An electrosurgical instrument includes an end effector assembly including first and second jaw members. At least one of the first or second jaw members is movable relative to the other from a spaced-apart position to an approximated position to grasp tissue therebetween. A thermal cutting wire is disposed on at least a portion of at least one of the first or second jaw members. The thermal cutting wire is configured for ferromagnetic heating to provide automatic Curie temperature control upon supply of an AC signal thereto. The thermal cutting wire may include a conductive core, an inner ferromagnetic coating disposed about the conductive core, and an outer ferromagnetic coating disposed about the inner ferromagnetic coating. The thermal cutting wire may alternatively or additionally include an exposed outer surface defining a roughness configured to facilitate attenuation during ferromagnetic heating.

A method includes providing a graphical representation of a surgical site, grasping the tissue of the patient with first and second jaw members of an end effector including a location sensor, illuminating optical light into the grasped tissue at the first jaw member, receiving the optical light that has passed through the grasped tissue, at the second jaw member, processing the received light to identify a vessel, which is encompassed within the grasped tissue, receiving location information of the end effector from the location sensor, synchronizing a location of the identified vessel within the graphical representation based on the location information, and displaying the identified vessel at the synchronized location in the graphical representation.

A method includes providing a graphical representation of a surgical site, grasping the tissue of the patient with first and second jaw members of an end effector including a location sensor, irradiating a laser onto the grasped tissue at the first jaw member, detecting laser speckle data from the grasped tissue at the first jaw member, processing the laser speckle data to identify a vessel which is encompassed within the grasped tissue by generating a laser speckle image, receiving location information of the end effector from the location sensor, synchronizing a location of the identified vessel within the graphical representation based on the location information, and displaying the identified vessel at the synchronized location in the graphical representation.

A method includes providing a graphical representation of a surgical site, grasping the tissue of the patient with first and second jaw members of an end effector including a location sensor, irradiating a laser onto the grasped tissue at the first jaw member, detecting scattered laser that has passed through the grasped tissue, at the second jaw member, processing the scattered laser to calculate a first frequency shift and to identify a vessel which is encompassed within the grasped tissue, receiving location information of the end effector from the location sensor, synchronizing a location of the identified vessel within the graphical representation based on the location information, and displaying the identified vessel at the synchronized location in the graphical representation.

An end effector assembly includes first and second jaw members movable between an open and closed position to grasp tissue therebetween. First and second proximal flanges extending proximally from the second jaw member and defining a space therebetween, a proximal flange extend proximally from a proximal portion of the first jaw member and define a cam slot. A cam driver operably is coupled to the proximal flange of the first jaw member to define a space between the cam driver and the proximal flange of the first jaw member. A cam bar is disposed within the space defined between the cam driver and the proximal flange of the first jaw member. The cam bar includes a cam pin configured to move within a cam slot of the cam driver to move the first jaw member relative to the second jaw member between the open position and the closed position.

A gearbox assembly for a surgical instrument includes an articulation sub-assembly and a jaw drive sub-assembly. The articulation sub-assembly is configured to articulate an end effector of the surgical instrument and the jaw drive sub-assembly is configured to move jaw members of the end effector between an open and closed position. The articulation sub-assembly includes two input shafts, a proximal plate, a middle plate, two center gears, and four lead screws with four nuts. The jaw drive sub-assembly includes a drive rod coupled to at least one of the jaws and a spring force assembly to maintain a force between the jaws.

A medical system includes a thermal instrument, one or more processors, and memory. The medical system receives first information indicating a temperature of the thermal instrument, and receives second information indicating a distance between the thermal instrument and a secondary object. The medical system determines whether the temperature indicated by the first information satisfies a first criterion, and determines whether the distance indicated by the second information satisfies a second criterion. The medical system sends one or more signals for providing a feedback signal to a user.

A medical system includes a thermal instrument, one or more processors, and memory. The medical system receives a user input for selecting a desired mode of two or more predefined modes, and places the medical system in the desired mode of the two or more predefined modes based on the user input. While the medical system is in a first mode of the two or more predefined modes, one or more signals for providing a feedback signal to a user are sent. The one or more signals are based on a temperature of a thermal instrument and a distance between the thermal instrument and a secondary object.

A robotic medical system can include a medical instrument that can include a distal end configured to be inserted into a patient and apply heat to tissue within the patient. The robotic manipulator can be engaged with the medical instrument and configured to operate the medical instrument. The system can further include a temperature sensor configured to take one or more temperature readings of the medical instrument. The system can also include a viewer configured to display an image of the medical instrument and an image overlay conveying information indicative of a temperature of the medical instrument. The information conveyed by the image overlay can be based on the one or more temperature readings taken by the temperature sensor.

Conventional vasectomy techniques suffer from a number of potential complications, including, for example, a substantial risk for the development of hematomas, and swelling, and post-surgical pain, a potential for spontaneous duct reconnection and undesired resumption of fertility, a need for a highly skilled surgical professional, as well as a long recovery period, accompanied by severe limitations on post-surgical activity. The vasectomy methods of the present invention reduce and/or minimize contact with sensory nerves located on the distal side of the vas deferens, particularly the distal region of the outer vas deferens sheath, so as to minimize nerve damage and the post-surgical pain associated therewith. In addition, the methods of the present invention overcome the disadvantages and deficiencies of the prior art, resulting in a rapid, reliable, minimally-invasive male sterilization procedure that may be readily, reliably and successfully performed by minimally skilled personnel around the world in a variety of medical settings.