A surgical instrument comprising a sensing system is disclosed.

A pituitary rongeur medical instrument has jaws that can controllably articulate radially from a longitudinal axis of a shaft assembly of the pituitary rongeur and beyond a perimeter of a cannula during use. The pituitary rongeur is characterized by a handle, a shaft assembly defining a proximal end extending from the handle, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis, with the jaws pivotally connected to the distal end of the shaft assembly for articulating radial movement of the jaws relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft assembly, a jaw controller associated with the shaft assembly and configured to controllably close and open the jaws, and an articulation controller associated with the shaft assembly and configured to controllably articulate the jaws. The handle is formed by a handgrip portion configured to receive a palm of a user and a lever portion with a finger loop configured to receive fingers of the user.

A medical instrument having integrated arms extending from a proximal end to a distal end, and a handpiece with actuators to control movement of the arms. The instrument includes an insertion tube having arm channel(s) for receiving an arm therethrough. Each arm includes an engagement member at the distal end of resilient material with a natural non-linear configuration when deployed but deforming when retracted into the arm channel when retracted. Arm channels may be located at different radial distances from one another in the insertion tube so the engagement members may be at radial angles relative to one another when deployed. Arms and engagement members are movable between at least a first position and second position relative to one another by rotation and/or translational motion of the corresponding actuator, to contact tissue or deflect a tool extended through the working channel of the endoscope.

A surgical stapling instrument comprising a housing, a shaft, an end effector, a first articulation joint configured to permit the end effector to be articulated in a first plane, a second articulation joint configured to permit the end effector to be articulated in a second plane, and a staple firing drive is disclosed. The end effector comprises a distal end, a proximal end, a first jaw, a second jaw rotatable relative to the first iaw, and a staple cartridge. The staple firing drive comprises a firing member and a flexible drive tube extending through the first articulation joint and the second articulation joint. The firing member comprises a first cam, a second cam, and a round attachment aperture. The flexible drive tube comprises a longitudinal length, an outer circumference, a distal end seated in the round attachment aperture, and interlocking cuts in the outer circumference extending longitudinally and circumferentially.

An ultrasonic instrument includes a housing, an ultrasonic transducer support by the housing, and an integrated usage indicator. The housing is configured to removably connect to a shaft assembly. The ultrasonic transducer is configured to be acoustically connected to a waveguide and operated a predetermined number of use cycles. The integrated usage indicator is operatively connected to the housing and includes a used state indicator. The used state indicator is configured to indicate to a clinician in a used state when the ultrasonic transducer has been operated at least the predetermined number of use cycles for limiting usage of the ultrasonic transducer to the predetermined number of use cycles.

Surgical tools that can be used in single port laparoscopic procedures can include a low-profile handle assembly to minimize tool interference adjacent the incision site. For example, a handle assembly for a surgical instrument can have a generally in-line configuration extending linearly along a central longitudinal axis of an elongate shaft of the instrument. A linkage mechanism including a trigger, an actuation link, and an actuation shaft can be positioned within the in-line handle. The linkage mechanism can be pivoted between an open position in which end effectors of the instrument are open and a toggle position in which the end effectors are locked closed. A locking mechanism such as a ratchet mechanism can also be used to lock the end effectors. A surgical dissector can include gripping jaws having a curved profile or an angled elongate shaft to minimize tool interference and maximize visibility within a procedure site.

Ultrasonic surgical instrument having a handle assembly, a waveguide extending distally from handle assembly, an end-effector at distal end of the waveguide, and a clamp assembly removably mounted to the handle assembly. The clamp assembly includes a pivotally mounted clamp arm for pivotal movement with respect to the end effector, and is removably mounted to the handle assembly by axially aligned first and second bayonet mounts. Each of the bayonet mounts includes a female bayonet coupling having at least one bayonet slot configured to matingly receive a bayonet mounting pin of a male bayonet coupling, wherein the bayonet slots extend circumferentially about the longitudinal axis of the waveguide. A method of removing the clamp assembly of the ultrasonic surgical instrument is also provided, as well as an ultrasonic surgical shears instrument and a clamp assembly.

A surgical robot includes a surgical tool including a bendable joint portion, and a bending tendon connected to the joint portion and configured to bend the joint portion, a tube connected to the surgical tool and configured to accommodate the bending tendon therein, a base housing configured to rotatably support the tube and accommodate the bending tendon that passes through the tube, a bending driver configured to grasp the bending tendon, and translate in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis of the tube with respect to the base housing, and a rotation driver configured to rotatably support the tube with respect to the base housing, wherein when the tube rotates, the rotation driver is connected to one portion of the bending driver that grasps the bending tendon, and rotates the tube and the bending tendon together.

A surgical instrument includes an end effector, and a shaft assembly. The end effector includes an ultrasonic blade, a rotating body, and a clamp arm movable between an open and a closed position. The shaft assembly extends along an axis and includes clamp arm clocking assembly and a clamp arm pivot assembly. The clamp arm clocking assembly can drive the rotating body and the clamp arm between a first clocked position and a second clocked position. The clamp arm pivot assembly includes an actuator body defining a track, where the actuator body can actuate to drive the clamp arm between the open position and the closed position while the actuator body is in a rotational position relative to the ultrasonic blade. The track houses a portion of the clamp arm in the first clocked position and the second clocked position while the actuator body is in the rotational position.

A safe surgical instrument that allows a surgeon to move a head section by simple manual operation, and having a reduced number of components, comprises a distal tool head and first and second proximal operation sections. The tool head comprises a movable section and a base section. A first connection structure includes a first conversion mechanism, a first shaft, a universal joint provided at the distal and of the first shaft, a second conversion mechanism, and a crank at the distal end of the second conversion mechanism and connected with the proximal end of the movable section. A second connection structure includes a cylindrical shaft having a pinion at its distal section, and an approximately semicircular rack that meshes with the pinion. The intersection of the axes of the pivots of the universal joint is on the axis of rotation of the rack.