An experimental study of compression force effect on electrosurgical tissue welding

Electrosurgical devices, especially bipolar forceps, are widely used in modern surgeries. Despite the advantages of reduce blood loss, better efficiency and less fatigue compared to traditional tools, these surgical devices often cause problems such as sticking and unwanted damage to surround tissue when used for tissue welding. Through a literature study of commercially available bipolar forceps, it is found that the compression force between the jaws is non-uniform, which leads to inconsistent tissue joint quality. In this research, the effect of compression force uniformity is studied with a specially designed device to achieve uniform and consistent compression force between the jaws of a bipolar forceps. Tissue welding experiments were conducted with tissue mimicking material under both uniform and non-uniform compression forces. The results indicate that the uniform compression force could potentially lead to better joint quality, reduced risk of tissue charring and sticking, and reduced operation time. The experimental device developed in this research provides an important platform for future studies in joint quality monitoring and control for electrosurgical devices.