Patent ID: 7976544

Claim:
A fluid-assisted tissue grasping device comprising: a first jaw and a second jaw, at least one of the jaws being movable toward the other jaw; the first jaw having a first jaw tissue grasping surface and the second jaw having a second jaw tissue grasping surface, the tissue grasping surface of each jaw directly opposing each other and comprising an electrically insulative surface; a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes configured to have opposite polarity when electrically coupled to a radio frequency power source and positioned for an electrical current from the first and second electrodes to flow in tissue grasped between the tissue grasping surfaces substantially parallel to the tissue grasping surfaces and across a width of the tissue grasping surfaces, the first jaw tissue grasping surface and the second jaw tissue grasping surface being medial to the first electrode and the second electrode, and the first electrode and second electrode being laterally outside the first jaw tissue grasping surface and the second jaw tissue grasping surface so that the first electrode is separated from the tissue grasping surfaces by a first gap for fluid and the second electrode is separated from the tissue grasping surfaces by a second gap for fluid; at least one fluid delivery passage; and at least one fluid outlet to receive fluid from the fluid delivery passage and to deliver the fluid to the first and second gaps.