Patent attributes
A surgical end effector comprising a first jaw, a second jaw, a strain gauge, and a thickness measurement cartridge is disclosed. The first jaw comprises a first jaw undersurface. The first jaw is selectively movable relative to the second jaw. The strain gauge is supported by the second jaw and configured to communicate with a central processing unit configured to calculate thickness of tissue. The thickness measurement cartridge comprising a cartridge body and a pivot formation. The cartridge body is configured to be removably supported in the second jaw such that a tissue contacting surface thereon faces the first jaw undersurface. The pivot formation on the cartridge body facilitated pivotal movement of the cartridge body relative to the second jaw.