Vessel sealer and divider with rotating sealer and cutter

[0001] The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/328,767, filed on Jan. 10, 2006 by Johnson et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 7,686,804, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/644,487 filed on Jan. 14, 2005 by Johnson et al., the entire contents of each these applications being incorporated by reference herein.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an electrosurgical instrument and method for performing endoscopic surgical procedures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an endoscopic bipolar electrosurgical forceps and method of using same which includes an end effector having a movable jaw and a fixed jaw, the fixed jaw including a rotatable electrode having a sealing surface and a cutting edge. Further, a non-conductive stop member is associated with one or both of the opposing jaw members. The non-conductive stop member is designed to control the gap distance between opposing jaw members and enhance the manipulation and gripping of tissue during the sealing and dividing process.

[0003] Endoscopic forceps utilize mechanical action to constrict, grasp, dissect and/or clamp tissue. Endoscopic electrosurgical forceps utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to effect hemostasis by heating the tissue and blood vessels to coagulate, cauterize and/or seal tissue.

[0004] Endoscopic instruments are inserted into the patient through a cannula, or port, that has been made with a trocar or similar such device. Typical sizes for cannulas range from three millimeters to twelve millimeters. Smaller cannulas are usually preferred, and this presents a design challenge to instrument manufacturers who must find ways to make surgical instruments that fit through the cannulas.

[0005] Certain endoscopic surgical procedures require cutting blood vessels or vascular tissue. However, due to space limitations surgeons can have difficulty suturing vessels or performing other traditional methods of controlling bleeding, e.g., clamping and/or tying-off transected blood vessels. Blood vessels, in the range below two millimeters in diameter, can often be closed using standard electrosurgical techniques. However, if a larger vessel is severed, it may be necessary for the surgeon to convert the endoscopic procedure into an open-surgical procedure and thereby abandon the benefits of laparoscopy.

[0006] Several journal articles have disclosed methods for sealing small blood vessels using electrosurgery. An article entitled Studies on Coagulation and the Development of an Automatic Computerized Bipolar Coagulator, J. Neurosurg., Volume 75, July 1991, describes a bipolar coagulator which is used to seal small blood vessels. The article states that it is not possible to safely coagulate arteries with a diameter larger than 2 to 2.5 mm. A second article is entitled Automatically Controlled Bipolar Electrocoagulation—“COA-COMP”, Neurosurg. Rev. (1984), pp. 187-190, describes a method for terminating electrosurgical power to the vessel so that charring of the vessel walls can be avoided.

[0007] As mentioned above, by utilizing an electrosurgical forceps, a surgeon can either cauterize, coagulate/desiccate and/or simply reduce or slow bleeding, by controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied through jaw members to the tissue. The electrode of each jaw member is charged to a different electric potential such that when the jaw members grasp tissue, electrical energy can be selectively transferred through the tissue.

[0008] In order to effect a proper seal with larger vessels, two predominant mechanical parameters must be accurately controlled—the pressure applied to the vessel and the gap distance between the electrodes—both of which are affected by the thickness of the sealed vessel. More particularly, accurate application of pressure is important to oppose the walls of the vessel; to reduce the tissue impedance to a low enough value that allows enough electrosurgical energy through the tissue; to overcome the forces of expansion during tissue heating; and to contribute to the end tissue thickness which is an indication of a good seal. It has been determined that a typical fused vessel wall is optimum between 0.001 and 0.006 inches. Below this range, the seal may shred or tear and above this range the lumens may not be properly or effectively sealed.

[0009] Electrosurgical methods may be able to seal larger vessels using an appropriate electrosurgical power curve, coupled with an instrument capable of applying a large closure force to the vessel walls. It is thought that the process of coagulating small vessels is fundamentally different than electrosurgical vessel sealing. For the purposes herein, “coagulation” is defined as a process of desiccating tissue wherein the tissue cells are ruptured and dried. Vessel sealing is defined as the process of liquefying the collagen in the tissue so that it reforms into a fused mass. Thus, coagulation of small vessels is sufficient to permanently close them. Larger vessels need to be sealed to assure permanent closure.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 2,176,479 to Willis, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,005,714 and 4,031,898 to Hiltebrandt, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,827,274, 5,290,287 and 5,312,433 to Boebel et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,370,980, 4,552,143, 5,026,370 and 5,116,332 to Lottick, U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,463 to Stern et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,436 to Eggers et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,549 to Richardson et al., all relate to electrosurgical instruments for coagulating, cutting and/or sealing vessels or tissue. However, some of these designs may not provide uniformly reproducible pressure to the blood vessel and may result in an ineffective or non-uniform seal.

