Electrosurgical knife
First Claim
1. An electrosurgical knife handle comprising:
- a longitudinally extending housing having a distal end and a socket for receiving an electrosurgical electrode in said distal end and a proximal end and an electrical conductor at said proximal end;
a passageway extending longitudinally within said housing between said proximal end and said distal end and an electrical connecting device disposed in said passageway for establishing an electrical connection between said conductor and said socket;
a first surface external to said housing extending generally parallel to a longitudinal centerline extending from said proximal end to said distal end, and comprising first retaining means formed on said first surface for optionally retaining an optical conduit;
a second surface external to said housing opposite said first surface and extending generally parallel to said longitudinal centerline and comprising second retaining means formed on said second surface for optionally retaining a fluid-transporting tube;
said housing comprising two substantially symmetrical elongated sections joined at a seam extending in a generally vertical plane which includes said longitudinal centerline of said housing, each of said sections comprising areas defining a portion of each of said first and second retaining means and of said passageway.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrosurgical knife having an elongated knife handle of simple construction and inexpensive to manufacture has an opening at one end for accommodating an electrosurgical electrode and electric switches for controlling the application of current to the electrode. The handle is provided with a pair of grooves, one for optionally retaining an optical conduit and the other for optionally retaining a fluid-transporting tube. Both the optical conduit and the tube can slide in the grooves, allowing them to be readily adjusted to be adjacent the distal end of electrodes of varying lengths.
The knife handle has an internal passageway extending the length of the handle for accommodating electrical conductors and a printed circuit board. The handle further has an enlarged section for enclosing a pair of push-button switches with exposed outer surfaces. Electrical connections may be established between the electrical conductors and the electrosurgical blade on the circuit board by operating the switches. The knife handle has two substantially symmetrical elongated sections joined along the length of the handle. Each of the sections has areas defining a portion of the two grooves and of the passageway. The knife handle may be readily assembled by inserting the electrical devices, such as the conductors, the circuit board and the switches in one half of the knife and joining the other half of the knife to it.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An electrosurgical knife handle comprising:
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a longitudinally extending housing having a distal end and a socket for receiving an electrosurgical electrode in said distal end and a proximal end and an electrical conductor at said proximal end; a passageway extending longitudinally within said housing between said proximal end and said distal end and an electrical connecting device disposed in said passageway for establishing an electrical connection between said conductor and said socket; a first surface external to said housing extending generally parallel to a longitudinal centerline extending from said proximal end to said distal end, and comprising first retaining means formed on said first surface for optionally retaining an optical conduit; a second surface external to said housing opposite said first surface and extending generally parallel to said longitudinal centerline and comprising second retaining means formed on said second surface for optionally retaining a fluid-transporting tube; said housing comprising two substantially symmetrical elongated sections joined at a seam extending in a generally vertical plane which includes said longitudinal centerline of said housing, each of said sections comprising areas defining a portion of each of said first and second retaining means and of said passageway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electrosurgical knife comprising:
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a longitudinally extending housing having a distal end and an electrosurgical electrode extending from said distal end, and a proximal end having an electrical conductor connected thereto; a passageway extending longitudinally within said housing between said proximal end and said distal end and an electrical connecting device disposed in said passageway for establishing an electrical connection between said conductor and said electrode; a first surface external to said housing and extending generally parallel to a longitudinal centerline extending from said proximal end to said distal end and a first groove in said first surface for retaining a fluid-transporting tube; and a second surface external to said housing and extending generally parallel to said longitudinal centerline and a second groove on said second surface for retaining an optical conduit; said housing comprising a surface area partially enclosing said second groove and an opening in said surface area; said electrical connecting device comprising an actuating member disposed below said surface area and operable to selectively establish electrical connections in said electrical connecting device, said actuating member accessible through said opening and comprising a rigid structure extending downwardly below said surface area and intersecting said second groove, said structure having an opening in said structure in alignment with said second groove to allow passage of said optical conduit through said structure, said opening in said structure elongated in the vertical direction to allow movement of said actuating device in the vertical direction in the presence of said optical conduit.
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Specification