US 11,986,201 B2
Method for operating a surgical instrument
Frederick E. Shelton, IV, Hillsboro, OH (US); Shane R. Adams, Lebanon, OH (US); Nicholas J. Ross, Franklin, OH (US); Jason L. Harris, Lebanon, OH (US); and Sudhir B. Patel, Mason, OH (US)
Assigned to Cilag GmbH International, Zug (CH)
Filed by Ethicon LLC, Guaynabo, PR (US)
Filed on Jun. 8, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/895,264.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/955,306, filed on Dec. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0196302 A1, Jul. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/068 (2006.01); A61B 17/072 (2006.01); A61B 17/32 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/32 (2013.01) [A61B 17/068 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00039 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00137 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00367 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00473 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00477 (2013.01); A61B 2017/07285 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for selecting operational control programs of a surgical system, wherein the surgical system comprises an actuation module and a plurality of surgical instrument attachments configured to be attached to and used with the actuation module, wherein the method comprises:
attaching a first surgical instrument attachment of the plurality of surgical instrument attachments to the actuation module;
inputting patient-specific data into a control circuit;
identifying, by the control circuit, the first surgical instrument attachment based upon the patient-specific data;
identifying, by the control circuit, subsystems of the first surgical instrument attachment, wherein an identifiable set of subsystems includes:
a closure system that performs a closure stroke to close an end effector of the surgical system;
a firing system that performs a firing stroke to incise patient tissue captured within the end effector of the surgical system;
a firing system that performs a firing stroke to staple patient tissue captured within the end effector of the surgical system;
a firing system that performs a firing stroke to incise and staple patient tissue captured within the end effector of the surgical system;
an actuation system that performs a closure stroke and a firing stroke to at least one of incise and staple patient tissue;
a rotation system that rotates the end effector about a longitudinal axis;
an articulation system that articulates the end effector about a single articulation joint; and
an articulation system that articulates the end effector about two articulation joints;
selecting, by the control circuit based upon the patient-specific data, an operational control program specific to the first surgical instrument attachment and the identified subsystems of the first surgical instrument attachment.