An improved surgical instrument having an end effector mounted on the end of an elongate shaft extending from a handle. The end-effector is capable of different operations, including grasping, cutting, and sealing and/or coagulating tissue, and one of the operations is controlled by a trigger mechanism contained within the handle. In some embodiments, the end effector includes a pair of curved jaw members and blade assembly having a cutting blade at its distal end. The trigger mechanism drives blade assembly longitudinally within the elongate shaft such that the cutting blade protrudes between the jaw members. To help the trigger mechanism push the blade assembly around the curved jaws, the distal end of blade has a graduated flexibility that easily bends to the shape of the jaw members. The distal end of the blade may also be provided with a low friction coating so that it can easily slide between the jaw members.

A BFRT cuff and portable electric pump system and a method for exercising using said cuff. The method incudes providing a BFRT cuff and a portable electric pump system, placing the BFRT cuff on a limb of a user, connecting the BFRT cuff to the portable electric pump system, selecting a pressure value or percent of limb occlusion pressure (LOP), causing the portable electric pump system to supply air to the BFRT cuff until the LOP of said limb is obtained, terminating air flow to the BFRT cuff and then reducing the pressure in the BFRT cuff, disconnecting the BFRT cuff from the portable electric pump system, and exercising the limb of the user while the BFRT cuff is at a selected pressure or a selected percent of LOP.

A retrieval device may include a sheath including a distal end and a proximal end, and an end effector at the distal end. At least a portion of the end effector may be movable relative to the sheath between extended and retracted states. The end effector may include a support member extending from the distal end of the sheath, and a movable member extending from the distal end of the support member. The device may include a handle assembly at the proximal end of the sheath, having an actuation member for transitioning the end effector between the extended and retracted states. The device may include a biasing member coupled to at least one of the actuation member and the sheath that may control a force, exerted by one of the movable members and the support member on the other, generated by relative movement between the movable and support members.

An improved surgical instrument having an end effector mounted on the end of an elongate shaft extending from a handle. The end-effector is capable of several different operations, including grasping, cutting, and sealing and/or coagulating tissue, and one of the operations is controlled by a trigger mechanism contained within the handle. The end effector includes a pair of curved jaw members and a blade assembly having a cutting blade at its distal end. The trigger mechanism is arranged to drive the blade assembly longitudinally within the elongate shaft such that the cutting blade protrudes between jaw members. In order to help trigger mechanism push the blade assembly around the curved jaws, the distal end of the blade has a graduated flexibility such that it can more easily bend to the shape of the jaw members. The distal end of blade may also be provided with a low friction coating.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument includes a first shaft member, a jaw member extending distally from the first shaft member, a second shaft member, an ultrasonic blade extending distally from the second shaft member and positioned to oppose the jaw member, and a force-limiting hinge assembly operably coupling the shaft members with one another such that movement of the shaft members between a spaced-apart position and an approximated position moves the jaw member and the ultrasonic blade between an open position and a clamping position for clamping tissue therebetween. The force-limiting hinge assembly includes a hinge arm fixedly engaged to one of the shaft members at a first end thereof and pivotably coupled to the other of the shaft members at a second end thereof. The hinge arm is configured to flex to regulate a clamping force applied to tissue clamped between the jaw member and the ultrasonic blade.

A surgical tool assembly. A surgical end effector is movably coupled to a shaft assembly by an articulation joint that is configured to facilitate selective articulation of the surgical end effector relative to the shaft assembly. The shaft assembly includes a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. The distal end portion is operably coupled to the articulation joint. An elongate notch is provided in the distal end portion and is located on one lateral side of a shaft axis that is defined by the shaft assembly. The shaft assembly may be configured to prevent the distal end portion from buckling when an axial actuation motion is applied to the proximal end.

A medical instrument having an aspiration needle, handle device and an actuation force limiter. The actuation force limiter provides an active or passive force release mechanism that keeps the force from overpowering operation of the needle.

Methods for resetting a fuse in a surgical instrument are disclosed.

A surgical instrument for use with a robotic system is disclosed. The surgical instrument comprises a mounting portion, an elongate shaft, an articulation joint, an end effector, and a firing member. The end effector comprises an anvil and an elongate channel configured to receive a cartridge including staples. The anvil comprises a proximal end connected to the elongate channel, an outer surface, an under surface facing the elongate channel, a plurality of forming pockets defined in the undersurface, and a distal end extending below the under surface. The firing member is translatable from a starting position to an ending position to eject the staples from the cartridge during a firing stroke in response to an output motion from the robotic system. The firing member is viewable by a clinician through an opening at a proximal end of the end effector when the firing member is in the starting position.

A method of operating a surgical stapler includes advancing a knife assembly at a first velocity until a predetermined force is detected, advancing the knife assembly at a second velocity when the predetermined force is detected, the second velocity being less than the first velocity, and continuing to advance the knife assembly at the second velocity until the knife assembly travels a cutting stroke distance.