A surgical stapling instrument includes an anvil defining a plurality of staple forming pockets and a stapling head assembly. The stapling head assembly includes a body, a coupling member capable of actuating the anvil relative to the body, a staple deck defining a plurality of staple openings, and a firing assembly capable of driving a plurality of staples against the staple forming pockets of the anvil. The firing assembly includes a proximal driving body and an array of discrete staple driving segments positioned distal to the proximal driving body. The proximal driving body is slidably housed within the body. The staple driving segments each have a free proximal end. The proximal driving body is capable of simultaneously actuating the array of staple driving segments to drive the plurality of staples against the staple forming pockets of the anvil.

A circular stapling device for performing anastomosis procedures includes an end effector that includes or is adapted to deliver probiotics to an anastomotic site during formation of the anastomosis.

A handle assembly and a stapler including the same are provided. The handle assembly includes a first handle and a second handle having an un-linked state and a linked state. When the first handle and the second handle are in the un-linked state, and the first handle is rotated in a first direction, the second handle is not rotated, thereby to fire the stapler. When the first handle is in the linked state, and the first handle is rotated in the first direction, the second handle is actuated to rotate in the first direction to fire the stapler. During operation, no matter the stapler is ready to be fired or not, the first handle can be pressed to move by the doctor. However, when the stapler is not ready to be fired, the second handle is not actuated by the first handle, thereby will not fire the stapler.

A staple cartridge comprising a cartridge body, staples, a first staple driver, a second staple driver, and a third staple driver is disclosed. The cartridge body comprises a knife slot and staple cavities defined in the cartridge body and arranged in an inner longitudinal row of staple cavities, a middle longitudinal row of staple cavities, and an outer longitudinal row of staple cavities on one side of the knife slot. The staples are removably stored within the staple cavities. The first staple driver is configured to eject a first quantity of staples from the staple cavities. The second staple driver is configured to eject a second quantity of staples from the staple cavities which is different than the first quantity of staples. The third staple driver is configured to eject a third quantity of staples that is the same as the first quantity of staples.

A retaining mechanism for releasably securing a trocar assembly within an outer sleeve of an adapter assembly includes a retaining block, a cam wire moveably positioned relative to the retaining block between a lock position and a release position, a retaining block extension maintaining the cam wire relative to the retaining block, a button member in operable engagement with the cam wire, and a pair of retaining members moveable from a first position received within first and second openings of the trocar assembly when the cam wire is in the lock position and a second position spaced from the trocar assembly when the cam wire is in the release position. The retaining members each define a cutout having first and second stepped cutout portions and a smooth transition between the first and second stepped cutouts for receiving the cam wire.

A surgical stapling device includes a reload assembly that includes a locking member to retain a knife carrier of the reload assembly in a retracted position after the stapling device is fired. The locking member may be supported on an inner housing portion of the shell housing or on a staple pusher assembly of the reload assembly.

A method is provided for operating a powered surgical stapler having a motor unit, a controller, and a stapling assembly having a plurality of movable members that are actuatable longitudinally by the motor unit to clamp, staple, and cut tissue. The controller determines that a movable member of the stapling assembly is in a first predetermined position, and then executes an actuation algorithm to activate the motor unit to actuate the movable member longitudinally from the first predetermined position toward a second predetermined position. The controller observes an actual longitudinal displacement of the movable member between the first and second predetermined positions. The controller compares the actual longitudinal displacement to an expected longitudinal displacement and determines that the actual longitudinal displacement differs from the expected longitudinal displacement by a difference value. The controller then adjusts the actuation algorithm based on the difference value.

Methods and devices are provided for promoting wound healing. In general, surgical staplers and stapler components are provided having a coating thereon that is configured to selectively control an interaction between at least one matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor and an outer surface of the stapler or stapler component.

A surgical stapler apparatus or assembly comprises a surgical stapler device having an internal channel extending from a stapler actuating handle to a stapler head of the device and a gas insufflation device having a pressurized gas supply connected to the internal channel of the stapler device via an inlet port at a handle portion intersecting with the channel in order to supply pressurized gas to the channel as the stapler shaft is inserted into the lumen of a colon, rectum or the like. Pressurized gas travels along the channel and out of the stapler head at the distal end of the stapler device in order to inflate the lumen ahead of the advancing stapler head, easing insertion.

A surgical suturing tracking system is disclosed. The surgical suturing tracking system is configured to detect and guide a suturing needle during a surgical suturing procedure. The surgical suturing track system comprises a control circuit configured to predict a path of a needle suturing stroke after receiving an input from a clinician, detect an embedded tissue structure, and assess proximity of the predicted path and the detected embedded tissue structure.