Electrosurgical working end for sealing tissue

Abstract

An electrosurgical working end and method for transecting an anatomic structure along a targeted line and for creating a thermal welds along either of both transected tissue margins, for example, for use in a partial lung resection procedure. The working end provides elongate guide members that can be positioned on opposing sides of the targeted anatomic structure. The working end carries a slidable extension member with interior channels that receive the guide members. The extension member can be moved from a retracted position to an extended position by advancing over the guide members. As the extension member advances over the guide members (i) the guides compress the tissue just ahead of the advancing extension member to allow the laterally-outward portions of the extension member to ramp over the tissue, (ii) while contemporaneously a cutting element at the distal end of the extension member transects the tissue. By this means, the transected tissue margins are captured under very high compression by working end components on either side of the tissue margin. The working end carries a bi-polar electrode arrangement that engages the just-transected medial tissue layers as well as surface layers to provides Rf current flow for tissue welding purposes that is described as a medial-to-surface bi-polar approach. The system also provides at least one indicator means for indicating to the surgeon when the extension member has been fully actuated, since endoscopic viewing of the very elongate guide members may not be possible.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.