Patent ID: 8574229

Claim:
An electrosurgical apparatus, comprising: a probe comprising a housing and a pair of opposing jaws, the jaws comprising a first jaw and a second jaw, the jaws being moveable between an open position and a closed position, said jaws comprising a proximal end having a plurality of bipolar electrodes for engagement with treatment surfaces of a tissue mass, and said jaws comprising a distal end opposite the proximal end; a pivot point for rotatably joining the jaws at the distal end of the jaws within the probe so as to configure the jaws as a third-class lever, the pivot point being positioned within the housing of the probe, wherein the first jaw comprises an articulation element and an elongated tissue engagement surface having a length, the one articulation element comprising an elongated pivotable jaw portion and a wiper arm attached to the elongated pivotable jaw portion via an articulation pivot, the articulation pivot disposed at a point that is central relative to the length of the tissue engagement surface on the pivotable jaw portion, the articulation pivot configured to allow the pivotable jaw portion to pivot in response to contacting the tissue mass when the pair of jaws is moving to the closed position around the tissue mass, the central position of the articulation pivot and the pivoting in response to contacting the tissue mass both contributing to distribution of force across the tissue mass when the jaws are in a closed position around the tissue mass, the apparatus further comprising: a handle comprising two handle elements, one of the handle elements having a handle engagement surface, a pivot axis located closer to the proximal end of the jaws than the pivot point, wherein operation of the handle elements rotates one of the handle elements about the pivot axis; an elongated actuator comprising an actuator surface; and a lever mechanism, the actuator extending between the handle engagement surface and the lever mechanism, the lever mechanism acting as a clamping mechanism arranged toward a center of a full length of the jaws, wherein rotation of the handle element about the pivot axis engages the handle engagement surface with the actuator surface, urging the actuator toward a proximal end of the apparatus and operating the lever mechanism to force the jaws towards each other.