Cartridge lockout arrangements for rotary powered surgical cutting and stapling instruments

A surgical cutting and stapling end effector. Various embodiments comprise a channel that is configured to operably support a removable staple cartridge. A rotary end effector drive shaft is supported within the channel and is configured to move a firing assembly longitudinally within the end effector to cause the sled to eject surgical staples from the staple cartridge. The firing assembly is prevented from moving distally through the channel unless a surgical staple cartridge that has a sled in a starting position has been seated within the channel.

Permanent attachment means for curved tip of component of surgical stapling instrument

A surgical instrument includes a body, a shaft, and an end effector that is operable to compress, staple, and cut tissue. The end effector includes a pair of jaws. One of the jaws has a deflectable placement tip attached thereto. The placement tip may be attached using a mechanical connection in some versions. Still in other versions the placement tip may be attached via an overmolding process. Where an overmolding process is used, a portion of the jaw can be configured with various connection features that improve the overmolding attachment success.

Surgical tool with manual control of end effector jaws

A surgical tool of a robotic surgical device is provided that is configured to be removably and replaceably attached to an electromechanical arm of a surgical robotic system that is capable of supplying electrical power to the surgical tool when the tool is attached to the arm. The tool has an elongate shaft with an end effector having opposed jaws movable between open and closed positions. The tool also has a member configured to move distally and proximally within at least a portion of the end effector to open and close the jaws. An actuator disposed on the shaft is configured to be manually moved from a first position to a second position to cause the member to move proximally to thereby open the jaws when the surgical tool is in a mode in which it is not deriving electrical power from the surgical robotic system.

Patient monitor alarm speaker analyzer

A patient monitor can diagnose whether its speaker is blocked, malfunctioning, or at a volume that is too low. For example, the monitor can include a processor that can diagnose the speaker by recording a microphone input signal. The processor can compare the microphone input signal to an expected alarm signal that should be output by the speaker. If the two do not match or reasonably correspond to one another, then the processor may increase the volume of the alarm to determine whether doing so can overcome an obstruction, noise, or potential malfunction. The microphone can again detect the speaker output, and the processor can again make another comparison or analysis of the input with the speaker output. If the speaker output as detected via the microphone is still insufficiently loud, then the patient monitor may output an indication that the speaker has a problem.

Diaphragm valves, valve components, and methods for forming valve components

A diaphragm valve is disclosed. The diaphragm valve may include, a valve body comprising a valve channel, the valve channel including an inlet channel and an outlet channel. The diaphragm valve may also include, a valve seat adjacent to the valve channel and a flexible diaphragm comprising a wetted surface and an opposing non-wetted surface, the flexible diaphragm being disposed adjacent to the valve channel. The diaphragm valve may also include, a flexible heater disposed over the non-wetted surface of the flexible diaphragm, and a valve actuator that is operable to operable to move the wetted surface of the flexible diaphragm into and out of contact with the valve seat. Valve components including a flexible heater and methods for forming such valve components are also disclosed.

Tele-health networking, interaction, and care matching tool and methods of use

An integrated tele-health networking, interaction, and care-matching tool for tele-health services may include a tele-health operations server in communication with patient, provider, matching, and interaction databases. A management engine running on the server may execute a database management module, a rule module, and a GUI module configured to display a GUI having a plurality of preconfigured screens at a plurality of user terminals. In operation, the management engine implements a referral-based care network that connects a patient with healthcare providers, non-medical-professional caregivers, advocates, and friends or family via the user terminals. The management engine also receives rating and personality assessment information from the patient and records interaction variables and emotional reaction information from care interactions and uses that information to respectively match the patient with an optimal healthcare provider(s) selected from the network and to determine an empathy meter score for the care interaction. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Buttress applier cartridge for surgical stapler having end effector with deflectable curved tip

An apparatus includes a housing a platform, and a first buttress assembly. The housing defines a gap configured to receive a portion of an end effector of a surgical stapler. The housing includes proximal and distal portions. A portion of the platform is exposed within the gap defined by the housing. The platform includes proximal and distal portions. The first buttress assembly is positioned on at least the proximal portion of the platform. The first buttress assembly is exposed in the gap defined by the housing. At least one of the distal portion of the platform or the distal portion of the housing includes a cavity configured to receive a curved distal tip of the end effector.

Surgical visualization and monitoring

A surgical visualization system is disclosed. The surgical visualization system is configured to identify one or more structure(s) and/or determine one or more distances with respect to obscuring tissue and/or the identified structure(s). The surgical visualization system can facilitate avoidance of the identified structure(s) by a surgical device. The surgical visualization system can comprise a first emitter configured to emit a plurality of tissue-penetrating light waves and a second emitter configured to emit structured light onto the surface of tissue. The surgical visualization system can also include an image sensor configured to detect reflected visible light, tissue-penetrating light, and/or structured light. The surgical visualization system can convey information to one or more clinicians regarding the position of one or more hidden identified structures and/or provide one or more proximity indicators. In various instances, a robotic camera of the surgical visualization system can monitor and track one or more tagged structures.

Transversely-excited film bulk acoustic resonators for high power applications

There is disclosed acoustic resonators and filter devices. An acoustic resonator includes a substrate having a surface and a single-crystal piezoelectric plate having parallel front and back surfaces, the back surface attached to the surface of the substrate except for a portion of the piezoelectric plate forming a diaphragm that spans a cavity in the substrate. An interdigital transducer (IDT) is formed on the front surface of the single-crystal piezoelectric plate such that interleaved fingers of the IDT are disposed on the diaphragm. The IDT is configured to excite a primary acoustic mode in the diaphragm in response to a radio frequency signal applied to the IDT. A thickness of the interleaved fingers of the IDT is greater than or equal to 0.85 times a thickness of the piezoelectric plate.

Systems and methods for cancellation of passive intermodulation (PIM) for a wireless network receiver

There is provided a passive intermodulation (PIM) mitigation module for mitigating PIM within a receiver of a wireless network, the PIM mitigation module comprising: at least one processor executing a code for: receiving transmit signals transmitted by at least one transmission source, receiving received signals received by at least one reception source, computing a plurality of synthetic PIM signals from the transmit signals, wherein each of the plurality of synthetic PIM signals is a respective combination of a plurality of frequency components of the transmit signals, computing a plurality of mitigation weights for mitigating the plurality of synthetic PIM signals, and performing a PIM mitigation process on the received signal with the plurality of mitigation weights to generate clean signals to provide to the receiver.