fig1 the tip 2 of a first exemplary embodiment of the surgical instrument in accordance with the invention is shown two gripping elements 10 and 20 are disposed within a guide sleeve 30 which in turn is partially inserted into one end of a tube 40 which may be flexible but is preferably metallic the tube 40 serves on one hand as a protective outer sheath and on the other hand as a guide for the instrument tip the guide sleeve 30 consists preferably of an insulating material in particular a plastic the guide sleeve 30 guides first or inner limbs 11 and 21 as well as second or outer limbs 12 and 22 of the first and second gripping elements 10 and 20 respectively limbs and gripping elements are each constructed in one piece of a conductive material in particular a stainless steel such as nitinol niti nitinol is more extensible than steel 8 as opposed to only 0 2 and is thus particularly suitable for the limbs at their ends facing away from the limbs the two gripping elements 10 and 20 are constructed similarly to the jaws of pliers and in particular in the juxtaposed state they fit together in such a way that the profiling of a gripping surface of the first gripping element 10 intermeshes with a complementary profiling of a gripping surface of the second gripping element 20 the sections of the first limbs 11 and 21 that are outside the guide.