Electrosurgical apparatus

• US 5,244,462 A
• Filed: 06/28/1991
• Issued: 09/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Valleylab Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Klicek, Michael S., Stoddard, Robert B., Delahuerga, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US07/723,090
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 606/37-40, 606/42, 606/45, 606/49
• US Class Current: 606/42
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/042 using additional gas becoming plasma
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00296 mounted on an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00017 with gas

Abstract

Electrosurgical apparatus for performing at least cutting and coagulation of biological tissue, which comprises a hand operated electrosurgical pencil comprising an electrically insulated housing and an electrode with a distal end defining a tip, means for supplying high-frequency, alternating current, electrical energy from a generator through the electrode to the tissue and means for returning electrical energy from the tissue to the generator to complete an electrical circuit, switching means mounted on the housing for selecting the cut mode or the coagulating mode, which switching means is connected to an isolated low voltage, direct current circuit which provides an appropriate signal to control the generator in the cut mode or coagulating mode, respectively, whereby the generator supplies the desired high-frequency, alternating current, electrical energy to the electrode and current leakage is limited.

Claims

1. An improved electrosurgical apparatus for performing at least cutting and coagulation of biological tissue, which comprises a hand operated electrosurgical pencil comprising an electrically insulating housing and an electrode with a distal end defining a tip, means for supplying high-frequency, alternating current, electrical energy from a generator through a separate single wire cable to said electrode to said tissue and means for returning said electrical energy from said tissue to said generator to complete an electrical circuit, switching means mounted on said housing for selecting the cut mode or the coagulating mode, said switching means being directly connected to an isolated low voltage, direct current circuit which provides an appropriate signal to control the generator in the cut mode or coagulating mode, respectively, whereby the generator supplies the desired high-frequency, alternating current, electrical energy through said separate single wire cable to said electrode and current leakage is limited by physical separation of the low voltage isolated direct current circuit from the high-frequency, alternating current generator ground, and said electrode.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which low voltage direct current is produced by a step-down transformer and diode rectifier within the apparatus and said isolated direct current circuit comprises a three wire cable having a distal end and a proximal end, said cable being electrically separate from the single wire cable for carrying high-frequency alternating current, the distal end of each of the three wires being connected to the switching means on the pencil and the proximal end of the cable terminating in a three prong plug adapted to be plugged into an appropriate socket on the apparatus.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said single wire cable has a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being connected through an electrically conducting connection to said electrode and being electrically insulated from the rest of the pencil and said proximal end being connected through a jack to said generator.