A surgical instrument insertable through a trocar comprising a shaft including a frame, an end effector, and an articulation joint, wherein the end effector is rotatable about the articulation joint. The shaft further comprises an outer housing slidable relative to the shaft frame including a distal non-round housing portion adjacent the articulation joint and a longitudinal round housing portion extending proximally from the distal housing portion, wherein the longitudinal round housing portion comprises a first diameter, and wherein the distal housing portion comprises a second diameter which is less than the first diameter. The surgical instrument further comprises an articulation lock configured to prevent the rotation of the end effector, wherein the articulation lock is positioned within the distal non-round housing portion.

Robotic arms, and devices with such arms, having any combination of gear-driven actuator assemblies and cable-driven actuator assemblies, with some arm or device embodiments having solely gear-driven assemblies, some having solely cable-driven assemblies, and others having a combination of at least one of each. Further embodiments relate to arms or devices having one or more actuation assemblies with an actuator is disposed remotely (in a different component of the device—or even external to the device) in relation to the actuable component to which it is coupled.

An interactive control unit is disclosed. The interactive control unit includes an interactive touchscreen display, an interface configured to couple the control unit to a surgical hub, a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to receive input commands from the interactive touchscreen display located inside a sterile field and transmit the input commands to the surgical hub to control devices coupled to the surgical hub located outside the sterile field.

An instrument assembly can comprise a shaft comprising a first drive portion of a drive system, an end effector comprising a second drive portion of the drive system, and an articulation joint rotatably connecting the end effector to the shaft. The end effector is rotatable between a first position and a second position about the articulation joint, wherein the first drive portion is not operably engaged with the second drive portion when the end effector is in the first position, and operably engaged with the second drive portion when the end effector is in the second position. The end effector can comprise a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw is movable relative to the second jaw between an open position and a closed position within a closure plane, and wherein the end effector is rotatable within an articulation plane which is co-planar with the closure plane.

A surgical device comprising: (a) a first jaw; (b) a second jaw opposing the first jaw, the first jaw, the second jaw, or both being movable relative to one another between a jaw nominal position and a jaw clamped position; (c) a clamp lever in communication with the first jaw and the second jaw, the clamp lever moving the first jaw, the second jaw, or both from the jaw nominal position to the jaw clamped position when an external force is imparted upon the clamp lever in a first direction; and (d) a stop bias member that stops movement of the clamp lever when the external force is removed so that the first jaw and the second jaw are in the jaw nominal position at rest; wherein the first jaw and the second jaw are movable from the jaw nominal position to a jaw spread position when the clamp lever is moved in a second direction that opposes the first direction by an external force deforming the stop bias member so that a distance between the first jaw and the second jaw is larger in the jaw spread position than in the jaw nominal position.

To provide a treatment instrument that combines a capability to grip a target tissue and a capability to resect and ablate the target tissue without the need to interchange left and right devices or adjust a field of view of an endoscope, which can reduce burden on a surgeon.

A high frequency forceps includes a pair of forceps pieces configured to open and close on a pivot and equipped with incision blades adapted to pass a high-frequency current to a living tissue, in which the incision blades are formed, respectively, on opposite faces of the pair of forceps pieces, extending from a side of the pivot to a distal side; and the incision blades are spaced away from each other when the pair of forceps pieces is closed.

A surgical instrument is disclosed comprising a shaft, an end effector rotatably coupled to the shaft about an articulation joint, and a firing system configured to be moved through the articulation joint and the end effector. The surgical instrument further comprises means configured to facilitate the movement of the firing system through the articulation joint and the end effector.

A hand manipulated endoscopic medical device includes a body having a proximal end, which is hand manipulated, a distal end which includes a manipulator, a light emitting device at the distal end, an imaging device at the distal end. A tool for extracting an artificial lumbar disc from between a pair of vertebral plates includes a handle, a member for transmitting force, and a sharpened end, specially configured to be placed between the artificial disc and the vertebral plate. A tool for implanting or explanting a ball to or from an artificial lumbar disc includes a pinion shaft and a pinion shaft enclosure, with a tightening knob at the proximal end of the shaft enclosure and coupled to the pinion shaft, a pinion at the distal end of the pinion shaft, a grappling device at the pinion, and a pair of semi-circular rings.

A surgical instrument system comprising an elongate shaft is disclosed. The elongate shaft comprises a proximal end, a distal end, a proximal region, a central region, and a distal region. The proximal region comprises a first diameter. The central region comprises a second diameter. The distal region comprises a third diameter. The first diameter is different than the second diameter, and the second diameter is different than the third diameter. The proximal region defines a central longitudinal axis and the central region is centered along the central longitudinal axis. The distal region is laterally offset with respect to the central longitudinal axis.

An end effector assembly of a robotic surgical instrument includes a clevis, first and second jaw members supported by the clevis, and a cam bar configured to move the first and second jaw members between an open state and a closed state.