Surgical instruments with an end-effector assembly including optical fiber for treating tissue

Abstract

An end-effector assembly includes first and second jaw members, a first outer housing associated with the first jaw member, and a second outer housing associated with the second jaw member. Each of the first and second jaw members includes a sealing plate. One or both of the first and second jaw members is movable from a first position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second position wherein the sealing plates cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween. One or more longitudinal-firing optical fibers are associated with either one or both of the first and second outer housings. One or more transverse-firing optical fibers are associated with either one or both of the first and second jaw members.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.