A current supply arrangement (22) is used for electrical supply of two electrodes (18, 19), as well as for mechanical force transmission in a thermofusion instrument. Due to the configuration of the two electrical conductors (23, 28) as upright arranged flat parts and the force concerned coupling thereof in an interlocking section (32), the electrical conductors (23, 28) can be used as mechanical stiffening elements, whereby a filigree, gap-free, easily and reliably sterilizable configuration is achieved. The current supply of the instrument (10) is provided via one single cable (20) only, which is provided only on one of the two jaws (11, 12).

Electrosurgical forceps in which one or more pairs of non-resonant unbalanced lossy transmission line structures are arranged on the inner surfaces of the jaws of the forceps provide both (i) active and return electrodes for a radiofrequency (RF) signal, and (ii) lossy structures for delivering a microwave signal into biological tissue in conjunction with a mechanical gripping arrangement for applying pressure to material held within the jaws. The location of the pairs of transmission lines on the jaws of the forceps and the selection of the material of the jaws is arranged to ensure that any biological tissue gripped by the jaws become the propagation medium for the RF signal and the medium into which the microwave signal is lost.

A vessel harvesting system removes a target vessel from a patient for use as a bypass. An elongated harvesting instrument inserts into a body along a path of a target vessel which includes at least one side branch. The harvesting instrument includes a cutter for applying thermal energy to sever and cauterize the side branch. An endoscopic camera captures visible-light images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the target vessel. A thermal camera captures thermograms coinciding with the visible-light images to characterize a temperature present at respective surfaces in the tunnel. An image processor (e.g., an electronic controller) renders a video stream including the visible-light images and an overlay depicting the temperatures present on at least some of the respective surfaces when applying the thermal energy. A display presenting the video stream and overlay to a user can be an augmented-reality display.

A surgical instrument includes an end effector and a housing mechanically coupled to the end effector. The end effector includes a first actuating device configured to perform a first surgical procedure and a second actuating device integrally associated with the first actuating device and configured to perform a second surgical procedure, the second surgical procedure being independently operable and different than the first surgical procedure. An outer portion of the first actuating device and an outer portion of the second actuating device form a portion of an outer housing of the end effector. The housing includes a first actuator, mechanically coupled to the first actuating device and configured to impart movement to the first actuating device and a second actuator, mechanically coupled to the second actuating device and configured to impart movement to the second actuating device.

An end effector assembly of a forceps includes a first jaw member and a second jaw member. The first jaw member and the second jaw member are selectively positionable relative to one another. At least one of the jaw members includes an electrically conductive tissue engaging surface configured to connect to an electrosurgical energy source, and at least one of the jaw members includes two blade channels defined therein and extending therealong and a feed in member selectively positioned between the two blade channels. The end effector further includes a cutting blade that is translatable such that selective positioning of the feed in member enables the cutting blade to selectively enter into at least one of the two blade channels.

Thermal cutting surgical instruments incorporate a blade incorporating a first substrate of high thermal conductivity material in the heated portion of the blade and a support and, the first substrate of high thermal conductivity material joined to a second substrate of low thermal conductivity material in the support region of the blade; an electrically insulative dielectric layer disposed on the first surface of the first substrate and on the first surface of second substrate; an electrically resistive heating element disposed on the electrically insulative dielectric; electrically conductive power leads and electrically conductive sense leads disposed on the electrically insulative dielectric layer and that are in electrical communication with the electrically resistive heating element; and an electrically insulative dielectric overcoat layer disposed on the electrically resistive heating element and on the distal portion of the electrically conductive power leads and electrically conductive sense leads.

A surgical instrument includes a hollow member having a sidewall provided with a window and a closure member movably connected to the hollow member for alternately covering and uncovering the window. The hollow member has a first clamping surface along an edge of the window, while the closure member has a second clamping surface opposing the first clamping surface and disposable substantially adjacent thereto in a clamping or closure configuration of the instrument. The instrument additionally comprises a tissue occlusion component mounted to at least one of the hollow member and the closure member for acting on tissues gripped between the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface, to couple the tissues to each other.

A hemostatic surgical blade is formed of five symmetrically layers. A martensitic stainless steel core with oppositely disposed faces is bonded to layers exhibiting a high thermal conductivity which, in turn, are supported by buttressing layers of austenitic stainless steel. A thin aluminum layer is deposited on one side of blade blanks to enable chemical reaction bonding to electrically insulative dielectric inks formulated for use with aluminum substrates. The blade is heated by a blade heating circuit that is manufactured by thick-film printing and firing an electrically resistive heating element layer and an electrically conductive leads on an electrically insulative dielectric layer with all layers subsequently covered by a thick-film printed electrically insulative dielectric overcoat. Tissue contacting portions of blade are coated with a very thin non-stick coating. The surgical blade operates at a temperature below the threshold for pyrolysis and/or thermal decomposition of human tissue and body fluids.

A surgical instrument includes an end effector assembly and a deployment mechanism for deploying a proximal hub associated with an energizable member between proximal and distal positions. The deployment mechanism includes a rotatable shaft, a cord including a proximal end engaged to the rotatable shaft and a distal end engaged to the proximal hub, a biasing member positioned to bias the proximal hub towards the distal position, and a gear assembly operably coupled to the rotatable shaft. The gear assembly is configured to move the proximal hub from the distal position to the proximal position against the bias of the biasing member by rotating the rotatable shaft relative to the cord to at least partially wind-up the cord about the rotatable shaft.

A vessel harvesting system removes a target vessel from a patient for use as a bypass. An elongated harvesting instrument inserts into a body along a path of a target vessel which includes at least one side branch. The harvesting instrument includes a cutter for applying thermal energy to sever and cauterize the side branch. An endoscopic camera captures visible-light images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the target vessel. A thermal camera captures thermograms coinciding with the visible-light images to characterize a temperature present at respective surfaces in the tunnel. An image processor (e.g., an electronic controller) renders a video stream including the visible-light images and an overlay depicting the temperatures present on at least some of the respective surfaces when applying the thermal energy. A display presenting the video stream and overlay to a user can be an augmented-reality display.