Patent ID: 8568404

Claim:
A method of operating an ablation system, comprising the steps of: activating a generator to deliver ablative energy to tissue; sensing a tissue impedance parameter from each of a plurality of tissue sensing probes; designating each of the plurality of tissue sensing probes as a threshold probe or a critical structure probe; determining whether the sensed tissue impedance parameter from each of the plurality of tissue sensing probes exceeds a predetermined tissue impedance parameter threshold, wherein, for each of the plurality of tissue sensing probes designated as a critical structure probe, the predetermined tissue impedance parameter threshold is indicative of a pre-denaturation state of tissue and, for each of the plurality of tissue sensing probes designated as a threshold probe, the predetermined tissue impedance parameter threshold is indicative of a denaturation state of tissue; and responding to a determination that the sensed tissue impedance parameter exceeds the predetermined tissue impedance parameter threshold by causing to be performed an action selected from the group consisting of automatically deactivating the generator and presenting an indication.