Patent ID: 7396356

Claim:
A method of cutting and sealing tissue comprising the steps of: providing a device for cutting and sealing tissue comprising: an insertion rod; a first jaw and a second jaw extending from the insertion rod, said first and second jaws being operable to allow closure of the first and second jaws relative to each other, said first jaw having a first grasping face and said second jaw having a second grasping face, said first grasping face and said second grasping face aligned to meet each other upon closure of the first and second jaws; a cutting element comprising an electrically resistive wire disposed in the first jaw and further disposed along the longitudinal axis of the insertion rod; a first electrode disposed on the first jaw, said first electrode operably paired with a second electrode disposed on the second jaw, said first and second electrodes aligned to face each other upon closure of the first and second jaws, said first and second electrodes laterally spaced from and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the insertion rod, and said first and second electrodes operable as bipolar electrodes; a third electrode disposed on the first jaw, said third electrode operably paired with a fourth electrode disposed on the second jaw, said third and fourth electrodes aligned to face each other upon closure of the first and second jaws, said third and fourth electrodes laterally spaced from and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the insertion rod, said third electrode disposed opposite the first electrode and said fourth electrode disposed opposite the second electrode, and said third and fourth electrodes operable as bipolar electrodes; grasping tissue between the first and second grasping faces; transmitting RF energy to the bipolar electrodes at energy levels sufficient to seal tissue; and adjusting the temperature of the cutting element to a temperature above about 100° Celsius until the tissue is severed.