Patent ID: 7731717

Claim:
An electrosurgical system for sealing tissue, comprising: a forceps including at least one shaft member having an end effector assembly disposed at a distal end thereof, the end effector assembly including jaw members movable from a first position in spaced relation relative to one another to at least one subsequent position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween; and each of the jaw members including a sealing plate which communicates electrosurgical energy through tissue held therebetween, the jaw members connected to an electrosurgical generator; at least one sensor which determines a gap distance between the sealing plates of the jaw members; and a microprocessor programmed to communicate with the at least one sensor to measure an initial gap distance between the sealing plates and to generate a desired gap distance trajectory based on the initial gap distance, the microprocessor programmed to communicate with the at least one sensor in real-time to adjust output level of the electrosurgical generator as a function of the measured gap distance during the sealing process.