surface to pivot the second jaw member with respect to the first jaw member from an open position toward an approximated position. The clamp apparatus is movable from a retracted position to an advanced position for preventing a gap between proximal portions of the first jaw member and the second jaw member from exceeding a predetermined distance. The clamping member and the clamp apparatus are separately movable.

A medical device includes a shaft, an end effector at a distal end of the shaft, the end effector having a first jaw that pivots relative to a second jaw about a pivot axis, a control mechanism engaging a surface of the first jaw, such that when the control mechanism translates relative to the pivot axis from a first state to a second state, the surface of the first jaw moves relative to the control mechanism and pivot about the pivot axis. The medical device further includes an actuator extending through the shaft and coupled to the control mechanism, where translation of the actuator translates the control mechanism from the first state to the second state.

A surgical stapling device includes a tool assembly and a drive assembly for actuating the tool assembly. The tool assembly includes an anvil assembly that defines a notch and a cartridge assembly that includes a staple cartridge having a cartridge body that supports staples and pushers and an actuation sled that supports a knife. The drive assembly supports a lockout mechanism that is movable between unlocked position and locked positions. The knife includes a protrusion that engages the lockout mechanism to move the lockout mechanism to the unlocked position as the drive assembly is moved from a retracted position towards an advanced position. When a knife is not present within the staple cartridge, the lockout mechanism remains in the unlocked position to prevent advancement of the drive assembly.

The present disclosure includes an extender for a surgical stapler. An example extender includes a proximal end configured to removably couple to a surgical handle assembly, a distal end configured to removably coupled to a reloadable cartridge assembly, and an extender drive rod configured to transfer power from the surgical handle assembly to the reloadable cartridge assembly.

A surgical stapling device includes a staple reload and a shipping wedge. In embodiments, the shipping wedge is configured to disable the use of a staple reload if the staple reload does not have an actuation sled. In other embodiments, the actuation sled includes a readable identifier that facilitates confirmation of the presence of an actuation sled within a staple reload from a location externally of the staple reload.

A surgical instrument includes a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, a stapling assembly, and a drive system. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is disposed on a distal end of the shaft assembly and includes a first jaw and a second jaw. The stapling assembly is supported by one of the first jaw or the second jaw of the end effector. The drive system includes a shift mechanism configured to selectively modify a mechanical advantage of a drive input driven by a motor and used to power one or more functions associated with operation of the end effector.

Embodiments include an end effector including an anvil, the anvil having an anvil face, a cartridge having a cartridge face, the cartridge being configured to retain a plurality of staples, a cord, and a buttress being coupled with the anvil face or the cartridge face and including a planar section of material and a plurality of loops extending laterally from a first side and a second side of the planar section of material, wherein at least one of the anvil or the cartridge includes a plurality of cord supports.

A method of operating a robotically controlled surgical instrument that includes an end effector, a driving assembly, and a lockout, the method includes inhibiting actuation of the driving assembly when the lockout is in a locked configuration in response to an unspent staple cartridge being absent from a first jaw of the end effector. The method also includes inserting the unspent staple cartridge into the first jaw of the end effector to switch the lockout to an unlocked configuration. The method also includes actuating the driving assembly to pivot the first jaw, which includes the staple cartridge, toward a second jaw of the end effector to at least one of staple or cut tissue with the end effector when the lockout is in the unlocked configuration.

An anvil buttress loading system includes an anvil assembly, an anvil buttress loading tool, and an anvil buttress. The anvil buttress is retainable on each of the anvil buttress loading tool and the anvil buttress, and is transferrable from the anvil buttress loading tool to the anvil assembly.