Laparoscopic and open surgery end effector jaw structure and method

A method of treating tissue, comprising:

• selecting one of monopole cutting, bipolar cutting, and bipolar heating;
• disabling a flow of energy for the monopole cutting, the bipolar cutting, and the bipolar heating if unselected;
• applying a treatment apparatus corresponding to the selected one of monopole cutting, bipolar cutting, and bipolar heating;
• applying energy corresponding to the selected one of monopole cutting, bipolar cutting, and bipolar heating to said treatment apparatus;
• providing a pair of a facing first and a second metal jaw members movable between open and closed positions and having corresponding first and second facing surfaces capable of receiving tissue therebetween and;
• coupling a microwave energy source to a microwave energy emitter contained within each of said paired facing jaw members;
• wherein said bipolar heating comprises:
• emitting microwave energy from each microwave energy emitter;
• receiving said emitted microwave energy and providing heat from a microwave absorbing insert, made from microwave absorbing materials disposed in each of corresponding paired facing jaw members, each microwave absorbing insert being at least partially disposed between said corresponding microwave energy emitter and a corresponding one of said first and second facing surfaces of said paired jaw members and;
• transferring heat energy from said microwave absorbing inserts to said corresponding facing surface of said first and second paired jaw members;
• and further
• providing RF energy from a bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energy source to a pair of electrodes wherein each electrode of said pair of electrodes is partially surrounded by a corresponding one of said microwave absorbing inserts, and each of said pair of electrodes is capable of contact with tissue received between said paired first and second metal jaw members.