Apparatus for leakage control and method for its use
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling leakage in a radio frequency electrosurgical system including changes in the load as a function of tissue being electrosurgically treated or transient conditions such as the initiation or termination of an electrosurgical effect wherein an active electrode not in electrical contact with the patient'"'"'s tissue transmits energy from an electrosurgical unit to a tip of the active electrode comprising:
- an electrosurgical unit for providing radio frequency energy at an active output thereof and for controlling the flow of the energy through the active output, the electrosurgical unit having a return input;
an electrode connected to the active output for transmitting electrosurgical radio frequency energy to a patient in an electrosurgical procedure such as cutting, coagulating or a blending thereof;
a return electrode adapted to be connected to the patient for receiving radio frequency energy supplied to the patient during the electrosurgical procedure and connected to the return input for returning it to the return input of the electrosurgical unit;
an inductive transformer connected to and responsive to the active output for providing a signal of active energy flow;
an inductive transformer connected to and responsive to the return input for providing a signal of return energy flow;
a connection between the inductive transformers and the active output and return input, anda comparison circuit connected to receive the active and return signals as a measure of leakage, the comparison circuit having means for determining instantaneous differences at rates of a speed sufficient to handle transient conditions, the comparison circuit having means for examining the differences at a frequency dependent on the phase shift between the output voltage and current of the electrosurgical unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method find leakage due to tissue load or transients and has active and return electrodes for RF energy sensed by transformers for a circuit that finds leakage at more than two thousand times per second or a frequency dependent on the phase shift between voltage and current. Software and feedback manage Vrms to reduce the voltage or increase the crest factor, which is Vrms divided by peak voltage, by pulse width modulation of the RF drive. Voltage and current phase shift changes, angle θ, are compared to a threshold, and when greater, the frequency at which the differences between the active and return current signals are examined is increased. The differences between the active and return currents are examined and when greater than maximum leakage while in coagulation mode, the RF drive pulse width is reduced to maintain voltage wave peaks at a preset value and reduce Vrms thereby reducing leakage to the allowable maximum. Reducing the duty cycle or the pulse width of the output wave increases the crest factor. When the differences between active and return currents are greater than a maximum for leakage while in cut or bipolar mode, the Vrms is reduced to limit leakage to a maximum level. When the phase angle θ is less than a threshold, the frequency with which leakage is examined is reduced.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling leakage in a radio frequency electrosurgical system including changes in the load as a function of tissue being electrosurgically treated or transient conditions such as the initiation or termination of an electrosurgical effect wherein an active electrode not in electrical contact with the patient'"'"'s tissue transmits energy from an electrosurgical unit to a tip of the active electrode comprising:
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an electrosurgical unit for providing radio frequency energy at an active output thereof and for controlling the flow of the energy through the active output, the electrosurgical unit having a return input; an electrode connected to the active output for transmitting electrosurgical radio frequency energy to a patient in an electrosurgical procedure such as cutting, coagulating or a blending thereof; a return electrode adapted to be connected to the patient for receiving radio frequency energy supplied to the patient during the electrosurgical procedure and connected to the return input for returning it to the return input of the electrosurgical unit; an inductive transformer connected to and responsive to the active output for providing a signal of active energy flow; an inductive transformer connected to and responsive to the return input for providing a signal of return energy flow; a connection between the inductive transformers and the active output and return input, and a comparison circuit connected to receive the active and return signals as a measure of leakage, the comparison circuit having means for determining instantaneous differences at rates of a speed sufficient to handle transient conditions, the comparison circuit having means for examining the differences at a frequency dependent on the phase shift between the output voltage and current of the electrosurgical unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for controlling leakage in a radio frequency electrosurgical system during operation under varying tissue loads or through at least transient or open circuit conditions during the initiation or termination of an electrosurgical effect wherein an active electrode in or not in electrical contact with the patient'"'"'s tissue transmits energy to a tip thereof, having the following steps:
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providing an electrosurgical unit having radio frequency energy at an active output thereof; controlling the flow of the energy through the active output with the electrosurgical unit; having a return input connected to the electrosurgical unit; connecting an active electrode to the active output and transmitting electrosurgical radio frequency energy to a patient in an electrosurgical procedure such as cutting, coagulating or a blending thereof; adapting a return electrode for connection to a patient and receiving radio frequency energy supplied to the patient during the electrosurgical procedure; returning all but a preset maximum amount of radio frequency energy supplied to the return input of the electrosurgical unit; providing an inductive transformer connected to and responsive to the active output for supplying a signal of active energy flow; providing an inductive transformer connected to and responsive to the return input for supplying a signal of return energy flow, and using a comparison circuit connected to receive the active and return signals to measure leakage and determine instantaneous differences at a rate of at least two thousand times per second between the active and return signals, and examining the instantaneous differences at a frequency which is increased in accord with the phase shift between the output signals of proportional voltage and proportional current. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification