end - effector illumination methods / surgical site illumination with a powered endocutter : currently when the end - effector is in or near its deployment position it is sometimes difficult for the surgeon to visualize the treatment site as there are shadows cast by adjacent structures as well as the end - effector may even be behind another structure entirely . shown in fig1 , is a distal end 3 of a surgical stapler 1 in accordance with the present invention , including anvil 11 , cartridge body 7 , and channel 13 . as seen from that figure , an additional light source 5 could be positioned on the end of the cartridge body 7 to illuminate tissue 9 . this light source could be any combination of practical means that convert electrical energy to light including but not limited to semiconductor ( such as led ), a conventional incandescent or filament bulb , electroluminescent or laser . this would allow the surgeon to not only light up the treatment site directly , it could allow for backlighting of structures to see the internal components like vasculature or with a laser pointer allow the surgeon to point out areas of interest to other via the traditional scope . this would be very easy to do by allowing one or more contacts 21 on the back of the cartridge 7 that would engage contacts 23 within the channel . this would allow the surgeon to energize the light as needed by energizing contact set via a switch positioned on the handle 31 . this switch could even have variable intensity as the one described in could control the actuation speed of the main , device . as noted above , u . s . publication 2007 / 0175949 further discloses in fig4 - 47 output displays that could show among other this position feedback of the end - effector , lockout status , number of firings etc . this would minimize one of the more difficult issues for the user , which is the identification of the status of a device , especially the lockout status of the device without actuating the device . an additional feedback that would be helpful for the user would be immediate feedback as to the status of the cartridge when it is loaded . as in the above application it could be rolled up into the lockout indication on the handle 31 . an indicator 33 ( such as an led , glass bulb , lcd , sonic enunciator , vibrator , etc .) could solely be associated with the status of a cartridge lockout means or mechanism such that it providing this information to the surgeon . this led could be located on the handle . alternatively an indicator 35 could be located near the distal end 3 which would provide immediate information to the surgeon and loader if the cartridge is “ good to go ” or not . this can be accomplished with a switch or set of contacts associated directly with the mechanical lockout . the switch or contacts complete a circuit such that the indicator provides appropriate information . this completed contact set could be through a conductive element within the sled ( part 33 in the publication 20070175958 ) and the two contacts could be in the proximal position of the channel ( part 22 ). another way to detect lockout status is indirectly through instrument status ( example i : loaded cartridge and no attempt to fire would indicate lockout is not engaged ; example 2 : fired instrument and no new cartridge installed would indicate lockout is engaged ; etc .) another embodiment would be to place the led or visual indication cue on the cartridge itself . when the cartridge is snapped into place it creates a contact that supplies the cartridge with power . should the cartridge be fired not only does the mechanical lockout stop the advancement of the knife the cartridge circuit light up the led on the cartridge informing the surgeon on the scope monitor that the cartridge is locked out . this could be further expanded by placing a small battery or other charge accumulator within the cartridge itself to eliminate the need for a power connection to the main device . also the cartridge circuit could be set to light the lockout light whenever the device is closed to inform the user there is a spent cartridge in the device . indication feedback for powered articulation and cartridge color : indicating the type of cartridge installed ( color ) and angle of articulation is considered useful to the surgeon . the indication of articulation angle could be indicated in several ways including numerically or graphically as in an arc of leds . the location of this indication could be on the handle in a convenient location or on the shaft of the device just proximal to the end - effector . the end - effector feedback could be passive or active . the active would light up additional leds to show the angle . the passive could just show a half pie lighted up so the surgeon could intuit how articulated the end - effector is . as we further explore the surgical procedures it becomes more and more obvious that the surgeon &# 39 ; s eyes need to be on the surgical site not on the handle of the instrument . we also begin to understand the surgeon &# 39 ; s need for complete status feedback from the device . articulation angle could be illuminated as part of the articulation joint itself . with lights , leds , etc . denoting the differing angle or even a small lcd denoting angle in degrees . this would allow the surgeon to have some feedback on the angle off of straight so he / she can easily navigate back to this angle after removal and reinsertion . another issue is “ obvious ” indication of what color cartridge is in the device . this can be accomplished by a color coded light array on either the end - effector or the cartridge . this information could also be transmitted back to the handle to display a “ redundant ” display to assure there is minimal confusion as to what cartridge is in the jaws . another improvement could include a small leaf spring contact connected to the proximal deck of the cartridge that indicates if a minimum tissue pressure has been achieved within the jaws . this minimum pressure would at the very least indicate if a thick tissue cartridge is being used in thin tissue applications , as it would not light if insufficient tissue pressure on the deck were present . automatic advancement and retraction of an electrical endocutter : there are several steps within the function of a stapler that must be accomplished in an established order . once the closure trigger is clamped actuation of the firing cycle is the next necessary step . after for actuation then retraction of the system is the next sequential step . with the inclusion of a power source other than the user ( i . e . batteries or pneumatics ) the ability to reduce user initiated steps ( and therefore device complexity ) the system itself can begin to accomplish these steps itself . internal switches or circuits could be added to allow for these steps to automatically be initiated . the next challenge is to allow for the user to intuitively be able to delay , slow or stop the automatic actuations . for instance , the same actuation button that would allow for firing initiation in a tactile feedback device like ser . no . 