A surgical instrument comprising a power source, a first voltage regulator, and a second voltage regulator are disclosed. The surgical instrument further comprises a power source configured to sequentially power the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator.

A powered endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided and includes a handle including a housing, a power source supported in the housing; an endoscopic portion extending distally from the housing of the handle; an end effector assembly coupled to a distal end of the endoscopic portion, the end effector assembly including a pair of jaws configured to perform a surgical function; a driving member; a drive source including a motor powered by the power source and connected to the driving member; and a gear assembly engaged with the motor. The gear assembly including a gear rack provided on the driving member; and a main gear operatively connected with the gear rack, the motor spinning the main gear such that rotary motion of the main gear moves the driving member in an axial direction such that the driving member actuates the end effector to perform the surgical function.

A pharmaceutical waste disposal assembly includes a fluid receiver body for receiving fluid pharmaceutical waste, said fluid receiver body may comprise a material that is clear, opaque, or otherwise see-through and having a capacity. The assembly also includes a first reaction agent positioned within the fluid receiver body, the fluid pharmaceutical waste contacting the first reaction agent to change the fluid pharmaceutical waste in one of a chemical and physical manner so that the fluid pharmaceutical waste is rendered unrecoverable. The assembly also includes a fluid absorber positioned within said fluid receiver body, said fluid absorber configured to absorb and retain fluid pharmaceutical waste deposited in said fluid receiver body. The assembly also includes a moisture-sensitive visual indicator that changes color when fluid pharmaceutical waste deposited in said fluid receiver body has reached a predetermined percentage of said capacity of said fluid receiver body.

Aspects of the present disclosure are presented for a surgical instrument having one or more sensors at or a near an end effector and configured to aide in the detection of tissues and other materials and structures at a surgical site. The detections may then be used to aide in the placement of the end effector and to confirm which objects to operate on, or alternatively, to avoid. Examples of sensors include laser sensors used to employ Doppler shift principles to detect movement of objects at the surgical site, such as blood cells; resistance sensors to detect the presence of metal; monochromatic light sources that allow for different levels of absorption from different types of substances present at the surgical site, and near infrared spectrometers with small form factors.

A method is provided for operating a powered surgical stapler having a motor unit, a controller. and a stapling assembly having a closure member, a staple driver member, and a knife member. The controller receives a user input that indicates a tissue gap to be defined by the stapling assembly in a closed state. Based on the user input, the controller controls the motor unit to actuate the closure member to transition the stapling assembly to the closed state to define the tissue gap and clamp tissue therein. The controller then controls the motor unit to actuate the staple driver member to drive staples into the clamped tissue. In response to determining that the staple driver member has reached a predetermined longitudinal position, the controller controls the motor unit to initiate actuation of the knife member to cut the clamped tissue.

A surgical apparatus has a clamp and a stapling mechanism. The clamp has a first jaw and a second jaw to clamp on a body tissue at a desired location for a stapling operation. The stapling mechanism is controlled by a trigger handle or a switch assembly. The surgical apparatus has a controller for providing a delay between clamping and actuating of the firing mechanism of the stapling mechanism. The delay provides for a desired amount of time for tissue compression producing a more uniform staple formation. The surgical apparatus also has an indicator. The indicator provides feedback about the status of the stapling mechanism and also displays a time of tissue compression by the clamp.

A surgical instrument is disclosed. The surgical instrument includes an end effector, a user interface, and a control circuit. The end effector is configured to deploy staples into tissue grasped by the end effector and cut the grasped tissue during a firing stroke. The control circuit is configured to cause at least one parameter setting associated with the firing stroke to be displayed on the user interface, cause interpreted information relevant to the firing stroke to be displayed concurrently with the at least one parameter setting on the user interface, wherein the interpreted information is based on external data, and recommend an adjustment of the at least one parameter setting through the user interface, wherein the recommended adjustment is based on the interpreted information.

Systems and methods for operating an end effector include an end effector for grasping a material, a drive system coupled to the end effector, and a processor. The processor is configured to use the drive system to grasp a material using the end effector, determine a grasping separation parameter of the end effector, determine, based on the determined grasping separation parameter, a prediction of success or failure in configuring the end effector for firing a staple through the material, and based on the determined grasping separation parameter, output an indicator of whether it is safe to proceed with stapling of the material grasped by the end effector.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to controlling electrical power of an electrotherapeutic signal that is provided to a biological tissue engaged by an electrosurgical instrument during a medical procedure. Electrical power—a product of a voltage difference across and an electrical current conducted by the engaged biological tissue—is controlled according to a therapeutic schedule. The electrotherapeutic schedule can be reduced or terminated in response to a termination criterion being met. In some examples, the termination criterion is a current characteristic, such as, for example, a decrease in current conducted by the engaged biological tissue. In some examples, the termination criterion is a biological tissue resistance characteristic, such as, for example, an increase in the biological tissue resistance that exceeds a predetermined delta resistance value.

Medical systems and methods for making and using medical systems are disclosed. Example medical systems may include an atherectomy system configured to engage and remove plaque from walls in vessels of a vascular system. The atherectomy system may include a drive shaft, a rotational tip coupled to an end of the drive shaft, a drive mechanism coupled to the drive shaft to rotate the rotational tip, and a control unit configured to control operation of the drive mechanism. In some cases, the control unit may include a controller for controlling operation of the drive mechanism based on sensed positions of the drive mechanism. The controller may be configured to send data to a host for analysis, compensate a control signal based on a mode of operation of the drive mechanism, determine if a stall is predicted to occur, and/or perform one or more other functions.