Motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument with user feedback system

A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:

• an end effector comprising:
• an elongate channel;
• a clamping member pivotably connected to the channel;
• and
• a moveable cutting instrument for longitudinally traversing the channel as part of a cutting stroke to cut an object clamped in the end effector by the clamping member when the clamping member is in a clamped position;
• a rotating main drive shaft assembly connected to the cutting instrument in the end effector;
• and
• a handle connected to the main drive shaft assembly, the handle comprising:
• a pistol grip portion;
• a closure trigger connected to and retractable relative to the pistol grip portion, such that retraction of the closure trigger toward the pistol grip portion cause the clamping member to pivot to the clamped position;
• a gear drive train connected to the main drive shaft assembly;
• a main electric motor for actuating the gear drive train, to thereby rotate the main drive shaft assembly;
• and
• a firing trigger connected to and rotatably retractable relative to the pistol grip portion about a pivot, such that retraction of the firing trigger toward the pistol grip portion causes actuation of the motor, wherein the rotational position of the firing trigger relative to the pistol grip portion is related to the position of the cutting instrument along the cutting stroke in the channel of the end effector, wherein the firing trigger includes a gear portion that is geared to the gear drive train.

A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:

• an end effector comprising a moveable cutting instrument for cutting an object positioned in the end effector;
• a rotating main drive shaft assembly connected to the end effector;
• and
• a handle connected to the main drive shaft assembly, the handle comprising:
• a gear drive train connected to the main drive shaft assembly;
• an electric motor for actuating the gear drive train, to thereby rotate the main drive shaft assembly;
• and
• an elongate, retractable firing trigger that is retractable toward a pistol grip portion of the handle such that retraction of the firing trigger causes actuation of the motor, wherein the rotational position of the firing trigger relative to the pistol grip portion is related to the position of the cutting instrument along a cutting stroke in the end effector, wherein the firing trigger includes a gear portion that is geared to the gear drive train.