Investigation of the returned complaint device confirmed this complaint device is no longer in scope of the sealing issues reporting cycle as there was damage identified to only 3 spacer pads, and there was no short circuit identified, thus no longer reportable.The device was returned to stryker sustainability solutions for evaluation.Upon inspection of the received complaint device, the spacer pads were inspected for damage and the 3 in the back of the jaw were worn down.Manual continuity tests were performed and confirmed to be acceptable.The device was connected to the force triad generator to verify that the device could seal, coagulate, and cut on the test medium(pork intestine).The device was recognized by the force triad generator and the default number of power bars was displayed (2).The device was able to complete 25 out of 30 cycles, and was able to seal/coagulate/cut; however.During the 6 cycles that were unable to be completed properly, the generator produced an error message "check instrument".The results of the visual and functional testing of the returned complaint device determined that the reported event was confirmed.A review of the dhr supports that the device met all inspection and test criteria prior to release from stryker.Therefore, the most likely root causes are: - worn down spacer pads causing electrical shorting - electrical connections damaged - active electrode short, electrical connections damaged.- device not cleaned while in use per ifu guidance.The instructions for use (ifu) state: - lf19xx devices are compatible with forcetriad sw v3.6-v4.0, vlft10gen sw v1.1 ¿ v2.1.0.14, v4.0.1.15 and v4.0.2.25 - use caution during surgical cases in which patients exhibit certain types of vascular pathology (atherosclerosis, aneurysmal vessels, etc.).For best results, apply the seal to unaffected vasculature.- if the generator provides multiple power settings, use the lowest power needed to achieve the intended effect.- do not use this instrument on vessels in excess of 7 mm in diameter.- if the instrument shaft is visibly bent, discard and replace the instrument.- do not place the vessel and/or tissue in the jaw hinge.Place the vessel and/or tissue in the center of the jaws.- eliminate tension on the tissue while sealing and cutting to ensure proper function.- use caution when grasping, manipulating, sealing, and dividing large tissue bundles.- do not bend instrument shaft.- do not attempt to seal over clips or staples as incomplete seals/damage to the cutting blade will occur.Contact between an active electrode and any metal objects may result in alternate site burns or incomplete seals.- do not overfill the jaws of the instrument with tissue, as this may reduce device performance.- keep the instrument jaws clean.Build-up of eschar may reduce the seal and/or cutting effectiveness.Wipe jaw surfaces and edges with a wet gauze pad as needed.- the lever must be continually held with the activation button fully depressed until the seal cycle is complete.The lever does not latch into the activation position.- a continuous tone sounds to indicate the activation of rf energy.When the activation cycle is complete, a two-pulsed seal-cycle-complete tone sounds and rf output ceases.- notice ¿ the surgeon may inspect the seal before cutting the vessel or tissue.After inspecting the seal, the surgeon should create a second seal adjacent to the first seal before cutting, as described below.- a tone with multiple pulses indicates that the seal cycle was not completed.Refer to the troubleshooting section for possible causes and corrective actions.Do not cut tissue until you have verified that there is an adequate seal.- to seal adjacent tissue, overlap the edge of the existing seal.The second seal should be distal to the first seal to increase seal margin.- activating energy delivery with a footswitch when the activation button is not fully depressed may result in improper sealing and increase thermal spread to tissue outside the surgical site.Proper pressure is being applied to the tissue when the lever keeps the activation button fully depressed.- energy-based devices, such as esu pencils or ultrasonic scalpels that are associated with thermal spread should not be used to transect seals.- failure to maintain steady pressure on the lever while cutting can result in inadvertent reactivation of energy.- remove any embedded tissue from blade track and jaw hinge area.The reported event will continue to be monitored through post-market surveillance.
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