Surgical instrument having distal face with first and second electrodes
First Claim
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a shaft having distal and proximal ends, said shaft defining at least one lumen having at least one aspiration opening at said distal end;
an active electrode disposed at the distal end of said shaft, said active electrode defining an energy application surface and electrically coupled to a power source; and
a return electrode coupled to the power supply such that a current path from said active electrode to said return electrode passes over said aspiration opening.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrosurgical aspiration instrument that permits aspiration of an area being treated by the instrument. The instrument is coupled at a proximal end to a power source and includes an energy application surface area at a distal end. The power source supplied energy to the energy application surface area such that the distal end of the instrument may apply energy to the treatment area to modify the characteristics of biological material, such as biological tissue in the area. An aspiration lumen is formed through the instrument with an opening through the energy application surface area. The energy application surface area is configured to reduce blockage of the opening. Accordingly, aspiration may be performed simultaneously with electrosurgical treatment whereby unwanted matter such as by-products, biological debris and excess fluid is removed from the treatment area. The electrosurgical aspiration instrument also permits both functions to be performed at different times, with the advantage of not requiring instruments to be switched on during the treatment procedure or removed from the treatment site.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a shaft having distal and proximal ends, said shaft defining at least one lumen having at least one aspiration opening at said distal end;
an active electrode disposed at the distal end of said shaft, said active electrode defining an energy application surface and electrically coupled to a power source; and
a return electrode coupled to the power supply such that a current path from said active electrode to said return electrode passes over said aspiration opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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17. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a shaft having distal and proximal ends, said shaft defining at least one aspiration lumen extending therethrough and having an aspiration opening at said distal end;
an active electrode disposed at said distal end of the shaft, said active electrode defining an energy application plane across said aspiration opening and having a plurality of openings therethrough communicating with the aspiration lumen such that material may be aspirated through said active electrode across said energy application plane, said plurality of openings being individually sized and configured to avoid clogging of aspirated matter downstream of said openings; and
a return electrode electrically coupled to said power source.
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22. A surgical instrument, comprising;
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a shaft having distal and proximal ends, said shaft defining an aspiration lumen having a diameter extending therethrough and having an opening at said distal end;
a conductive member disposed at said distal end of said shaft across said aspiration lumen to define an energy application plane across said lumen opening and forming an active electrode, said conductive member having at least one opening therethrough communicating with the aspiration lumen such that material may be aspirated through said active electrode across said energy application plane, said opening being individually smaller than said lumen diameter to avoid clogging of aspirated material downstream of said opening;
a first conductor connected to said conductive member;
a return electrode disposed around said shaft proximally from said active electrode; and
a second conductor connected to said return electrode. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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27. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end with a longitudinal axis;
an active electrode and a return electrode disposed on the distal end and connected to the distal end to define an energy application surface at said distal end generally transverse to said longitudinal axis; and
a connector disposed near said proximal end of said shaft for electrically coupling said electrodes to a power source such that a voltage may be applied between each of the electrodes.
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36. A method of electrosurgically treating tissue at a surgical site, comprising:
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positioning an energy application surface adjacent or in contact with tissue to be treated;
applying energy across said application surface to the treatment area;
aspirating matter generation as a result of the energy application through the energy application surface; and
applying energy to the aspirated materials passing through the energy application surface.
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Specification