11 / 344 , 035 could be used to slow or stop an automatic return system by the user depressing the button during the retraction . once pressure was removed from the button the auto - return would recommence . the same could be for auto - firing where if the system did not require a button to , fire , but a control was provided that moved with the knife motion that the user could depress that would stop or slow its deployment but would be unnecessary if the system was see to be running correctly . accidental actuation prevention for a powered endocutter : with the introduction of powered systems that no longer limit the device function to the force capabilities of the user , inadvertent initiation of the firing cycle may become a much more prevalent issue . it will be increasing ease to “ bump ” the activation control and have the instrument begin firing thereby tripping the lockout of the cartridge or even “ jamming ” it on tissue , as the user is unaware it has already begun firing . to eliminate this issue secondary unlock activator switches or buttons could be used to unlock the firing mechanism . this is much the same as the two switch systems used in the power saw industry as well as the military to protect against accidental actuation . the secondary switch can either release the lock on the firing trigger or merely energize the power to the control . use of a non - sterile battery within a sterilized device i packaging as a sterility barrier for battery pack reuse : there is a possible need of a method for the introduction of non - sterile battery packs ( possibly with the electronics integral to the battery pack if programmable logic becomes a key customer need ). a patent already exists within the orthopedic drill industry for the insertion of a non - sterile battery pack within a separately sterilized re - useable device . this innovation is intended to improve that concept by utilizing the disposable device sterile packaging to protect the sterility of the instrument during the insertion of the non - sterile battery pack . a further improvement would be the inclusion of a “ hatch ” door designed within the instrument and closable after the pack has been inserted but before the device is removed from the final sterile packaging . this hatch would then “ contain ” the non - sterile battery that could contaminate the sterile surgical field . the method here would be to include an additional layer of packaging that would have a perforated area that the battery could be pushed through , either rupturing the extra layer and allowing the battery through or going with the electrode set of the battery only to be ruptured by the exposable pin tips of the battery at complete insertion . an alternative of this would be to have the internal terminals of the gun ( deep inside the battery protection cavity ) rupture the sterile barrier and seat within pinholes in the battery pack . the hatch could then be closed through the sterile pack sealing the system . the gun could then be handed into the sterile field normally as any sterile device could . position locator embodiments i linear encoder and load control of motor parameters : u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 646 , 307 and 6 , 716 , 223 disclose the mechanisms for the measurement of rotation and related torque to control motor parameters and optimizing of those parameters based on identification of end - effector configurations and loading . us publication 20070175958 shows a method through the use of a threaded length of the primary shaft in fig8 - 13 how this type of linear motion control could be used to control the trigger location . the same type of method could be used for electronic linear control methods . the end - effector could identify its length and type mechanically by depressing at least one spring biased plunger , which could identify to the handle the type , and length it would allow the motor to run . the motor rotation could be converted from rotatory motion to linear rack or cable motion , which could then be used to adjust motor voltage , current , and speed to affect the desired linear motion of the control slide . the control slide could then be directly coupled to the knife drive motion . this control slide could have discrete or continuous “ stop ” locations that the plunger identifier marks as the max “ go to ” linear displacement before retraction . identification of modular reloads with linear drive : a useful feature for a surgical instrument is the ability to identify which end - effector has been attached to the instrument . in the case of a powered surgical stapler , several different types of end - effectors could be attached . additionally , a type of end - effector may have at least one function and / or feature that is selectively utilized or enabled . disclosed are means for identifying which end - effector is attached . note that the “ type ” of endeffector referenced below is not limited to mechanical , pneumatic or hydraulically coupled end - effectors . the instrument may take different actions , adjust operating parameters , indicate available functions etc . as a result of detecting this end effector . the end - effector has an electrical connection that is made when it is attached to the instrument . the instrument communicates with the end - effector and reads at least one of several types of signals . a switch position or contact position indicates which type of end - effector is present . a passive element is measured for impedance and the result indicates which type of end - effector is present . the end - effector has a radio frequency link to the instrument and data is transferred in at least one direction between the end - effector and the instrument . the end - effector has an acoustic link to the instrument and data is transferred in at least one direction between the end - effector and the instrument . the end - effector has an optical link to the instrument and data is transferred in at least one direction between the end - effector and the instrument . the end - effector has mechanical link that engages elements ( such as switches or contacts ) in the instrument that identify it and thereby data is transferred in at least one direction between the end - effector and the instrument . active adjustable staple height for a powered endocutter : staple height that is adjustable to the tissue thickness and type has been pursued for many years . most recently ser . no . 11 / 231 , 456 and ser . no . 11 / 540 , 735 are around a flexible coupling member or supports that would allow the gap of the instrument to enlarge with loads induced by thicker tissue in the device . this “ passive ” variable staple height allows the thickness of the tissue to create larger staple forms . with the introduction of a power source within the instrument this allows for the use of electricity to change the height of an internal element within the dynamic coupling element with would change the height of the staple “ actively ” by the surgeon or instrument setting the desired height . this internal element could be a shape memory material and the electricity changes its temperature and therefore allows it to change its physical height due to preset configuration . another viable method would be the inclusion of an electro - active polymer ( eap ) that through the introduction of an electric field allows it to change its height and width . yet a third embodiment would be to utilize a traditional linear electrical stepper element that can ratchet a small adjustable screw element within the coupling beam that would adjust its height .
a surgical fastener apparatus having a handle , an elongated shaft having a proximal end attached to the handle and a distal end extending therefrom . an end effector including a pair of jaws pivoted at a proximal end thereof and movable between an open and closed position . a cartridge containing a plurality of surgical fasteners , the cartridge attached to the end effector . an electrically powered actuator for deploying the surgical fasteners , the actuator including a power source and a motor . means for electrically adjusting the amount of spacing between the jaws when the end effector is in the closed position .