Selectively coated electrosurgical instrument

• US 6,071,283 A
• Filed: 06/05/1998
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bayer Essure Inc. (Bayer AG), Medical Scientific Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Conceptus Incorporated (Bayer AG), Medical Scientific Incorporated
• Inventors: Ton, Dai T., Bacich, Steven R., Nguyen, Trinh N., Vidyarthi, Piush, Nardella, Paul C., Wrublewski, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): COHEN, LEE S
• Application Number:
  US09/092,609
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 606/41, 606/45-50
• US Class Current: 606/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/148 having a short, rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously, e.g. for neurosurgery or arthroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1485 having a short rigid shaft for accessing the inner body through natural openings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/149 bow shaped or with rotatable body at cantilever end, e.g. for resectoscopes, or coagulating rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00011 with fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00083 low, i.e. electrically insulating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1472 for use with liquid electrolyte, e.g. virtual electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1861 with an instrument inserted into a body lumen or cavity, e.g. a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/002 Irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/007 Aspiration

Abstract

An electrosurgical instrument having an active electrode with a portion that is coated with an insulative material. An exposed portion of the electrode is effective to treat tissue while the insulative coating minimizes energy dissipation into surrounding isotonic solution.

Claims

1. An electrosurgical device, comprising:

a frame having a proximal end and a distal end;

a coupling mechanism disposed at the distal end of the frame;

an electrode secured to the coupling mechanism such that the electrode is pivotable between first and second positions; and

an insulative coating disposed on a portion of the electrode, wherein the coupling mechanism includes an arcuate channel formed in the electrode that is effective to guide movement of the electrode with respect to the frame.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is biased to the first position.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein pressure applied along a longitudinal axis of the frame causes the electrode to pivot to the second position.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the frame includes first and second structural members.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein the electrode has a general shape selected from the group consisting of spherical, cylindrical, hemispherical, and hemi-cylindrical.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the insulative coating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of ceramics, glass, aluminum-silicate, alumina, boron, non-conductive epoxy, ceramic adhesive, glass enamels, glass-filled polymers, polysulfones, polytetrafluoroethylene, polysiloxanes, silicones, polyetheretherketone, diparaxylylene and polyparaphenylene terephthalamide.