System and method of performing an electrosurgical procedure

A method of creating an ablation lesion at a tissue target site, the method comprising:

• providing an ablation system including:
• an ablation instrument having a tissue ablating member, and
• an ablative energy source having multiple available ablative energy settings, wherein the ablative energy source supplies ablative energy to the tissue ablating member;
• determining a desired depth for the ablation lesion;
• selecting a desired ablative energy setting for the ablative energy source, including considering a probability that the tissue target site will be heated so rapidly that intracellular fluid within the tissue target site will begin to boil and at least a portion of the tissue target site will erupt causing undesirable damage during a subsequent ablation procedure;
• and
• supplying ablative energy to the tissue ablating member in contact with the tissue target site, the ablative energy supplied to the tissue ablating member at the desired ablative energy setting for a recommended energization time period determined by reference to predetermined length of time information and based upon the desired lesion depth and the selected ablative energy setting;
• wherein the step of selecting a desired ablative energy setting is completed prior to determining the recommended energization time period, and the recommended energization time period is determined prior to the step of supplying ablative energy to the tissue ablating member.