A fastener cartridge can include, one, a cartridge body comprising a deck and a plurality of fastener cavities and, two, a plurality of fasteners positioned in the fastener cavities. The cartridge body can further comprise extensions extending from the deck having different sizes and/or configurations. The extensions can control the flow of tissue relative to the deck and/or support the fasteners as they are ejected from the fastener cavities.

A method for deforming a staple comprising a base, a first staple leg, and a second staple leg, wherein the base, the first staple leg, and the second staple leg are positioned within a common plane prior to being deformed, the method comprising positioning the first staple leg within a first cup of a staple pocket, the first cup comprising a first inner surface, applying a first compressive force to the first staple leg to bend the first staple leg toward the base and the second staple leg, contacting the first inner surface with the end of the first staple leg to bend the end of the first staple leg toward a first side of the base, and deforming the first staple leg such that the end of the first staple leg crosses a mid-line of the staple defined between the first staple leg and the second staple leg.

Surgical methods involving cutting and sealing tissue include affixing a first adjunct material to tissue at a treatment site, such as by stapling the adjunct to tissue. A second adjunct material is applied to at least a portion of the first adjunct material such that the second adjunct material interacts with the first adjunct material to form a seal in an area of the tissue covered by at least one of the first and the second adjunct material. The resulting tissue sealing structure, which includes a combination of the two adjuncts, is believed to be superior to the sealing properties of either adjunct alone.

A clip applier may include: a first jaw member for engaging a first leg member of a surgical clip; and a second jaw member for engaging a second leg member of the surgical clip. At least one of the first jaw member and the second jaw member is asymmetric about a medial plane of the clip applier. A clip cartridge may include: a base having a first axis and a second axis, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis; and a plurality of walls defining at least one cavity for receiving the surgical clip. At least one of the plurality of walls has a first wall portion on a first side of the first axis and a second wall portion on a second side of the first axis. The first wall portion and the second wall portion are offset to each other with respect to the second axis.

A method for adjusting the operation of a surgical instrument using machine learning in a surgical suite is disclosed.

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector, an articulation system, a firing system, a closure system, a lock system, and a control unit is disclosed. The end effector comprises a pair of movable jaws. The articulation system articulates the end effector when the articulation system is in an active state. The closure system is actuatable to move the pair of jaws. The lock system prevents the closure system from actuating when the lock system is in a locked state. The control unit controls the supply of power from a power source to the articulation system, the firing system, and the lock system. The control unit transitions the lock system to the locked state and prevents the supply of power from the power source to the firing system when the articulation system is in the active state.

A method of applying a buttress to a surgical stapler end effector comprises positioning a buttress assembly between an anvil and a staple cartridge of the end effector. The buttress assembly comprises a buttress body and an adhesive material. The adhesive material faces either an underside of the anvil or a deck of the staple cartridge. The anvil is in an open position relative to the staple cartridge during the act of positioning the buttress assembly between the anvil and the staple cartridge. The method further comprises moving the anvil toward the staple cartridge then moving the anvil back to the open position. The buttress assembly is adhered to the underside of the anvil or the deck of the staple cartridge via the adhesive material with the anvil moved back to the open position. The adhesive material comprises a bioabsorbable polymer.

A reposable surgical clip applier including a clip cartridge assembly releasably engagable within a shaft assembly of the surgical clip applier.

A surgical device for clipping tissue can include a replaceable cartridge comprising a stack of clips contained therein and a firing drive configured to reciprocatingly eject, or deploy, the clips from the cartridge. After the clips have been deployed from the cartridge, a blocking member can be positioned to impede or block the firing drive. In at least one embodiment, the cartridge can include a biasing member configured to bias the blocking member into a firing chamber defined in the cartridge and/or surgical device. The surgical device can also include a crimping drive configured to deform a clip after it has been ejected from the cartridge. The blocking member can also be configured to impede or block the crimping drive after all of the clips from the cartridge have been used.

A surgical stapler includes a first elongate member, a second elongate member, a clamp member, and a firing assembly. The first elongate member includes a distal portion that supports an anvil surface that includes a plurality of staple forming pockets. The second elongate member includes a distal portion that is configured to receive a staple cartridge. The clamp member is operable to releasably clamp the first elongate member against the second elongate member. The firing assembly is translatable from a first longitudinal position to a second longitudinal position to fire the staple cartridge. The firing assembly includes a slider and an actuator. The slider includes a first coupling feature. The actuator is configured to be selectively actuated by a user. The actuator includes a second coupling feature that is configured to generally surround the first coupling feature of the slider when the actuator moves relative to the slider.