Surgical stapler with clamp force sensor

An apparatus, comprising:

• (a) a handle assembly comprising a closure trigger that is pivotable between a released position and an actuated position;
• (b) a shaft assembly;
• (c) an end effector coupled with the shaft assembly and comprising an anvil and a cartridge housing, the cartridge housing being slidable with respect to the anvil between an unclamped position and a clamped position to facilitate selective clamping of patient tissue therebetween;
• and
• (d) a clamp force sensing link operably coupled with the shaft assembly and the closure trigger such that pivoting of the closure trigger from the released position to the actuated position facilitates actuation of the end effector from the unclamped position to the clamped position via the clamp force sensing link and the shaft assembly, wherein the clamp force sensing link is configured to detect a force exerted by the closure trigger on the end effector to facilitate generation of a notification as a function of the detected force.

A cartridge for a surgical stapler, the cartridge comprising:

• (a) an anvil;
• (b) a cartridge housing that is slidable with respect to the anvil between an unclamped position and a clamped position to facilitate selective clamping of patient tissue between the anvil and the cartridge housing;
• and
• (c) a clamp force sensor comprising a sensing component, a controller in signal communication with the sensing component, a communication module that facilitates communication with a remote computing device, and a power module that facilitates powering of the clamp force sensor, wherein the clamp force sensor is configured to detect a clamping force between the anvil and the cartridge housing and facilitate generation of a notification as a function of the detected clamping force.