Systems and methods for effecting bariatric procedures are disclosed. Each system includes an instrument, a control valve and, optionally, a suction controller. The instrument is in the form of an elongated, flexible sizing tube having a distal end portion including a plurality of apertures. The control valve enables suction to be applied to the patient's stomach via the apertures to drain gastric fluids and to bring adjacent portions of the patient's stomach into engagement the sizing tube to provide a visually perceptible delineation line along which a portion of the stomach may be resected, sealed and tested.

A surgical severing and stapling instrument, suitable for laparoscopic and endoscopic clinical procedures, clamps tissue within an end effector of an elongate channel pivotally opposed by an anvil. Various embodiments are configured to be operably attached to a robotic system to receive actuation/control motions therefrom.

A staple cartridge for use with a surgical instrument is disclosed. The staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body, staples, an inner staple driver, an intermediate staple driver, an outer staple driver, and a wedge sled. The inner staple driver comprises an inner staple support surface, the intermediate staple driver comprises an intermediate staple support surface, and the outer staple driver comprises an outer staple support surface. The wedge sled is configured to move each of the inner staple driver, the intermediate staple driver, and the outer staple driver between an unfired position and a fired position. One of the inner staple support surface, the intermediate staple support surface, and the outer staple support surface extends above the others when the inner staple driver, the intermediate staple driver, and the outer staple driver are in their unfired positions.

Systems and methods can remove material of interest, including blood clots, from a body region, including but not limited to the circulatory system for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), cerebrovascular embolism, and other vascular occlusions.

A powered surgical apparatus for engaging tissue includes a housing assembly and a movable portion operatively connected to the housing assembly. The movable portion is movable with respect to the housing assembly. In addition, the surgical apparatus includes a power source configured to supply electrical power, and a transmission system configured to transfer at least one of a signal and electrical power between the handle assembly and the movable portion, the transmission system including a first electronic board disposed in the handle assembly and a second electronic board positioned in the movable portion, the second electronic board including a primary control circuit and a secondary control circuit wherein the movable portion is configured and adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis defined by the powered surgical apparatus.

A dermatological skin treatment device is provided. The device comprises a handpiece and a cutting tool, wherein the tool is inserted through the conduit and percutaneously inserted into a tissue disposed within a recessed area of the handpiece. The device and method cut the fibrous structures under the skin that cause cellulite at an angle substantially parallel to the surface of the skin and replace these structures with a non-cellulite forming structure by deploying a highly fibrous mesh through a single needle hole to create a highly fibrous layer directly or through wound healing processes.

Systems and methods are described for correcting sagittal imbalance in a spine including instruments for performing the controlled release of the anterior longitudinal ligament through a lateral access corridor and hyper-lordotic lateral implants.

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.

An intravascular cutting device described herein uses high-pressure water, saline, or other fluid to cut tissue and other materials including but not limited to calcified tissue, stents, stent grafts, and other devices. In some embodiments, the cutting device includes a working end that has a nozzle with a hole to allow the release of a high-pressure fluid jet. Opposite of the nozzle is a catch plate or deflector anvil that prevents the fluid jet from cutting healthy tissue. The device user will place the item to be cut between the nozzle and catch plate and then advance the device along the item to be cut as the fluid jet is activated, thus cutting the object as it advances.

In one general aspect, various embodiments of the present invention can include a motorized surgical cutting and fastening instrument having a drive shaft, a motor selectively engageable with the drive shaft, and a manual return mechanism configured to operably disengage the motor from the drive shaft and retract the drive shaft. In at least one embodiment, a surgeon, or other operator of the surgical instrument, can utilize the manual return mechanism to retract the drive shaft after it has been advanced, especially when the motor, or a power source supplying the motor, has failed or is otherwise unable to provide a force sufficient to retract the drive shaft.