Patent attributes
End effectors with closing mechanisms, and related tools and methods may be particularly beneficial when used for minimally invasive surgery. An example surgical tool comprises a first and second jaw movable between a closed grasped or clamped configuration and an open configuration. The tool further comprises a soft grip mode for grasping the tissue at a first force during which a separation parameter between the jaws is measured, and a therapeutic clamping mode in which the jaws clamp on the body tissue at a force greater than the grasping force. The methods comprise grasping the body tissue between jaws, measuring the separation parameter between the jaws, indicating on a user interface the separation parameter for comparison to a desired separation parameter, and then releasing the body tissue for repositioning or therapeutically clamping the body tissue in response to the separation parameter indication.