[0011] For the most part, these instruments rely on clamping pressure alone to procure proper sealing thickness and are not designed to take into account gap tolerances and/or parallelism and flatness requirements which are parameters which, if properly controlled, can assure a consistent and effective tissue seal. For example, it is known that it is difficult to adequately control thickness of the resulting sealed tissue by controlling clamping pressure alone for either of two reasons: 1) if too much force is applied, there is a possibility that the two poles will touch and energy will not be transferred through the tissue resulting in an ineffective seal; or 2) if too low a force is applied, the tissue may pre-maturely move prior to activation and sealing and/or a thicker, less reliable seal may be created.

[0012] Typically and particularly with respect to endoscopic electrosurgical procedures, once a vessel is sealed, the surgeon has to remove the sealing instrument from the operative site, substitute a new instrument through the cannula and accurately sever the vessel along the newly formed tissue seal. As can be appreciated, this additional step may be both time consuming (particularly when sealing a significant number of vessels) and may contribute to imprecise separation of the tissue along the sealing line due to the misalignment or misplacement of the severing instrument along the center of the tissue sealing line.

[0013] Several attempts have been made to design an instrument which incorporates a knife or blade member which effectively severs the tissue after forming a tissue seal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,220 to Fox et al. discloses a transparent vessel sealing instrument which includes a longitudinally reciprocating knife which severs the tissue once sealed. The instrument includes a plurality of openings which enable direct visualization of the tissue during the sealing and severing process. This direct visualization allows a user to visually and manually regulate the closure force and gap distance between jaw members to reduce and/or limit certain undesirable effects known to occur when sealing vessels, thermal spread, charring, etc. As can be appreciated, the overall success of creating a tissue seal with this instrument is greatly reliant upon the user's expertise, vision, dexterity, and experience in judging the appropriate closure force, gap distance and length of reciprocation of the knife to uniformly, consistently and effectively seal the vessel and separate the tissue at the seal.

[0014] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,702,390 and 5,944,718 to Austin et al. disclose a vessel sealing instrument which includes a pivoting, triangularly-shaped electrode which is rotatable from a first position to coagulate tissue to a second position to cut tissue. As described above, the user must rely on direct visualization and expertise to control the various effects of sealing and cutting tissue. Additionally, since there is no means to control the gap distance, there is a risk of the electrodes of the instrument to come into contact with each other, regardless of the position of the triangularly-shaped electrode, and cause a short between electrodes resulting in damage to the instrument and/or connected energy source, e.g. electrosurgical generator. Further, to change operation of the instrument from coagulating to cutting, the instrument must be removed from the operative site and the electrode rotated by loosing a set screw which further adds time and complexity to the procedure.

[0015] Thus, a need exists to develop an endoscopic electrosurgical instrument which effectively and consistently seals and separates vascular tissue and solves the aforementioned problems. This instrument regulates the gap distances between opposing jaws members, reduces the chances of short circuiting the opposing jaws during activation and assists in manipulating, gripping and holding the tissue prior to and during activation and separation of the tissue.

[0016] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electrosurgical instrument for sealing and dividing tissue includes a housing having a shaft attached thereto that defines a longitudinal axis. First and second opposing jaw members are coupled to the shaft; the first jaw member having a conductive surface and movable relative to the second jaw member and the second jaw member fixed relative to the shaft and having a conductive electrode rotatable along the longitudinal axis. The rotatable electrode includes a sealing surface on one side thereof and a cutting edge on a second side thereof. A source of electrosurgical energy is connected to each jaw member such that the jaw members are capable of conducting energy through tissue held therebetween. The electrosurgical instrument also includes one or more non-conductive stop members that are operatively associated with the first and/or second jaw members that are dimensioned to control the distance, e.g., gap, between the jaw members when tissue is held therebetween. The gap distance between the jaw members may be fixed and is typically in the range of about 0.001 inches to about 0.006 inches.

