Pressure relief vent for surgical sealing devices

An electrosurgical instrument comprising:

• a jaw-type end effector, comprising an upper jaw member and a lower jaw member provided with tissue sealing electrodes thereon, arranged in use to receive a blood vessel to be sealed, to clamp the blood vessel between the upper jaw member and the lower jaw member, and to apply an RF coagulating signal thereto via the tissue sealing electrodes to seal the blood vessel;
• a blood vessel pressure relief member positioned within an interior cavity of the upper jaw member and the lower jaw member such that when the upper jaw member and the lower jaw member are closed about a blood vessel to be sealed the blood vessel pressure relief member relieves expansionary pressure in the blood vessel responsive to the blood vessel expanding when being sealed to or above a predetermined size that affects an efficacy of the jaw-type end effector in forming a seal, wherein the blood vessel pressure relief member comprises a plurality of blood vessel puncturing members arranged to puncture the blood vessel when the blood vessel expands to or above the predetermined size, wherein:
• the plurality of blood vessel puncturing members comprises at least one pair of blood vessel puncturing members including a first blood vessel puncturing 2 member provided at a first interior surface of one of the upper jaw member or the lower jaw member and a second blood vessel puncturing member provided at a second interior surface of the one of the upper jaw member or the lower jaw member;
• and
• the second interior surface is located opposite the first interior surface such that the first blood vessel puncturing member and the second blood vessel puncturing member face each other across the interior cavity of the upper jaw member and the lower jaw member;
• and
• a handpiece mounting the jaw-type end effector and including one or more activation switches, buttons or handles to allow a user to operate the electrosurgical instrument to open and close the upper jaw member and the lower jaw member and to provide an RF electrosurgical signal to the tissue sealing electrodes.

A jaw-type end effector for an electrosurgical instrument, comprising:

• upper and lower jaw members provided with tissue sealing electrodes thereon, arranged in use to receive a blood vessel to be sealed, to clamp the blood vessel between the upper and lower jaw members, and to apply an RF coagulating signal thereto via the tissue sealing electrodes to seal the blood vessel;
• and
• a blood vessel pressure relief member positioned within an interior cavity of the upper and lower jaw members such that when the upper and lower jaw members are closed about a blood vessel to be sealed the blood vessel pressure relief member relieves expansionary pressure in the blood vessel responsive to the blood vessel expanding when being sealed to or above a predetermined size that affects an efficacy of the jaw-type end effector in forming a seal, wherein:
• the blood vessel pressure relief member comprises a blood vessel puncturing member arranged to puncture the blood vessel when the blood vessel expands to or above the predetermined size;
• and
• the blood vessel puncturing member is arranged parallel to the tissue sealing electrodes.