A method of using a medical tool comprising a cranial access drill includes placing a guide-hub against a cranial drilling surface, guiding a drill bit into the guide-hub along an axial direction of the guide-hub, drilling the cranial drilling surface in the axial direction with the drill bit using a motor, detecting, using a controller, an electrical parametric change at the drill bit that corresponds to puncturing the cranial drilling surface, and deactivating, using the controller, the motor in response to detecting the electrical parametric change.

A surgical stapler for stapling the tissue of a patient is disclosed. The surgical stapler comprises a handle, a shaft extending from the handle, a plurality of staple clusters, and an end effector. The end effector comprises a tissue compression surface and an anvil movable toward the tissue compression surface during a closing stroke, an anvil closing system configured to move the anvil through the closing stroke, and a staple firing system configured to deploy a staple cluster positioned in the end effector during a staple firing stroke. The surgical stapler further comprises a tissue cutting system configured to cut the patient tissue during a tissue cutting stroke and a propulsion system configured to move the end effector relative to the patient tissue during a propulsion stroke.

A system of robotic surgery includes components capable of drilling a bore in the cranium of a patient in connection with craniotomy and other cranial surgeries. A perforator associated with such system is controlled by suitable computer-implemented instructions to maintain the perforator tip along a desired trajectory line while moving the perforator bit at locations proximal to such perforator tip in a circular motion, thereby imparting a conical oscillation to the perforator bit relative to the trajectory line. The angle at which the perforator bit is oscillated relative to such trajectory line results in the bore formed in the cranium having a diameter larger than the bit diameter, and the larger diameter and related conical oscillation is selected so as to reduce frictional force opposing withdrawal of the bit from the situs of the bore, thereby reducing the risk of jamming of the bit during its associated operations.

Embodiments directed to an apparatus and system of monitoring an instrument with a working tool engaged thereby. In one aspect, an embodiment including a working tool with a machine readable indicium indicative of a working tool attribute. The working tool may be receivable by an instrument such that a corresponding machine readable indicia reader receives an identifier of the working tool. Various attributes and conditions in relation to the instrument and working tool received thereby may be identified to facilitate the provisioning of a response to prompt various corrective actions. In this regard, a controller may provide an output in response to a received identifier of a working tool and an identified instrument operating condition.

A medical apparatus having a control device, the control device being designed to store a target current demand in accordance with requirements of a drive of the medical apparatus, and to determine a minimum current demand corresponding to a minimum requirement of the drive of the medical apparatus during a current operation and, based on the minimum current demand, to adapt a maximum value of the target current demand for the current operation of the medical apparatus, said maximum value being provided to limit the current.

The present teachings provide for a hand-held robotic system for use with a saw blade or other surgical tool. The hand-held robotic system also includes an instrument with a hand-held portion, a blade support coupled to the hand-held portion by a plurality of actuators, the actuators configured to move the blade support or tool support in a plurality of degrees of freedom relative to the hand-held portion. The system includes a localizer and a control system coupled to the localizer and the plurality of actuators. The control system is configured to control each of the plurality of actuators and/or the tool drive motor.

A surgical stapler for stapling the tissue of a patient is disclosed. The surgical stapler comprises a handle, a shaft extending from the handle, and an end effector extending from the shaft, wherein the end effector comprises a plurality of staples and an anvil configured to deform the staples. The surgical stapler further comprises a firing mechanism configured to deploy the staples, a sensor configured to detect a target, a controller configured to calculate the firing path based on the target, and a motorized drive system configured to move the end effector toward the target along the firing path.

An example method includes registering, via a visualization device, a virtual model of a portion of an anatomy of an ankle of a patient to a corresponding portion of the anatomy of the ankle viewable via the visualization device, the virtual model obtained from a virtual surgical plan for an ankle arthroplasty procedure to attach a prosthetic to the anatomy. The example method also comprises displaying, via the visualization device and overlaid on the portion of the anatomy, a virtual guide that guides at least one of preparation of the anatomy for attachment of the prosthetic or attachment of the prosthetic to the anatomy.

A surgical probe and a method for forming and enlarging an access opening through a psoas muscle to provide for minimally invasive lateral approach for surgical access to a lumber intervertebral disc. A distal end portion of the probe is equipped with an electrode useful for confirming proper location of the probe and includes an inflatable dilator body for enlarging an access opening through tissue adjacent to a spinal column. The probe includes a cannula through which a K wire can be extended to anchor the probe to a patient.

A surgical tool is disclosed. The surgical tool includes a functional tool, a functional tip, at least one sensor, and a control unit. The functional tool has a shaft and a distal end. The functional tip is positioned at the distal end of the housing; at least one sensor is configured to generate a first signal indicative of at least one of an acoustic signal or a vibration signal generated by the functional tool. The control unit receives the first signal, analyzes the first signal to determine tissue type in contact with the functional tip and supplies a second signal to the functional tool to control at least one operation of the functional tool based upon the tissue type in contact with the functional tip.