An arthroscopic device is used with a hand piece having a motor drive with a rotating drive shaft. An elongate probe extending along a longitudinal axis and includes a proximal hub on a proximal end. The proximal hub detachably couples to the hand piece, and an operable-closeable jaw structure is disposed on a distal end of the elongate probe. A conversion mechanism carried by the hub converts a rotational motion of the motor drive shaft to a longitudinal motion of an actuator member. The actuator member drives the jaw structure between jaw-open and jaw-closed positions to resect bone and other hard tissues.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument and method of sealing a tissue based on a production clamp force includes determining an ultrasonic seal process with the controller based on the production clamp force between an upper jaw and a lower jaw of an end effector and activating the ultrasonic energy or RF energy according to the determined ultrasonic seal process. The ultrasonic surgical instrument further includes an end effector having an ultrasonic blade, a jaw, an RF electrode, and a controller. The jaw is movably positioned relative to the ultrasonic blade and configured to move between an open position and a closed position and clamp together with a production clamp force in the closed position. The controller operatively connects to the ultrasonic blade and the RF electrode and includes the ultrasonic seal process based on the production clamp force stored thereon for driving the ultrasonic blade or the RF electrode.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument and method for identifying tissue state and energizing the surgical instrument includes an end effector having an ultrasonic blade and an RF electrode, a shaft assembly, a body, and a power controller. A first ultrasonic energy input is configured to be actuated from a first unactuated energy input state to a first actuated energy input state. A trigger input is configured to be actuated from an unactuated trigger input state to an actuated trigger input state. The power controller is operatively connected to the ultrasonic blade, the RF electrode, the first ultrasonic energy input, and the trigger input and configured to direct at least one of the ultrasonic blade or the RF electrode to be selectively driven according to a predetermined drive function based on the tissue impedance, the state of the first energy input, and the state of the trigger input.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument and method of limiting an ultrasonic blade temperature includes adjusting at least one power parameter of the ultrasonic energy in response to reaching a predetermined frequency parameter change threshold in the ultrasonic blade limiting the temperature of the ultrasonic blade to an upper temperature limit. The ultrasonic surgical instrument further includes an end effector having an ultrasonic blade, a jaw, and a controller. The jaw is movably positioned relative to the ultrasonic blade and configured to move between an open position and a closed position. The controller operatively connects to the ultrasonic blade and is configured to measure an ultrasonic frequency of the ultrasonic blade. The controller has a memory including a plurality of predetermined data correlations that correlate changes in measured ultrasonic frequency of the ultrasonic blade to a blade temperature of the ultrasonic blade.

Methods of assembling a medical device including pivotably connecting a coupling link to a first lever. The coupling link including a main body and a tab extending away from the main body. The first lever having a first pivot and a boss. The method further including nesting the first lever and the coupling link with a second lever such that a recess in the second lever is supported by the boss, and such that an inner surface of the second lever is supported by the coupling link to provide a portion of the medical device in a sub-assembled state.

A surgical instrument includes a shaft, an ultrasonic transducer, a waveguide acoustically coupled with the ultrasonic transducer and extending distally through the shaft, and an end effector arranged at a distal end of the shaft. The end effector includes an ultrasonic blade acoustically coupled with the waveguide, a clamp arm movable relative to the ultrasonic blade for clamping tissue, and an RF electrode operable to seal tissue with RF energy. The ultrasonic transducer is operable to drive the waveguide and the ultrasonic blade with ultrasonic energy. The surgical instrument further includes an ultrasonic electrical circuit operable to energize the ultrasonic transducer, and an RF electrical circuit operable to deliver RF energy to the RF electrode. A return path of the ultrasonic electrical circuit and a return path of the RF electrical circuit pass through a shared electrically conductive element.

A jaw assembly includes an electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure, a jaw member including a support base, and a non-electrically conductive member including a first portion configured to engage the electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure and a second portion configured to engage the support base of the jaw member. The non-electrically conductive member adapted to electrically isolate the electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure from the jaw member. The electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure and the non-electrically conductive member cooperatively define a longitudinally-oriented knife channel therethrough.

A tool (16) for the coagulation and dissection of biological tissue including a counter-bearing (35) that has at least one recess (37) open toward the outside and/or one or more hollow chambers (63). The recess (37) or the hollow chamber (63) is configured to provide a force/path elasticity characteristic curve with a plateau-like region II, V, during compression and reexpansion. The path section x in which the elasticity characteristic curve indicates the plateau II, IV preferably is as long as the tissue to be dissected is thick, and is, for example, in the range of 0.2 to 1.5 mm. As a result, the force exerted on the tissue during the cutting operation remains substantially constant in the effective work region.

A surgical system includes a surgical instrument having a body, an ultrasonic transducer, a shaft extending distally from the body, and an end effector at a distal end of the shaft and being operable to treat tissue with ultrasonic energy. An accessory device is configured to operatively couple the surgical instrument with a generator operable to power the surgical instrument to provide ultrasonic energy. A primary EEPROM is provided within the instrument body and is operable to track usage of the surgical instrument. The system further includes at least one of: an accessory EEPROM integrated into the accessory device and being operable to track usage of the accessory device; a transducer EEPROM integrated into the ultrasonic transducer and being operable to track usage of the ultrasonic transducer; or an ASIC integrated into the accessory device and being operable to communicate with the generator regarding a state of the surgical instrument.

A surgical instrument is disclosed comprising a shaft, an end effector, and an articulation joint rotatably connecting the end effector to the shaft. The surgical instrument further comprises an articulation drive system configured to permit high degrees of articulation.