Surgical forceps including thermal spread control
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorsJAMES H. ORSZULAK, J. BRUCE DUNNE
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Abstract
A surgical instrument includes one or more electrically-conductive plates adapted to connect to a source of energy for supplying energy to tissue to treat tissue, a temperature sensing element, and a thermal spread control assembly coupled to the temperature sensing element. The thermal spread control assembly is configured to determine a flow rate of heat energy across the temperature sensing element and to control the energy applied to the electrically-conductive plate and/or control active cooling of the temperature sensing element in accordance with the determined flow rate of heat energy.
Claims18
1-20. (canceled)
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an electrode defining a first side and a second side, the electrode adapted to connect to a source of energy for supplying energy to tissue to treat tissue;
- at least one temperature sensor associated with the first electrode, the at least one temperature sensor configured to sense a first temperature adjacent the first side of the electrode and a second temperature adjacent the second side of the electrode;
- and
- a controller coupled to the temperature sensor, the controller configured to determine a flow rate of heat energy across the first electrode based at least in part on the first temperature and the second temperature.
A method of treating tissue, comprising:
- applying energy from an electrode to tissue, the electrode having a first side and a second side;
- determining a first temperature adjacent the first side of the electrode;
- determining a second temperature adjacent the second side of the electrode;
- and
- determining a rate of flow of heat energy across the electrode based at least in part on the first temperature and the second temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.