Patent ID: 8128623
Filing Date: 2012-03-06
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A thermocautery surgical forceps, comprising: a surgical forceps body including a pair of elongate tine members extending from the forceps body to respective opposed free end tip portions spaced from the forceps body, the tine members being mounted to the forceps body in a manner providing resilient compressible movement of the tine members between a normally open position wherein the tine members are disposed in an aligned, parallel, and spaced-apart relationship and a squeezed closed position wherein the tip portions of the tine members are disposed in a confronting abutting relationship; power source leads configured to be electrically connectable to a power supply, at least one of said tip portions of the tine members comprising a heater element connected to the power source leads and said heater element having a flat, gripping and heating surface defined on an inner facing surface of said at least one of said tip portions; and a circuit board configured to supply a high initial current to the heater element for rapid heat and to supply a reduced current to said heater element for maintenance of the heat, the tine members being further configured to be squeezed together toward the squeezed closed position to grippingly, squeezably, engage tissue to be cauterized or a blood vessel to be sealed between the flat gripping and heating surface of said heater element and the opposed tip portion.