Patent ID: 8123744

Claim:
A wound mediating surgical instrument comprising: an electrosurgical instrument having an internal chamber; a fluid pressure source coupled to the electrosurgical instrument and in fluid communication with the internal chamber, the fluid pressure source operable to provide a fluid stream through the internal chamber; an active electrode that receives an energy signal from a generator, wherein when the electrosurgical instrument is operated in a first mode the active electrode ionizes the fluid stream as the fluid stream flows toward a wound to coagulate tissue; a wound mediating device coupled to the electrosurgical instrument and including a container, a slurry disposed within the container, a plurality of microbubbles suspended in the slurry and a wound mediating substance encapsulated in the microbubbles; and a valve for selectively introducing the slurry into the fluid stream of the internal chamber downstream of the fluid pressure source in a second operating mode where the active electrode ionizes the fluid stream as the fluid stream and slurry flow toward the wound, wherein the fluid stream is a gas.