Patent ID: 9445865
Filing Date: 2016-09-20
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. An electrosurgical instrument, comprising: a housing; an elongated shaft including a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end operably associated with the housing; an end-effector assembly operably coupled to the distal end of the elongated shaft and including first and second jaw members, each of the first and second jaw members coupled to an electrically-conductive, tissue-engaging surface and a bipolar electrode, at least one of the first and second jaw members movable from a position in spaced relation relative to the other jaw members to at least one subsequent position wherein the electrically-conductive, tissue-engaging surfaces cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween; and a four-quadrant semiconductor switch operably coupled to at least one of the electrically-conductive, tissue-engaging surfaces and at least one of the bipolar electrodes, wherein the semiconductor switch is configured to enable user selection between energizing the at least one electrically-conductive, tissue-engaging surface or energizing the at least one bipolar electrode.