[0017] The electrosurgical instrument further includes a rotating assembly for rotating the electrode of the second jaw member and/or for rotating the second jaw member. The rotating assembly may include a dial disposed within the housing for setting a desired position of the electrode and an elongated tube disposed within the shaft coupling the dial to the electrode. The dial selectively orients the electrode of the second jaw member from a first operable position wherein the sealing surface of the electrode is generally parallel to the conductive surface of the first jaw member for sealing tissue to a second operable position wherein the cutting edge of the electrode is generally perpendicular to the conductive surface of the first jaw member for dividing tissue.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the forceps include a housing having a shaft attached thereto, the shaft defining a longitudinal axis. First and second opposing jaw members are coupled to the shaft; the first jaw member includes a conductive surface and is movable relative to the second jaw member and the second jaw member is fixed relative to the shaft and includes an electrode rotatable along the longitudinal axis. The rotatable electrode includes a sealing surface and a cutting edge. One or more non-conductive stop members may be disposed on the first and/or second jaw members that are dimensioned to control the distance between the jaw members when tissue is held therebetween. A rotating assembly is included that is configured to rotate the electrode of the second jaw member from a first operable position wherein the sealing surface of the electrode is generally parallel to the conductive surface of the first jaw member for sealing tissue to a second operable position wherein the cutting edge of the electrode is generally perpendicular to the conductive surface of the first jaw member for dividing tissue.

[0019] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for sealing and dividing tissue is provided. The method includes the initial step of providing an electrosurgical instrument having a housing and a shaft attached thereto that defines a longitudinal axis therethrough. The electrosurgical instrument also includes first and second opposing jaw members coupled to the shaft, the first jaw member having a conductive surface and movable relative to the second jaw member. The second jaw member is fixed relative to the shaft and includes an electrode rotatable about the longitudinal axis. The rotatable electrode includes a first surface for sealing tissue and a second surface for cutting tissue;

[0020] The method also includes the steps of: positioning the first surface of the rotatable electrode in generally parallel relation to the conductive surface of the first jaw member; approximating tissue by closing the first and second jaw members and creating a gap distance between the first surface of the second jaw member and the conductive surface of the first jaw member; applying electrosurgical energy to the first surface of the second jaw member and the conductive surface of the first jaw member to effect a tissue seal; opening the first and second jaw members and repositioning the electrode so the second surface of the rotatable electrode is generally perpendicular to the conductive surface of the first jaw member; and closing the first and second jaw members on the tissue seal to divide the tissue along the seal.

[0032] Turning now to the several Figures, one embodiment of an endoscopic bipolar forceps 10 is shown for use with various surgical procedures and generally includes a housing 20, a handle assembly 30, a rotating assembly 80 and an end effector assembly 100 which mutually cooperate to grasp, seal and divide tubular vessels and vascular tissue 150 (FIG. 6A). Although the majority of the figure drawings depict a bipolar forceps 10 for use in connection with endoscopic surgical procedures, the present disclosure may be used for more traditional open surgical procedures. For the purposes herein, the forceps 10 is described in terms of an endoscopic instrument, however, it is contemplated that an open version of the forceps may also include the same or similar operating components and features as described below.

[0033] Forceps 10 includes a shaft 12 which has a distal end 16 dimensioned to mechanically engage the end effector assembly 100 and a proximal end 14 which mechanically engages the housing 20. In the drawings and in the descriptions which follow, the term “proximal”, as is traditional, will refer to the end of the forceps 10 which is closer to the user, while the term “distal” will refer to the end which is further from the user. Further, the shaft 12 defines a longitudinal axis “A-A” through the forceps 10.

[0034] As best seen in FIG. 1, forceps 10 also includes an electrosurgical cable 310 which connects the forceps 10 to a source of electrosurgical energy, e.g., a generator (not shown). Generators such as those sold by Valleylab—a division of Tyco Healthcare LP, located in Boulder, Colo. are used as a source of electrosurgical energy, e.g., FORCE EZ™ Electrosurgical Generator, FORCE FX™ Electrosurgical Generator, FORCE 1C™, FORCE 2™ Generator, SurgiStat™ II. One such system is described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,399 entitled “ELECTROSURGICAL GENERATOR WITH ADAPTIVE POWER CONTROL”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Other systems have been described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,003 entitled “BIPOLAR ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR SEALING VESSELS”, the entire contents of which is also incorporated by reference herein.

