Surgical clamp

Abstract

A surgical clamp including a pair of jaws, which may be used to ablate or create lesions in tissue. In an exemplary embodiment, the jaws are movable between an articulated position in which the jaws are separated and not parallel to one another, an opened position in which the jaws are separated and substantially parallel to one another, and a closed position in which the jaws are adjacent and substantially parallel to one another.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A surgical clamp, comprising:
 a first jaw and a second jaw connected to a shaft; and   a locking member operable to lock the second jaw against pivoting motion, wherein at least one of the first jaw or second jaw is movable axially relative to the shaft when the second jaw is locked against pivoting motion by the locking member.   
     
     
         2 . The surgical clamp of  claim 1 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw are operable to assume an opened position in which the first jaw and the second jaw are spaced apart and substantially parallel and a closed position in which the second jaw is locked against pivoting motion by the locking member and a tissue to be ablated interposes the first jaw and the second jaw when substantially parallel. 
     
     
         3 . The surgical clamp of  claim 2 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw are movable between the opened position and the closed position when the second jaw is locked against the pivoting motion by the locking member. 
     
     
         4 . The surgical clamp of  claim 2 , further comprising an actuator disposed toward a proximal end of the shaft and operable to move the first jaw and the second jaw between at least the opened position and the closed position. 
     
     
         5 . The surgical clamp of  claim 2 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw have lengths and, in the closed position, the first jaw and the second jaw are configured to apply a substantially consistent clamping force to the tissue to be ablated along the lengths. 
     
     
         6 . The surgical clamp of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one joint connecting the first jaw and the second jaw and operable to permit relative rotation of the first jaw and the second jaw about the at least one joint and transverse movement between the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         7 . The surgical clamp of  claim 6 , further comprising a spring connected to the at least one joint and configured to bias the first jaw and the second jaw along a degree of freedom aligned with the transverse movement. 
     
     
         8 . The surgical clamp of  claim 1 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw each comprises at least one electrode configured to deliver energy to heart tissue to thereby form a lesion in the heart tissue. 
     
     
         9 . The surgical clamp of  claim 2 , wherein each of the first jaw and second jaw comprises at least one curved segment in substantially parallel alignment in the closed position. 
     
     
         10 . The surgical clamp of  claim 2 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw extend substantially normal to a major axis of the shaft in at least one of the opened position or the closed position. 
     
     
         11 . A surgical clamp, comprising first jaw and a second jaw connected to a shaft and operable to assume:
 an articulated position in which the first jaw and the second jaw are spaced apart with respect to each other at the shaft and are angled outwardly relative to the shaft;   an opened position in which the first jaw and the second jaw are spaced apart at the shaft and substantially parallel, wherein at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw is configured to pivot about the shaft to facilitate the opened position; and   a closed position configured to clamp a tissue to be ablated between the first jaw and the second jaw, wherein at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw is movable axially relative to the shaft from the opened position to facilitate the closed position.   
     
     
         12 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw are configured to remain substantially parallel in the closed position. 
     
     
         13 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , further comprising a locking member operable to lock at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw against pivoting motion in at least one of the opened position or the closed position. 
     
     
         14 . The surgical clamp of  claim 13 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw are movable between the opened position and the closed position when the second jaw is locked against the pivoting motion by the locking member. 
     
     
         15 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , further comprising an actuator disposed toward a proximal end of the shaft and operable to move the first jaw and the second jaw between at least the opened position and the closed position. 
     
     
         16 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw have a length and, in the closed position, the first jaw and the second jaw are configured to apply a substantially consistent clamping force to the tissue to be ablated along the length. 
     
     
         17 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , further comprising at least one joint connecting one or more of the first jaw or the second jaw and operable to permit relative rotation of the first jaw and the second jaw about the at least one joint and a transverse movement between the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         18 . The surgical clamp of  claim 17 , further comprising a spring connected to the at least one joint and configured to bias the first jaw and the second jaw along a degree of freedom aligned with the transverse movement. 
     
     
         19 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , wherein each of the first jaw and the second jaw comprises at least one electrode configured to deliver energy to heart tissue when the surgical clamp is in the closed position to thereby form a lesion in the heart tissue. 
     
     
         20 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , wherein each of the first jaw and the second jaw comprises at least one curved segment in substantially parallel alignment in the closed position. 
     
     
         21 . The surgical clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw extend substantially lateral to a major axis of the shaft in at least one of the opened position or the closed position. 
     
     
         22 . A surgical clamp, comprising:
 a first jaw and a second jaw connected to a shaft;   an articulated position in which the first jaw and the second jaw are spaced apart with respect to each other at the shaft and are axially aligned with the shaft;   an opened position in which the first jaw and the second jaw are spaced a first distance apart at the shaft and are substantially parallel; and   a clamped position in which the first jaw and the second jaw are substantially parallel and are spaced a second distance apart at the shaft, wherein the second distance is smaller than the first distance.   
     
     
         23 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , wherein at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw is movable axially relative to the shaft from the opened position to facilitate the clamped position. 
     
     
         24 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , wherein at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw is configured to pivot about the shaft to facilitate the opened position. 
     
     
         25 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , further comprising a locking member operable to lock at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw against pivoting motion in at least one of the opened position or the clamped position, wherein the first jaw and the second jaw are movable between the opened position and clamped position when the second jaw is locked against the pivoting motion by the locking member. 
     
     
         26 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , further comprising an actuator disposed toward a proximal end of the shaft and operable to move the first jaw and the second jaw between at least the opened position and the clamped position. 
     
     
         27 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , wherein the first jaw and the second jaw have lengths and, in the clamped position, the first jaw and the second jaw are configured to apply a substantially consistent clamping force to a tissue to be ablated along the lengths. 
     
     
         28 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , further comprising at least one joint connecting one or more of the first jaw or the second jaw and operable to permit a relative rotation of the first jaw and the second jaw about the at least one joint and a transverse movement between the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         29 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , wherein each of the first jaw and the second jaw comprises at least one electrode configured to deliver energy to heart tissue when the surgical clamp is in the clamped position to thereby form a lesion in the heart tissue. 
     
     
         30 . The surgical clamp of  claim 22 , wherein each of the first jaw and the second jaw comprises at least one curved segment in substantially parallel alignment in the clamped position.