A cautery apparatus and method are provided that coagulate tissue along a seam and near the ends of the seam. The cautery apparatus and method include a cautery device and an EMG system. When a set of electrodes for the EMG are placed in the lower extremities of a patient, the cautery method injects a current at the cautery device and monitors the EMG electrodes. When nerve stimulation is detected at the EMG electrodes, during tissue coagulation, the position of the cautery device is changed. Generally, the cautery device is repositioned to eliminate nerve stimulation, thereby avoiding nerve damage.
