Patent ID: 8079963

Claim:
An electrical tissue injury detection system comprising: a device comprising: a first probe comprising: a handle; a shaft extending from the handle; and a first delineator at a distal end of the shaft, the delineator sized and shaped to conform to an interior of a first hollow organ, the delineator having an electrically conductive outer surface; a second probe comprising: a handle; a shaft extending from the handle; and a second delineator at a distal end of the shaft, the delineator sized and shaped to conform to an interior of a second hollow organ, the delineator having an electrically conductive outer surface; wherein the first probe is held in proximity to the second probe by a connector that allows the first and second probes to pivot, advance, and retract relative to one another; an electrical connection extending from an electrically conductive outer surface of a probe of the device; an electrically conductive surgical tool from which extends an electrical connection; a meter, connected to the device and the tool through the electrical connections, that measures an electrical parameter between the device and the tool and produces a warning signal when the electrical parameter changes in a manner that indicates perforation of an anatomic structure by the surgical tool; and a power source electrically connected to at least one of the device, the tool, and the meter.