Device Lab 51

Surgical Stapler

A straight jaw that clamps a flat stack, forms four staggered rows of staples and divides between the inner two in one stroke. The gap is a machined stop, so the formed height is a fixed dimension of the closed jaw and the material has to suit the cartridge.

Also called: Surgical Stapler. Arabic: الدباسة الجراحية. Device Lab 51 of 69 in BMEssentia Medical City, 2 configurations.

Overview: the configurations

Linear cutting stapler, 60 mm cartridge

Circular stapler, 28 mm

A detachable anvil drawn toward a cartridge head by a screw, forming two concentric staggered rings of staples and cutting an annulus inside them. 50 mm range with an indicator on it, and the indicator reads the gap.

How it works: the main parts

What each part does, from the Surgical Stapler lessons in the 3D Device Lab.

Handle body and grip: The part a hand closes around, and the part that makes the device feel like an instrument rather than a mechanism. It is a moulded shell in two halves over a steel spine, with a ribbed rubber pad where the palm sits and a visible panel seam along its length.
Firing lever and stroke: The lever the finger pulls, hinged on a pin inside the handle shell, with its own rubber pad where a finger bears. It is the first stage of the chain and the only stage a person ever touches.
Force limiter and ratchet pawl: A toothed wheel and a sprung pawl, sitting beside the lever pivot. It turns a stroke that could be abandoned half way into a stroke that can only be advanced or deliberately released.
Shaft and drive rod: The tube between the handle and the jaw, and the drive rod inside it. Everything the hand does has to arrive at the far end through this, and the far end is between 205 and 240 mm away.
Staple driver set: The set of small blocks that sit under the staples and lift them off their seats into the anvil. One driver per staple, or one per pair, each riding on a cam.
Staple cartridge body: The half of the jaw that holds the staples, the drivers and the retainer. On the linear configuration it is a blue moulding about 72 mm long with a deck facing the anvil; on the circular one it is a green head 28 mm across with an annular deck.
Titanium staple wire: 25 mm on the circular one. It is the only part of this instrument that is deliberately destroyed by using it, and the only part that stays behind.
Anvil face: The steel face the staple legs are driven against. On the linear configuration it is the upper jaw, 72 mm long and facing down; on the circular one it is a detachable disc 28 mm across facing back toward the head.

Common faults and what to check

Most reported device problems (FDA MAUDE)

Device problem	Reports
Failure to Fire	53,782
Failure to Form Staple	42,487
Misfire	17,968
Difficult to Open or Close	16,862
Replace	13,270
Break	8,922

Raw counts of adverse event reports for this device type (FDA product code GAG, GDW), all years. Not adjusted for the number of units in use, so they show what gets reported, not failure rates. Report text is never copied.

Planned maintenance checks

From the BMEssentia procedure library: every 12 months, about 15 minutes, electrical class II, applied part type B.

Most staplers and reloads are single use; powered handles and batteries follow the manufacturer's life limits.

Check	Pass when
Handle and adaptor Inspect the handle, adaptor and battery pack.	No damage.
Self-test and count Run the manufacturer's self-test; check use count.	Pass; within the count.

Recent FDA recalls

Recall	Product and reason
Z-0485-2026 2025-11-07	Covidien, LP: Covidien Signia" Small Diameter Curved Tip Intelligent Reload (45mm Vascular/Thin) A manufacturing issue could lead to a malformed cover tube press which can lead to internal components' movement during firing - leading to the potential for uncontrolled motion. Root cause: Process control.
Z-0486-2026 2025-11-07	Covidien, LP: Covidien Signia" Small Diameter Curved Tip Intelligent Reload (45mm Vascular/Thin) A manufacturing issue could lead to a malformed cover tube press which can lead to internal components' movement during firing - leading to the potential for uncontrolled motion. Root cause: Process control.
Z-0147-2026 2025-10-14	Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc: ECHELON LINEAR Cutters Reload 80 mm Blue, intended for transection, resection, and/or creation of anastomoses, Product The devices were shipped unsterilized. Root cause: Under Investigation by firm.
Z-1746-2025 2025-05-20	Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc: Endopath Echelon Vascular White Reload for Advanced Placement Tip (35mm, 4 row) Firm has received an increase in reports regarding inadvertent instrument lockout during surgical procedures involving the device. Root cause: Device Design.
Z-3096-2024 2024-09-10	Smith & Nephew Inc.: ROTATION MEDICAL TENDON STAPLES (8) (broad indication)-Intended for fixation of prosthetic material to soft tissues. Product packaging process may result in an improper or incomplete seal of the outer foil pouch surrounding the inner Tyvek pouch, compromising product sterility Root cause: Packaging.

From the FDA recall database (openFDA), newest first, imported 2026-10-22. 235 recalls on record for this device type. Recall text is the FDA's public text; each recall links to the official record.

Learn it, see it in 3D, ask about it

Ask Essentia about the Surgical Stapler: answers from named sources, with the device open in its 3D Device Lab beside the answer.
The Surgical Stapler on the BMEssentia Platform: the Device Library course, 13 sections from physics to maintenance.
BMEssentia Medical City: Device Lab 51, the Surgical Stapler fully assembled in 3D, with lab tasks and the simulations.

Previous: Electrosurgical Unit. Next: Pulse Oximeter. All 69 devices.

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