An apparatus includes a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a drive member visualization assembly. The end effector includes a first jaw, a second jaw, a staple cartridge, and a drive member capable of actuating along a firing stroke to fire a plurality of staples out of the staple cartridge or to sever tissue. The drive member visualization assembly provides an electronic indication linked to a physical location of the drive member within the upper jaw and the lower jaw during the firing stroke.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for detecting image degradation during a surgical procedure are provided. A method includes receiving images of a surgical instrument; obtaining baseline images of an edge of the surgical instrument; comparing a characteristic of the images of the surgical instrument to a characteristic of the baseline images of the edge of the surgical instrument, the images of the surgical instrument being received subsequent to obtaining the baseline images of the edge of the surgical instrument and being received while the surgical instrument is disposed at a surgical site in a patient; determining whether the images of the surgical instrument are degraded, based on the comparing of the characteristic of the images of the surgical instrument and the characteristic of the baseline images of the surgical instrument; and generating an image degradation notification, in response to a determination that the images of the surgical instrument are degraded.

The present disclosure relates to a two-component medical device for closing a wound or incision. The two-component device comprising a first and second component, each comprising an adhesive-backed anchoring member having one edge referred to as the wound edge. The adhesive-backed anchoring members are produced from a polymeric film sheet. Disclosed are instances wherein the adhesive-backed anchoring members are characterized by the presence of one or more discontinuities in the polymeric film sheet.

An inflatable compression device configured to apply a compressive force to a puncture site of a patient's vessel, such as an artery is disclosed. The hemostasis device may comprise a location indicium disposed on an inside surface of an inflatable bladder portion of the device so as to be disposed in close proximity to the skin of the patient to improve alignment of the compression device with the puncture site.

A compression assembly for a medical tourniquet comprises a strap, a windlass and a buckle assembly and employs a retainer which retains the windlass upon rotation to apply pressure to a limb. The retainer has a pair of C-shaped portions which retain the windlass and a cross piece which is captured by a mounting strip. The buckle assembly preferably comprises a pair of parallel bars, one of which mounts a clasp which engageably retains a D-shaped ring. The strap is pulled through the D-shaped ring and secured in a taut engagement about a limb. The tourniquet is cooperatively configured so that only a relatively small additional rotation of the windlass is typically required to apply the final occluding pressure.

A surgical instrument includes a body, a shaft, and an end effector. The end effector includes a staple cartridge unit having a housing and an anvil configured to form staples ejected from the housing into tissue. The end effector also includes a cartridge retaining member having an opposed pair of jaws configured to cooperate to grip the housing of the staple cartridge unit. The end effector further includes a deflectable retention member configured to removably secure the housing of the staple cartridge unit to the cartridge retaining member. The deflectable retention member is presented by one of the staple cartridge unit or the cartridge retaining member, and is configured to be deflected relative to a portion of the one of the staple cartridge unit or the cartridge retaining member from an undeflected state to a deflected state by the other of the staple cartridge unit or the cartridge retaining member.

An example method includes obtaining, a virtual model of a portion of an anatomy of a patient obtained from a virtual surgical plan for an orthopedic joint repair surgical procedure to attach a prosthetic to the anatomy; identifying, based on data obtained by one or more sensors, positions of one or more physical markers positioned relative to the anatomy of the patient; and registering, based on the identified positions, the virtual model of the portion of the anatomy with a corresponding observed portion of the anatomy.

An ultrasonic device may include an electromechanical ultrasonic system defined by a predetermined resonant frequency, in which the system may include an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. A method of estimating a state of an end effector of the ultrasonic device may include applying a drive signal defined by a magnitude and a frequency to the ultrasonic transducer, sweeping the frequency of the drive signal from below a first resonance to above the first resonance of the electromagnetic ultrasonic system, measuring and recording, impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.e, G.sub.e, X.sub.e, and B.sub.e, comparing, the measured impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.e, G.sub.e, X.sub.e, and B.sub.e to reference impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.ref, G.sub.ref, X.sub.ref, and B.sub.ref, and determining, a state or condition of the end effector based on the result of the comparison. An electromechanical ultrasonic system may include a control circuit to effect the method.

A method is provided for puncturing a fossa ovalis of a heart, the method including inserting a catheter into a right atrium of the heart, and advancing a distal portion of the catheter toward an interatrial septum of the heart. A flexible longitudinal member is slid through openings disposed at the distal portion of the catheter, such that the flexible longitudinal member is made to loop around a portion of an inside perimeter of the fossa ovalis. While the flexible longitudinal member is looped around the portion of the inside perimeter of the fossa ovalis, a hole is punctured in the fossa ovalis at a puncturing point.

A probe for ablating tissue comprises an electrosurgical working end configured to provide a first plasma about a first surface location and a second plasma about a second surface location, the first plasma having first ablation parameters and the second plasma having second ablation parameters. The probe has a working end with a thickness below 3 mm and produces a low temperature plasma.