Vessel sealing system using capacitive RF dielectric heating
First Claim
1. An electrosurgical instrument for sealing tissue comprising:
- an end effector having opposing jaw members, the jaw members being movable relative to one another from a first position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween, each jaw member including an electrode having a dielectric coating; and
a source of electrical energy connected to each jaw member such that the jaw members are capable of transferring energy at a predetermined frequency through tissue held therebetween to effect a seal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrosurgical system for sealing vessels using capacitive (RF) dielectric heating and a method thereof are provided. The system includes an electrosurgical instrument having an end effector with parallel plate electrodes that will clamp onto a vessel and maintain a specified gap distance; however, the electrodes will be coated with a non-conductive dielectric material. Such an end effector will ensure that direct conduction between the electrodes does not occur through tissue or fluids and effectively creates a parallel plate capacitor with a dielectric, e.g., tissue and coating, in between the plates. The electrosurgical instrument will be activated with an AC signal at a specified RF frequency, e.g., a Debye resonance frequency, via an electrosurgical generator. An effective AC current will flow through the tissue and cause heating due to fictional losses from rotating polar molecules in the tissue.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An electrosurgical instrument for sealing tissue comprising:
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an end effector having opposing jaw members, the jaw members being movable relative to one another from a first position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween, each jaw member including an electrode having a dielectric coating; and
a source of electrical energy connected to each jaw member such that the jaw members are capable of transferring energy at a predetermined frequency through tissue held therebetween to effect a seal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An electrosurgical system comprising:
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an electrosurgical instrument for sealing tissue including an end effector having opposing jaw members, the jaw members being movable relative to one another from a first position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween, each jaw member including an electrode having a dielectric coating; and
an electrosurgical generator coupled to each jaw member such that the jaw members are capable of transferring energy at a predetermined frequency through tissue held therebetween to effect a seal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for electrosurgically sealing tissue, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining a type of tissue to be sealed;
applying RF energy to the tissue, the RF energy being applied at a predetermined frequency based on the type of tissue. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification