A surgical instrument includes a shaft assembly and an articulation control assembly. The shaft assembly includes an articulation section that is configured to deflect a distal end portion from the longitudinal axis. The articulation control assembly includes an articulation control member and a transmission assembly. The articulation control member is rotatably mounted relative to the shaft assembly. The transmission assembly is operatively connected between the articulation control member and the articulation section of the shaft assembly. The transmission assembly is configured to transmit selective manipulation of the articulation control member to the articulation section and selectively actuate the articulation section. The articulation control assembly is configured to lock without selective manipulation of the articulation control member to thereby inhibit actuation of the articulation section and unlock with selective manipulation of the articulation control member to thereby actuate the articulation section.

An instrument includes a body, a shaft, and an end effector. The shaft extends from the body and defines a shaft axis extending longitudinally along the shaft. The end effector is operable to compress, staple, and cut tissue. The end effector includes first and second opposing jaws, a staple cartridge, and a placement tip. At least one of the jaws is movable relative to the other jaw between an open position and a closed position. The staple cartridge is coupled with the second jaw. The placement tip extends from a distal end of one of the jaws and includes proximal and distal portions. The distal portion includes an asymmetric profile along the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The distal portion includes a tip axis defined by a tip of the distal portion. The shaft axis and the tip axis define an angle that is selectively adjustable.

Disclosed herein are suture clip delivery devices that can be loaded with several flat, disk-shaped suture clips and can deploy the suture clips one after another onto respective sutures without reloading the device with additional suture clips. An exemplary device includes a handle portion with an actuation mechanism that is coupled to a shaft portion that holds and deploys the suture clips. The shaft portion includes a mandrel on which the suture clips are mounted and a retainer that restricts the suture clips from moving proximally when the actuation mechanism pulls the mandrel proximally, which causes a distal-most suture clip to slide off the mandrel and be deployed onto one or more suture. The mandrel and remaining suture clips can them move distally to prepare to deploy the next suture clip.

Described here are devices, systems, and methods for providing remote traction to tissue. Generally, the systems may include a grasper and a delivery device configured to releasably couple to the grasper. The grasper may have a first jaw and a second jaw and a main body having a barrel portion. The barrel portion may have a lumen extending therethrough, and a portion of the delivery device may be advanced through the lumen to rotate one or both of the jaws. The delivery devices may include a handle, a shaft, and a distal engagement portion. The delivery devices may further include an actuation rod which may be advanced through a barrel portion of a grasper to actuate the grasper. In some instances, the delivery device may further include a locking sheath, wherein the locking sheath is configured to temporarily couple to a grasper.

A fastener delivery tool may comprise a sheath assembly having at least one position retention member proximate a distal end of the sheath assembly, and a handle assembly coupled to a proximal end of the sheath assembly, the handle assembly comprising a housing, a trigger handle, and an insert connector. An external force applied to the trigger handle may cause displacement of the trigger handle relative to a rest position, and displacement of the trigger handle from the rest position within a first displacement range may impart a first amount of force on the insert connector relative to the applied external force and displacement of the trigger handle from the rest position within a second displacement range may impart a second amount of force on the insert connector relative to the applied external force, with the first amount of force being greater than the second amount of force.

A surgical device for clipping tissue is disclosed. The surgical device comprises a housing, a shaft extending from the housing, and a first reload releasably attachable to the shaft. The first reload comprises a first end effector and a first clip magazine including a plurality of first clips. The surgical device further comprises a second reload releasably attachable to the shaft when the first reload is not attached to the shaft. The first reload and the second reload are different sizes. The second reload comprises a second end effector and a second clip magazine including a plurality of second clips.

Articulating surgical instruments are disclosed. In one embodiment, a surgical instrument may include an elongated shaft assembly including an articulable portion moveable between a non-articulated configuration and an articulated configuration. First and second articulating shafts of the elongated shaft assembly may be coaxially arranged and axially fixed at an attachment point located distally from the articulable portion. Proximal portions of the first and second articulating shafts may be displaceable in opposing directions to articulate the articulable portion from the non-articulated configuration to the articulated configuration. In another embodiment, an articulation control may be movable from a first position to a second position to move an articulation lock from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration to selectively permit articulation of a surgical instrument. The articulation lock also may be movable from the second position to a third position to articulate the surgical instrument.

A fastener delivery tool may comprise a sheath assembly having at least one position retention member proximate a distal end of the sheath assembly, and a handle assembly coupled to a proximal end of the sheath assembly, the handle assembly comprising a housing, a trigger handle, and an insert connector. An external force applied to the trigger handle may cause displacement of the trigger handle relative to a rest position, and displacement of the trigger handle from the rest position within a first displacement range may impart a first amount of force on the insert connector relative to the applied external force and displacement of the trigger handle from the rest position within a second displacement range may impart a second amount of force on the insert connector relative to the applied external force, with the first amount of force being greater than the second amount of force.

A surgical instrument with improved end-effector gripping force. The instrument comprises a shaft, which may be inserted into a body of a patient. The articulated end-effector is mounted on the distal extremity of the instrument shaft and comprises a plurality of links interconnected by a plurality of joints, whose movements are remotely actuated by the surgeon's hands. This remote actuation is accomplished through mechanical transmission, mainly along flexible elements, which are able to deliver motion from a set of actuation elements, placed at a proximal extremity of the shaft, to the instrument's articulated end-effector. The articulated end-effector further comprises one or more cam-and-follower mechanisms that are able to amplify the force transmitted by the flexible elements so that the actuation force at the instrument jaws is maximized and the tension on the transmission elements minimized, thus increasing the fatigue resistance and life of the instrument.

Articulating surgical instruments are disclosed. In one embodiment, a surgical instrument may include an elongated shaft assembly including an articulable portion moveable between a non-articulated configuration and an articulated configuration. First and second articulating shafts of the elongated shaft assembly may be coaxially arranged and axially fixed at an attachment point located distally from the articulable portion. Proximal portions of the first and second articulating shafts may be displaceable in opposing directions to articulate the articulable portion from the non-articulated configuration to the articulated configuration. In another embodiment, an articulation control may be movable from a first position to a second position to move an articulation lock from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration to selectively permit articulation of a surgical instrument. The articulation lock also may be movable from the second position to a third position to articulate the surgical instrument.