A surgical stapling instrument includes an end effector, an adapter assembly, and a rotation lockout assembly. The end effector includes a staple cartridge assembly and an anvil assembly that are coupled to a proximal housing and movably positioned relative to one another. The staple cartridge assembly has a drive beam and a sled. The sled carries a knife that is rotatably supported on the sled. The drive beam is configured to move the knife relative to the drive beam. The adapter assembly has an elongated shaft that extends distally to an articulating assembly. The articulating assembly includes distal and proximal joint members coupled by a pin to articulate the end effector. The rotation lockout assembly prevents rotation of the end effector during a firing of the surgical stapling instrument.

A surgical stapling apparatus includes a buttress retention assembly. The buttress retention assembly includes a sleeve configured to be detachably coupled with a first jaw member of a tool assembly of the surgical stapling apparatus, and a buttress material. The sleeve includes a proximal hook extending transversely outward from a lateral side of the sleeve, and a mouth including a hook configured to be received in a knife slot of the first jaw member. The mouth includes an inner surface having an inwardly extending boss. The buttress material includes a tab extending transversely outward from a lateral side thereof. The tab defines a proximal slot configured to receive the proximal hook of the sleeve. At least a portion of the distal end portion extends through the mouth of the sleeve. The distal end portion defines a distal slot dimensioned to receive the boss of the sleeve.

A modular surgical instrument system that comprises modular components and a control circuit electrically couplable to the modular components. The modular components comprise a shaft and a handle assembly. The handle assembly comprises a disposable outer housing. The disposable outer housing is movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The handle assembly further comprises a control inner core receivable inside the disposable outer housing in the open configuration. The disposable outer housing is configured to isolate the control inner core in the closed configuration. The modular components further comprise a loading unit releasably couplable to the shaft and a staple cartridge releasably couplable to an end effector. The loading unit comprises the end effector. The control circuit is configured to generate an interrogation signal, detect a response signal, determine a modular configuration of the modular surgical instrument system, and assess authenticity of the modular configuration.

Compressible adjuncts for use with a staple cartridge are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, the compressible adjunct includes a non-fibrous adjunct material formed of at least one fused bioabsorbable polymer. The adjunct material is configured to be releasably retained on a staple cartridge and is configured to be delivered to tissue by deployment of staples in the cartridge The adjunct material includes a lattice macrostructure having at least one drug contained therein. The lattice macrostructure is formed of a plurality of unit cells, in which each unit cell is configured to eject a predetermined amount of drug from the adjunct material and the predetermined amount of the drug being a function of a compression profile of the respective unit cell.

The present invention provides fastener anchoring devices with protruding fasteners releasably attached to graspers for insertion into a target site such as soft tissue. The devices include a retaining mechanism that can be actuated to release the fasteners from the grasper. The devices can include support material preloaded onto the fasteners.

A method is provided for applying an adjunct element to a surgical stapler end effector having first and second stapling surfaces using an applicator. The method includes providing the end effector in an open state in which the first and second stapling surfaces are spaced apart. With the end effector in the open state, at least a portion of the applicator is positioned between the first and second stapling surfaces. Without engaging a closure system input feature of the surgical stapler, a portion of the end effector is compressively engaged by the applicator to thereby secure the adjunct element to one of the first or second stapling surfaces. The applicator and the end effector are withdrawn relatively away from one another so that the adjunct element remains attached to the one of the first or second stapling surfaces of the end effector.

A surgical fastening instrument includes an elongate shaft extending from a handle. An end effector is coupled to one end of the elongate shaft. The end effector has a first jaw with retainer strips disposed thereon. Each retainer strip includes rows of receptacles and each receptacle has a passageway leading to a chamber formed in the first jaw. The end effector also includes a second jaw with fastener strips disposed thereon. The first jaw is pivotally coupled to the second jaw. Each fastener strip includes rows of fasteners and each fastener is slidably positioned on a lance extending from a surface of the second jaw. The lances are aligned with the receptacles and each fastener has barbs configured to be retained in one of the chambers.

Methods for treating tissue are provided. In one embodiment, an adjunct material, when secured to tissue, can receive at least one physiological element released from the tissue during healing progression of the tissue, and can exhibit first and second stiffnesses in compression that are approximately constant during first and second time periods from contact with the tissue, with the second stiffness decreasing with time as a function of at least one of oxidation, enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis, and change of pH resulting from interaction with the at least one physiological element. In another embodiment, the adjunct can receive a unit volume of fluid that causes first and second portions of the adjunct to expand according to first and second expansion behaviors that differ from one another to apply different pressures to the tissue.

A surgical buttress loading system includes an anvil having a spring assembly biased against a tissue facing surface of an anvil body and a loading tool including a cavity configured to receive the anvil therein, a buttress cartridge including a surgical buttress releasably disposed thereon, an actuator, and a handle operably coupled to the buttress cartridge. When the anvil is positioned within the cavity of the loading tool and the handle is moved to from an unactuated position to an actuated position, the handle moves the actuator to from a retracted position to an extended position and into engagement with the spring assembly of the anvil to lift the spring assembly off of the tissue facing surface and then slides the buttress cartridge towards the spring assembly to move a proximal end portion of the surgical buttress between the spring assembly and the tissue facing surface.

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.