Electrosurgical cutting, coagulating and suction instrument

• US 20030181904A1
• Filed: 01/22/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Naisbitt, Scott, Cvinar, John, Levine, Andy H., Tolkoff, Marc Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/348,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181904A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32 Surgical cutting instruments A61B18/042 takes precedence; suture cutters A61B17/0467; instruments for ligaturing or cutting A61B17/128; instruments for rupturing the amniotic membrane A61B17/4208; specially adapted knives for eye surgery A61F9/0133
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00464 for use with different instruments with hole for different instruments A61B2017/22072
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00023 closed, i.e. without wound contact by the fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00589 Coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/007 Aspiration

Abstract

An electrosurgical instrument that combines cutting, coagulating and suctioning functionality in a single hand-held instrument. The instrument provides a combination suction-coagulation device that can selectively deliver electrical energy through either a blunt suction coagulation end or a “sharp” needle or blade end and a convenient means for a surgeon to alternate between these two modalities. A cooling medium in a sealed cavity may be incorporated either (i) as a heat-pipe within one side of electrode wall around the suction lumen, (ii) as a second coaxial lumen within the circumscribing electrode wall, (iii) in an adjacent but thermally coupled heat-sink pipe attached either external or internal to (but not fully occluding) the suction lumen, or (iv) in a heat-pipe far proximal to the electrode ring but thermally coupled.

Claims

1. An electrosurgical device capable of receiving a radiofrequency energy source therein comprising:

a shaft having a distal end and a longitudinal axis, a lumen disposed along the longitudinal axis terminating at the distal end and coupled to a vacuum source and the shaft adapted to receive radiofrequency energy;

a first electrode adapted for performing a first electrosurgical procedure and releasably attachable to the distal end and electrically coupled to the radiofrequency energy source; and

a second electrode adapted for performing a second electrosurgical procedure and releasably attachable to the distal end and electrically coupled to the radiofrequency energy source.

2. The electrosurgical device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode provides for tissue cutting.

3. The electrosurgical device of claim 1, wherein the second electrode provides for tissue coagulation.

4. The electrosurgical device of claim 1, wherein the shaft further comprises an internal cavity in which a cooling medium is contained.

5. The electrosurgical device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes are malleable.