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.

A device for vessel harvesting is disclosed. The device for vessel harvesting includes a distal housing, a dissector coupled to the distal housing, a drive element coupled to the dissector, and an actuator coupled to the drive element. The device for vessel harvesting may also include a rotatable dissector, a shaft coupled to the distal housing having a first articulation joint movable within a first plane, and a second articulation joint movable within a second plane, which is substantially perpendicular to the first plane, a barrel chain drive element coupled to the rotatable dissector, and an actuator coupled to the drive element. The device for vessel harvesting may also include a member slidably engaged to the distal tip.

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.

A spacing device is provided for adjusting or measuring the spacing between adjacent vertebral bodies. The spacing device has a distal end with at least one distraction member adapted for insertion into an intervertebral disc space and movable between a low profile first configuration and a higher profile second configuration. Also provided is an actuator for moving the distraction member between the first configuration (for delivery of the distal end of the spacing device to a target disc space) and the second configuration (for manipulation or measurement of the space between adjacent vertebral bodies).

A surgical instrument including an end effector that has a selectively reciprocatable implement movably supported therein. The implement is selectively advanceable in a distal direction upon application of a rotary actuation motion thereto and retractable in a proximal direction upon application of a rotary retraction motion thereto. An elongate shaft assembly is coupled to the end effector and is configured to transmit the rotary actuation motion and rotary retraction motion to the reciprocatable implement from a robotic system that is configured to generate the rotary actuation motion and said rotary retraction motion.

A method and device for controlling the compression of tissue include clamping tissue between a first clamping member and a second clamping member by driving at least one of the clamping members with an electric motor toward a predetermined tissue gap between the clamping members and, during the clamping, monitoring a parameter of the electric motor indicative of a clamping force exerted to the tissue by the clamping members. The method and device include, during the clamping, controlling the electric motor, based on the monitored parameter, to limit the clamping force to a predetermined maximum limit.

A surgical instrument comprising a housing, a shaft, an end-effector, a cutting member, and a control circuit is disclosed. The housing comprises a motor. The end-effector comprises a first jaw, a second jaw movable relative to the first jaw, an anvil, and a staple cartridge comprising staples, driver elements, and a sled configured to eject the staples toward the anvil. The sled is movable between a proximal unfired position and a distal fired position through a firing stroke. The cutting member is configured to be advanced distally into the sled by the motor. The control circuit is configured to detect the location of the cutting member, monitor a parameter indicative of a load experienced by the cutting member, determine a threshold value of the parameter based on a portion of the firing stroke, and adjust operation of the motor if the monitored parameter exceeds the determined threshold value.

A retraction mechanism allows the full distal retraction of the firing drive from various positions. The retraction mechanism has been developed for use with a hand held surgical apparatus. An embodiment of the retraction mechanism includes a drive member, a first pulley, a second pulley, and a firing drive. The drive mechanism is configured to be driven by a motor. The first pulley is configured to rotate when the motor drives the drive mechanism. The second pulley is movable relative to the first pulley between a proximal position and a distal position. The firing drive is movable relative to the first pulley between proximal and distal positions. In operation, the first pulley rotates in a first direction in response to a distal translation of the firing drive and wherein the firing drive moves proximally upon rotation of the first pulley in a second direction.

A method for producing a surgical instrument is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining a handle, wherein the handle comprises a distal end comprising a shaft interface surface and a first set of magnetic elements. The method further comprises obtaining a shaft, wherein the shaft comprises a proximal end comprising a handle interface surface, a second set of magnetic elements, and a third set of magnetic elements. The method further comprises attaching the shaft to the handle, wherein the shaft interface surface is configured to engage the shaft at the handle interface surface, wherein an attractive magnetic force is configured to pull the handle towards the shaft when the first set of magnetic elements interact with the second magnetic elements, and wherein a repulsive magnetic force is configured to repel the handle from the shaft when the first set of magnetic elements interacts with the third set of magnetic elements.

A robotic surgical assembly includes a drive assembly and a shaft assembly. The drive assembly is detachably mountable to a surgical robot and includes roll, pitch, and clamp/fire inputs configured to drivingly couple with respective outputs of the surgical robot. The shaft assembly is mounted to the drive assembly and configured to detachably couple with a stapler reload assembly that includes a reload roll shaft, a reload pitch shaft, and a reload clamp/fire shaft. The shaft assembly includes a roll shaft, a pitch shaft, and a clamp/fire shaft. The roll shaft is drivingly coupled with the roll input and configured to detachably couple to the reload roll shaft. The pitch shaft is drivingly coupled with the pitch input and configured to detachably couple to the reload pitch shaft. The clamp/fire shaft is drivingly coupled with the clamp/fire input and configured to detachably couple to the reload clamp/fire shaft.