A medical staple is provided with: a rectangular base portion; and a needle portion that extends from one end of the base portion in a substantially arc shape so as to protrude in a predetermined direction with respect to the base portion, wherein the needle portion has a first bending position that is provided between a base connected at the one end and a distal end, and that yields first when a pressing force in a radially inward direction of an arc shape of the needle portion acts on the distal end, and a second bending position that is provided between the first bending position and the base, and that yields first when the pressing force acts in the vicinity of the base of the first bending position.

A surgical stapling apparatus is provided and includes a housing, an elongated member, an end effector, and a staple formation circuit. The elongated member extends from the housing. The end effector is disposed on an end of the elongated member and has first and second jaws. The first jaw includes a staple cartridge having a plurality of staples. Each of the staples has first and second legs. The second jaw has a plurality of staple forming pockets. The staple formation circuit may be disposed on the second jaw. The staple formation circuit communicates a signal to a controller coupled to the staple formation circuit. The signal is representative of one or more of a formation, a malformation, and a nonformation of one or both of the first and second legs of one or more of the staples within one or more of the staple forming pockets.

An apparatus includes a body, a shaft assembly, a stapling head assembly, and an anvil. The stapling head assembly includes an annular deck member, a plurality of staples, and a driver. The deck member includes a deck surface that has a curved profile defined by a curve extending from the inner diameter of the deck member to the outer diameter of the deck member. The deck member further includes an outer array of staple openings and an inner array of staple openings. The driver is operable to drive the staples through the staple openings. The anvil is operable to compress tissue against the first deck surface.

A cartridge for use with a surgical instrument includes a curved body and a deck configured to clamp tissue against an anvil. A plurality of staple openings is formed in the deck and is configured to house a plurality of staples. An arcuate slot formed in the deck is configured to slidably receive a cutting member therethrough. An opening formed in the deck adjacent to an end of the arcuate slot is configured to slidably receive a pin therethrough. The cartridge further includes a raised surface offset from the deck and extending circumferentially about at least a portion of the opening. The raised surface is configured to clamp tissue against the anvil to thereby fix the tissue relative to the opening.

An end effector for use with a surgical fastening instrument is disclosed which comprises a staple cartridge and an anvil. The staple cartridge comprises a cartridge body including a deck and, in addition, fasteners removably stored in the cartridge body, wherein each fastener comprises a base and a leg extending from the base. The anvil comprises a tissue compression surface and forming pockets defined in the tissue compression surface. Each forming pocket comprises a first end configured to receive a staple leg, a second end, a central axis extending between the first end and the second end, a concave turning surface extending between the first end and the second end, and a channel defined in the concave turning surface, wherein the channel is laterally offset from the central axis.

A surgical instrument comprising a lockout is disclosed.

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector is disclosed. The end effector comprises a staple cartridge including a cartridge body comprising an annular array of staple cavities, staples removably stored in the staple cavities, a firing drive configured to eject the staples from the staple cavities, and a cutting member circumscribed by the staple cavities. The end effector further comprises an anvil including a tissue compression surface, forming surfaces configured to deform the staples and a tissue block. The anvil is movable toward the cartridge body to compress tissue between the cartridge body and the tissue block and the cutting member is configured to incise the tissue and the tissue block during a cutting stroke of the cutting member.

A system for stapling tissue comprises a flexible endoscope and an operative head including a pair of opposed, curved tissue clamping jaws sized to pass through an esophagus, the jaws being moveable with respect to one another between an open tissue receiving configuration and a closed tissue clamping configuration, a first one of the curved jaws including a stapling mechanism and a second one of the jaws including a staple forming anvil surface, the stapling mechanism including staple slots through which staples are fired arranged in a row extending from a proximal end of the first jaw to a distal end thereof in combination with a control handle which, when the operative head is in an operative position within one of a patient's stomach and esophagus, remains outside the patient, the control handle including a first actuator for moving the jaws relative to one another and a second actuator for operating the stapling mechanism.

An apparatus for joining two hollow organ sections includes a staple cartridge assembly including an annular wall, an anvil assembly, a buttress member, and a fastening member. The annular wall of the staple cartridge assembly defines an inner aperture in an inner surface thereof and an outer aperture in an outer surface thereof. The buttress member is configured to be positioned on a distal surface of the staple cartridge assembly. The buttress member defines a cutout on a peripheral portion thereof. The fastening member has a first end securely affixed to the inner aperture of the annular wall of the staple cartridge assembly and a second end securely affixed to the outer aperture of the annular wall of the staple cartridge assembly to secure the buttress member on the staple cartridge assembly. The cutout of the buttress member is in registration with the outer aperture of the annular wall.

An apparatus includes a housing, an anvil, a backing member, and a concave surface. The housing has a plurality of staples and the anvil is opposed from the housing such that the anvil and the housing are configured to cooperate to clamp tissue. The anvil is configured to form staples ejected from the housing into the clamped tissue. The backing member is coupled with the anvil and the concave surface defines a gap between the backing member and an adjacent component of the apparatus. The anvil is configured to deflect in a direction towards the gap in response to actuation of the apparatus to at least one of clamp tissue or staple tissue.