Electrosurgical jaw structure for controlled energy delivery
US6929644B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 22, 2001 |
| Grant date | Aug 16, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2018/00809
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A working end of a surgical instrument that carries first and second jaws for delivering energy to tissue. In a preferred embodiment, at least one jaw of the working end defines a tissue-engagement plane that contacts the targeted tissue. The cross-section of the engagement plane reveals that it defines a surface conductive portion that overlies a variably resistive matrix of a temperature-sensitive resistive material or a pressure-sensitive resistive material. An interior of the jaw carries a conductive material or electrode that is coupled to an Rf source and controller. In an exemplary embodiment, the variably resistive matrix can comprise a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material, such as a ceramic, that is engineered to exhibit a dramatically increasing resistance (i.e., several orders of magnitude) above a specific temperature of the material. In use, the engagement plane will apply active Rf energy to captured tissue until the point in time that the variably resistive matrix is heated to its selected switching range. Thereafter, current flow from the conductive electrode through the engagement surface will be terminated due to the exponential increase in the resistan…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.