[0035] The generator includes various safety and performance features including isolated output, independent activation of accessories. The electrosurgical generator includes Valleylab's Instant Response™ technology features which provides an advanced feedback system to sense changes in tissue 200 times per second and adjust voltage and current to maintain appropriate power. The Instant Response™ technology is believed to provide one or more of the following benefits to surgical procedure:

• • [0036] Consistent clinical effect through all tissue types;
  • [0037] Reduced thermal spread and risk of collateral tissue damage;
  • [0038] Less need to “turn up the generator”; and
  • [0039] Designed for the minimally invasive environment.

[0040] Cable 310 is internally divided into a plurality of cable leads 310a, 310b, 310c which each transmit electrosurgical energy through their respective feed paths through the forceps 10 to the end effector assembly 100 as explained in more detail below.

[0041] Handle assembly 30 includes a fixed handle 50 and a movable handle 40. Fixed handle 50 is integrally associated with housing 20 and handle 40 is movable relative to fixed handle 50 as explained in more detail below with respect to the operation of the forceps 10. Rotating assembly 80 may be integrally associated with the housing 20 and is rotatable approximately 180 degrees in either direction about the longitudinal axis “A-A”. Details of the rotating assembly 80 are described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B and 5.

[0042] As mentioned above, end effector assembly 100 is attached at the distal end 16 of shaft 12 and includes a pair of opposing jaw members 110 and 120 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Movable handle 40 of handle assembly 30 is ultimately connected to a drive assembly (not shown) which, together, mechanically cooperate to impart movement of the jaw members 110 and 120 from an open position wherein the jaw members 110 and 120 are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another, to a clamping or closed position wherein the jaw members 110 and 120 cooperate to grasp tissue 150 (FIG. 6B) therebetween or to cut tissue (FIG. 6C). The specific functions and operative relationships of these elements and the various internal-working components of forceps 10 are described in more detail in commonly assigned, co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 10/460,926, entitled “VESSEL SEALER AND DIVIDER FOR USE WITH SMALL TROCARS AND CANNULAS” by Dycus et al. which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0043] It is envisioned that the forceps 10 may be designed such that it is fully or partially disposable depending upon a particular purpose or to achieve a particular result. For example, end effector assembly 100 may be selectively and releasably engageable with the distal end 16 of the shaft 12 and/or the proximal end 14 of shaft 12 may be selectively and releasably engageable with the housing 20 and the handle assembly 30. In either of these two instances, the forceps 10 would be considered “partially disposable” or “reposable”, i.e., a new or different end effector assembly 100 (or end effector assembly 100 and shaft 12) selectively replaces the old end effector assembly 100 as needed. As can be appreciated, the presently disclosed electrical connections would have to be altered to modify the instrument to a reposable forceps.

[0044] As shown best in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the end effector assembly 100 includes opposing jaw members 110 and 120 which cooperate to effectively grasp tissue 150 for sealing purposes and to divide the tissue 150 once sealed. The end effector assembly 100 is designed as a unilateral assembly, i.e., jaw member 120 is fixed relative to the shaft 12 and jaw member 110 pivots about a pivot pin 103 to grasp tissue 150.

[0045] More particularly, the unilateral end effector assembly 100 includes one stationary or fixed jaw member 120 mounted in fixed relation to the shaft 12 and pivoting jaw member 110 mounted about a pivot pin 103 attached to the stationary jaw member 120. A reciprocating sleeve 60 is slidingly disposed within the shaft 12 and is remotely operable by the drive assembly (not shown). The above mentioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/460,926 describes one example of a drive assembly which may be utilized for this purpose. The pivoting jaw member 110 includes a detent or protrusion 117 which extends from jaw member 110 through an aperture 62 disposed within the reciprocating sleeve 60. The pivoting jaw member 110 is actuated by sliding the sleeve 60 axially within the shaft 12 such that a distal end 63 of the aperture 62 abuts against the detent 117 on the pivoting jaw member 110 (see FIG. 4). Pulling the sleeve 60 proximally closes the jaw members 110 and 120 about tissue 150 grasped therebetween and pushing the sleeve 60 distally opens the jaw members 110 and 120 for grasping purposes.

