Surgical system with user adaptable techniques employing multiple energy modalities based on tissue parameters

A surgical instrument for coagulating and dissecting tissue, the surgical instrument comprising:

• a processor;
• an end effector at a distal end of the surgical instrument, the end effector configured to interact with tissue, the end effector comprising:
• a clamp arm comprising an electrode;
• an ultrasonic blade;
• an ultrasonic transducer acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic blade and configured to receive a drive signal from a generator to cause ultrasonic motion of the ultrasonic blade and deliver ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic blade;
• wherein the processor is configured to:
• control delivery of radio frequency (RF) energy to the electrode;
• transition from delivery of the RF energy to the electrode to delivery of the ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic blade;
• control delivery of an exploratory ultrasonic pulse to the ultrasonic transducer;
• measure an ultrasonic property of tissue engaged by the end effector, wherein the ultrasonic property measured by the processor is associated with the exploratory ultrasonic pulse;
• determine whether the ultrasonic property measured by the is consistent with a behavior of low impedance tissue when the exploratory ultrasonic pulse is delivered to the ultrasonic transducer and corresponding ultrasonic energy is delivered to the ultrasonic blade;
• and
• control delivery of the ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic blade to cut the tissue upon determining that the ultrasonic property measured by the processor is consistent with ultrasonic energy being applied to low impedance tissue.

A generator for delivering energy to a surgical instrument for coagulating and dissecting tissue, the surgical instrument comprising an end effector at a distal end thereof, the end effector configured to interact with tissue, the end effector comprising a clamp arm, an ultrasonic blade, an ultrasonic transducer acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic blade and configured to receive a drive signal from the generator to cause ultrasonic motion of the ultrasonic blade and deliver ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic blade, the generator comprising:

• a first drive circuit configured to deliver a drive signal to an ultrasonic transducer;
• a second drive circuit configured to deliver radio frequency (RF) energy to an electrode;
• and
• a processor configured to control the first drive circuit and the second drive circuit, and wherein the processor is configured to:
• control the second drive circuit to deliver RF energy to the electrode;
• transition from the second drive circuit delivering the RF energy to the electrode to the first drive circuit delivering the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer;
• control the first drive circuit to deliver the drive signal comprising an exploratory ultrasonic pulse to the ultrasonic transducer;
• measure an ultrasonic property of tissue associated with the exploratory ultrasonic pulse;
• determine whether the ultrasonic property measured by the processor is consistent with a behavior of low impedance tissue;
• and
• control the first drive circuit to deliver the drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer to cut the tissue upon determining that the ultrasonic property measured by the processor is consistent with ultrasonic energy being applied to low impedance tissue.