Patent ID: 8551088

Claim:
A method for controlling an output of an electrosurgical generator operatively coupled to a bipolar electrosurgical device, comprising: determining permittivity and conductivity of tissue of a patient using a measurement signal, the measurement signal applied to tissue of a patient via at least one electrode of the electrosurgical device, the measurement signal applied to the tissue prior to modification of the tissue by the electrosurgical device to determine an initial phase angle; initially determining capacitive and resistive impedance of the bipolar electrosurgical device and adjusting the initial phase angle based on the initially determined capacitive and resistive impedance; determining a threshold phase angle based on the permittivity and the conductivity of the tissue, the threshold phase angle being smaller than the initial phase angle; measuring a phase angle of a signal applied to the tissue; and ceasing delivery of a treatment signal to the tissue when the phase angle of the signal reaches the threshold phase angle.