[0046] As best shown in FIG. 2A, jaw member 110 also includes a jaw housing 116 which has an insulative substrate or insulator 114 and an electrically conducive surface 112. Insulator 114 is preferably dimensioned to securely engage the electrically conductive sealing surface 112. This may be accomplished by stamping, by overmolding, by overmolding a stamped electrically conductive sealing plate and/or by overmolding a metal injection molded seal plate.

[0047] All of these manufacturing techniques produce jaw member 110 having an electrically conductive surface 112 which is substantially surrounded by an insulating substrate 114. The insulator 114, electrically conductive sealing surface 112 and the outer, non-conductive jaw housing 116 may be dimensioned to limit and/or reduce many of the known undesirable effects related to tissue sealing, e.g., flashover, thermal spread and stray current dissipation. Alternatively, it is also envisioned that the jaw member 110 may be manufactured from a ceramic-like material and the electrically conductive surface 112 is coated onto the ceramic-like jaw members 110.

[0048] It is envisioned that the electrically conductive sealing surface 112 may also include an outer peripheral edge which has a pre-defined radius and the insulator 114 meets the electrically conductive sealing surface 112 along an adjoining edge of the sealing surface 112 in a generally tangential position. Preferably, at the interface, the electrically conductive surface 112 is raised relative to the insulator 114. These and other envisioned embodiments are discussed in co-pending, commonly assigned Application Serial No. PCT/US01/11412 entitled “ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT WHICH REDUCES COLLATERAL DAMAGE TO ADJACENT TISSUE” by Johnson et al. and co-pending, commonly assigned Application Serial No. PCT/US01/11411 entitled “ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT WHICH IS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF FLASHOVER” by Johnson et al., the contents of both are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

[0049] Jaw member 120 includes similar elements to jaw member 110 such as jaw housing 126 having an insulator 124. Unlike jaw member 110, jaw member 120 includes a rotatable electrode 122. The rotatable electrode 122 has at least two operable positions. A first position is employed during vessel sealing and a second position is employed during vessel dividing or cutting. As best seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the rotating electrode 122 includes three surfaces, namely, a first surface 134, a second surface 136 and a third surface 138.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 3A, when in a first operable position, the first surface 134 of electrode 122 is generally and substantially parallel to the conductive sealing surface 112 of first jaw member 110. In this position, first surface 134 and conductive sealing surface 112 will facilitate grasping of tissue. Upon activation of electrosurgical energy and upon application of pressure within the predefined range of about 3 kg/cm² to about 16 kg/cm² and upon grasping the tissue within a predefined gap range of about 0.001 inches to about 0.006 inches, and preferably from about 0.002 inches to about 0.004 inches, the tissue dispersed between the jaw members will seal into a single fused mass with limited demarcation between tissue layers. As explained in more detail below, a series of stop members are operatively associated with at least one of the jaw members to maintain a gap distance “G” (FIG. 6A) between opposing tissue containing surfaces 112 and 134. As explained in the above-identified U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/460,926, handle 40 and fixed handle 50 include a camming mechanism which, upon activation thereof, maintains pressure between opposing sealing surfaces between about 3 kg/cm² to about 16 kg/cm². U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/044,805, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/427,832 include exemplitive details regarding the various electrical parameters which need to be closely monitored and controlled to optimize the vessel sealing process for various tissue thicknesses and tissue types, the contents of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 3B, second surface 136 and third surface 138 of electrode 122 meet to form cutting edge 130. When the forceps is selectively rotated to the second operable position, the cutting edge 130 is generally perpendicular to sealing surface 112. When the jaw members 110, 120 are moved to a closed position, cutting edge 130 comes into close proximity with sealing surface 112 to electromechanically sever or cut sealed tissue as will be described below in relation to FIG. 6C.

[0052] As mentioned above, rotatable electrode 122 (and/or jaw member 110 of sealing surface 112) includes at least one and preferably a plurality of stop members 140 operatively associated with the first surface 134 of the electrode 122. Stop members 140 are configured to define a gap “G” (FIG. 6A) between opposing sealing surfaces 112 and 134 of jaw members 110 and 120 during tissue sealing. It is envisioned that a series of stop members 140 may be employed on one or both jaw members 110 and 120 (and/or sealing surfaces 112 and 134) depending upon a particular purpose or to achieve a desired result. A detailed discussion of these and other envisioned stop members 140 as well as various manufacturing and assembling processes for attaching and/or affixing the stop members 140 to the jaw members 110, 120 are described in commonly-assigned, co-pending Application Serial No. PCT/US01/11413 entitled “VESSEL SEALER AND DIVIDER WITH NON-CONDUCTIVE STOP MEMBERS” by Dycus et al. which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

[0053] Stop members 140 are affixed/attached to the jaw member(s) by stamping, thermal spraying, overmolding and/or by an adhesive. The stop members project from about 0.001 inches to about 0.006 inches and, preferably, from about 0.002 inches to about 0.004 inches from the inner-facing surface of at least one of the jaw members. It is envisioned that the stop members may be made from an insulative material such as parylene, nylon and/or ceramic. Other materials are also contemplated, e.g., syndiotactic polystryrenes such as QUESTRA® manufactured by DOW Chemical, Syndiotactic-polystryrene (SPS), Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT), Polycarbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polyphthalamide (PPA), Polymide, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyamide-imide (PAI), Acrylic (PMMA), Polystyrene (PS and HIPS), Polyether Sulfone (PES), Aliphatic Polyketone, Acetal (POM) Copolymer, Polyurethane (PU and TPU), Nylon with Polyphenylene-oxide dispersion and Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate.

[0054] As explained in detail below and as best seen in FIG. 5, rotatable electrode 122 is designed to be fixed to the end of a rotating tube 162 which is part of the rotating assembly 80 such that rotation of the tube 162 via dial 82 will impart rotation to the electrode 122. In contrast to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/460,926, the rotating assembly is designed to rotate electrode 122 and not the end effector assembly 100. More particularly, rotating tube 162 includes an elongated guide slot 160 disposed in an upper portion thereof which is dimensioned to carry lead 310a therealong. Lead 310a carries a first electrical potential to movable jaw 110. As explained in more detail below with respect to the internal electrical connections of the forceps, a second electrical connection from lead 310c is conducted through the tube 160 to the electrode 134 of fixed jaw member 120.

[0055] The electrical leads 310a, 310b, 310c and 311 are fed through the housing 20 by electrosurgical cable 310. More particularly, the electrosurgical cable 310 is fed into the bottom of the housing 20 through fixed handle 50. Lead 310c extends directly from cable 310 into the rotating assembly 80 and connects to electrode 122 to conduct the second electrical potential to fixed jaw member 120. Leads 310a and 310b extend from cable 310 and connect to the hand switch or joy-stick-like toggle switch 200. The specific functions and operative relationships of these elements and the various internal-working components of forceps 10 are described in more detail in commonly assigned, co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 10/460,926, entitled “VESSEL SEALER AND DIVIDER FOR USE WITH SMALL TROCARS AND CANNULAS” by Dycus et al. which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0056] When the switch 200 is depressed, electrosurgical energy is transferred through leads 310a and 310c to jaw members 110 and 120, respectively. It is envisioned that a safety switch or circuit (not shown) may be employed such that the switch cannot fire unless the jaw members 110 and 120 are closed and/or unless the jaw members 110 and 120 have tissue 150 held therebetween. In the latter instance, a sensor (not shown) may be employed to determine if tissue 150 is held therebetween. In addition, other sensor mechanisms may be employed which determine pre-surgical, concurrent surgical (i.e., during surgery) and/or post surgical conditions. Still other sensor mechanisms, e.g., a toggle switch or the like, may be positioned on the tube 162 to determine the relative position of electrode 122, i.e., seal activation or cut activation.

[0057] The sensor mechanisms may also be utilized with a closed-loop feedback system coupled to the electrosurgical generator to regulate the electrosurgical energy based upon one or more pre-surgical, concurrent surgical or post surgical conditions. Various sensor mechanisms and feedback systems are described in commonly-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/427,832 entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING OUTPUT OF RF MEDICAL GENERATOR” filed on May 1, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0058] It is envisioned that cable leads 310a and 310c are fed through respective halves 82a and 82b of the rotating assembly 80 in such a manner to allow rotation of the shaft 162 (via rotation of the rotating assembly 80) in the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction without unduly tangling or twisting the cable leads 310a and 310c. More particularly, each cable lead 310a and 310c is fed through a series of conjoining slots, e.g., 84, located in the two halves 82a and 82b of the rotating assembly 80. Each conjoining pair of slots are large enough to permit rotation of the rotating assembly 80 without unduly straining or tangling the cable leads 310a and 310c. The presently disclosed cable lead feed path is envisioned to allow rotation of the rotation assembly approximately 180 degrees in either direction, which, in turn, rotates electrode 122 from a first position for sealing tissue to a second position for cutting tissue.

[0059] FIGS. 6A through 6C illustrate the sealing and cutting of tissue employing the forceps 10 according to the present disclosure. Before approximating tissue, a user will select an operable position of rotatable electrode 122 via rotating assembly 80. Here, the electrode 122 is placed in the first operable position to perform vessel sealing where the first surface 134 is generally parallel to sealing surface 112 (see FIG. 3A). As the handle 40 is squeezed, the reciprocating sleeve 60 is pulled proximally which, in turn, causes aperture 62 of sleeve 60 to proximally cam detent 117 and close the jaw member 110 relative to jaw member 120. The reciprocating sleeve's 60 load is converted to a torque about the jaw pivot 103. As a result, a specific closure force can be transmitted to the opposing jaw members 110 and 120 between about 3 kg/cm² to about 16 kg/cm².

[0060] As can be appreciated and as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/460,926, the unique combination of the mechanical advantage of the over-the-center pivot along with the compressive force associated with the drive assembly facilitate and assure consistent, uniform and accurate closure pressure about the tissue 150 within the desired working pressure range of about 3 kg/cm² to about 16 kg/cm² and, preferably, about 7 kg/cm² to about 13 kg/cm². By controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied to the tissue 150, the user can seal the tissue. As mentioned above, two mechanical factors play an important role in determining the resulting thickness of the sealed tissue and effectiveness of the seal 150, i.e., the pressure applied between opposing jaw members 110 and 120 and the gap distance “G” between the opposing sealing surfaces 112, 134 of the jaw members 110 and 120 during the sealing process. However, thickness of the resulting tissue seal 152 cannot be adequately controlled by force alone. In other words, too much force and the two jaw members 110 and 120 would touch and possibly short resulting in little energy traveling through the tissue 150 thus resulting in a bad tissue seal 152. Too little force and the seal 152 would be too thick.

[0061] Applying the correct force is also important for other reasons: to oppose the walls of the vessel; to reduce the tissue impedance to a low enough value that allows enough current through the tissue 150; and to overcome the forces of expansion during tissue heating in addition to contributing towards creating the required end tissue thickness which is an indication of a good seal 150.

[0062] As mentioned above, at least one jaw member, e.g., 120, may include a stop member 140 operatively associated therewith which limits the movement of the two opposing jaw members 110 and 120 relative to one another. For example, the stop member 140 may extend from the sealing surface 134 a predetermined distance according to the specific material properties (e.g., compressive strength, thermal expansion, etc.) to yield a consistent and accurate gap distance “G” during sealing (FIG. 6A). The gap distance between opposing sealing surfaces 112 and 134 during sealing ranges from about 0.001 inches to about 0.006 inches and, more preferably, between about 0.002 and about 0.004 inches.

[0063] Alternatively, the non-conductive stop members 140 can be molded onto the jaw members 110 and 120 (e.g., overmolding, injection molding, etc.), stamped onto the jaw members 110 and 120 or deposited (e.g., deposition) onto the jaw members 110 and 120. For example, one technique involves thermally spraying a ceramic or porcelain material onto the surface of the jaw member 110 and 120 to form the stop members 140. Several thermal spraying techniques are contemplated which involve depositing a broad range of heat resistant and insulative materials on various surfaces to create stop members 140 for controlling the gap distance between electrically conductive surfaces 112 and 134.

[0064] As energy is being selectively transferred to the end effector assembly 100, across the jaw members 110 and 120 and through the tissue 150, a tissue seal 152 forms isolating two tissue halves 150a and 150b. At this point and with other known vessel sealing instruments, the user must remove and replace the forceps 10 with a cutting instrument (not shown) to divide the tissue halves 150a and 150b along an approximate center line B-B of the tissue seal 152. As can be appreciated, this is both time consuming and tedious and may result in inaccurate tissue division across the tissue seal 152 due to misalignment or misplacement of the cutting instrument along the ideal tissue cutting plane, e.g., center line B-B.

[0065] Once the tissue seal 152 forms, the jaw members 110 and 120 may be opened by re-grasping the handle 40. Once the jaw members are opened, the rotatable electrode 122 is moved into its second operable position via rotating assembly 80, where cutting edge 130 is generally perpendicular to sealing surface 112. Once the electrode 122 is set, the handle 40 is re-grasped closing jaw members 110 and 120 bringing cutting edge 130 into close proximity of sealing surface 112 to divide tissue 150 along at point 154. The tissue may be cut utilizing mechanical cutting action, electro-mechanical cutting action or simply electrical cutting action depending upon a particular purpose and depending upon the particular configuration of cutting edge 130.

[0066] It can be appreciated since forceps 10 can seal and divide tissue without removing the forceps 10 from the operative site the intended procedure can be performed more quickly. Additionally, the seal 152 will be divided uniformly since the user will not have to locate the center of the seal after inserting a different instrument, e.g., a cutting instrument.

[0067] From the foregoing and with reference to the various figure drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain modifications can also be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the same. For example, the forceps 10 (and/or the electrosurgical generator used in connection with the forceps 10) may include a sensor or feedback mechanism (not shown) which automatically selects the appropriate amount of electrosurgical energy to effectively seal the particularly-sized tissue grasped between the jaw members 110 and 120 and subsequently select the appropriate energy to selectively cut the tissue. The sensor or feedback mechanism may also measure the impedance across the tissue during sealing and provide an indicator (visual and/or audible) that an effective seal has been created between the jaw members 110 and 120. Examples of such sensor systems are described in commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/427,832 entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING OUTPUT OF RF MEDICAL GENERATOR” filed on May 1, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0068] It is envisioned that the outer surface of the end effector assembly 100 may include a nickel-based material, coating, stamping, metal injection molding which is designed to reduce adhesion between the jaw members 110 and 120 with the surrounding tissue during activation and sealing. Moreover, it is also contemplated that the conductive surfaces 112 and 134 of the jaw members 110 and 120 may be manufactured from one (or a combination of one or more) of the following materials: nickel-chrome, chromium nitride, MedCoat 2000 manufactured by The Electrolizing Corporation of OHIO, inconel 600 and tin-nickel. The tissue conductive surfaces 112 and 134 may also be coated with one or more of the above materials to achieve the same result, i.e., a “non-stick surface”. As can be appreciated, reducing the amount that the tissue “sticks” during sealing/and cutting improves the overall efficacy of the instrument.

[0069] One particular class of materials disclosed herein has demonstrated superior non-stick properties and, in some instances, superior seal quality. For example, nitride coatings which include, but not are not limited to: TiN, ZrN, TiAIN, and CrN are preferred materials used for non-stick purposes. CrN has been found to be particularly useful for non-stick purposes due to its overall surface properties and optimal performance. Other classes of materials have also been found to reducing overall sticking. For example, high nickel/chrome alloys with a Ni/Cr ratio of approximately 5:1 have been found to significantly reduce sticking in bipolar instrumentation. One particularly useful non-stick material in this class is Inconel 600. Bipolar instrumentation having sealing surfaces 112 and 134 made from or coated with Ni200, Ni201 (˜100% Ni) also showed improved non-stick performance over typical bipolar stainless steel electrodes.

[0070] As can be appreciated, locating the switch 200 on the forceps 10 has many advantages. For example, the switch 200 reduces the amount of electrical cable in the operating room and eliminates the possibility of activating the wrong instrument during a surgical procedure due to “line-of-sight” activation. It is also envisioned that the switch 200 may be disposed on another part of the forceps 10, e.g., the fixed handle 50, rotating assembly 80, housing 20, etc.

[0071] It is also envisioned that the forceps may be dimensioned to include a fixed gap within the range of about 0.001 inches to about 0.006 inches by providing a stop member on another part of the end effector assembly, e.g., proximal and/or distal to the conductive surfaces, on the insulative housing 116 and/or 126, and/or as part of the pivot 103. In addition, it is envisioned that the detent 117 and aperture 62 arrangement may be dimensioned to limit the distance between conductive surfaces 112 and 122.

[0072] While several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in the drawings, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.