Electrosurgical ablation and aspiration apparatus having flow directing feature and methods related thereto
First Claim
1. An electrosurgical probe for treating a target tissue at a surgical site, comprising:
- a shaft having a shalt distal end and a shaft proximal end; and
an active electrode assembly disposed at the shaft distal end, wherein the active electrode assembly includes an electrically insulating electrode support and an active electrode screen, the electrically insulating electrode support including at least one flow protector and a treatment surface, the at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface, and the active electrode screen disposed on the treatment surface of the electrically insulating electrode support.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Electrosurgical methods, systems, and apparatus for the controlled ablation of tissue from a target site of a patient. An electrosurgical apparatus of the invention includes an active electrode assembly having an active electrode screen surrounded by a plurality of flow protectors. Each flow protector defines a shielded region of the active electrode screen, each shielded region of the screen characterized by enhanced plasma formation. The active electrode assembly is adapted for removing tissue from a surgical site, and the active electrode screen is adapted for digesting fragments of resected tissue. In one embodiment, the apparatus is particularly suited to simultaneously removing both hard and soft tissue in, or around, a joint.
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Citations
93 Claims
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1. An electrosurgical probe for treating a target tissue at a surgical site, comprising:
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a shaft having a shalt distal end and a shaft proximal end; and
an active electrode assembly disposed at the shaft distal end, wherein the active electrode assembly includes an electrically insulating electrode support and an active electrode screen, the electrically insulating electrode support including at least one flow protector and a treatment surface, the at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface, and the active electrode screen disposed on the treatment surface of the electrically insulating electrode support. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. An electrosurgical probe, comprising:
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a shaft having a shaft distal end and a shaft proximal end;
an electrode support disposed at the shaft distal end, the electrode support including a treatment surface, at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface, and a suction cavity within the electrode support;
at least one active electrode terminal protruding from the treatment surface; and
an active electrode screen disposed on the treatment surface. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An electrosurgical probe, comprising:
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a shaft having a shaft distal end and a shaft proximal end;
an electrode support disposed at the shaft distal end, the electrode support including a treatment surface, and at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface;
an aspiration unit including a suction cavity and an aspiration port, the suction cavity internal to the electrode support, and wherein a void in the treatment surface defines the aspiration port;
at least one active electrode terminal protruding from the treatment surface; and
an active electrode screen disposed on the treatment surface, wherein each flow protector defines a shielded region of the active electrode screen, the shielded region adapted for promoting plasma formation by the active electrode screen. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. An electrosurgical system, comprising:
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an electrosurgical probe including a shalt having a shaft distal end and a shaft proximal end, an active electrode assembly disposed at the shaft distal end, and a return electrode, the active electrode assembly comprising an electrically insulating electrode support having a treatment surface, an active electrode screen disposed on the treatment surface, and at least one active electrode terminal protruding from the treatment surface, the at least one active electrode terminal electrically isolated from the active electrode screen, and the electrode support including at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface; and
a high frequency power supply independently coupled to the active electrode screen and to the at least one active electrode terminal.
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59. An active electrode assembly, comprising:
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an electrode support having a treatment surface;
an active electrode screen disposed on the treatment surface;
at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface, the at least one flow protector extending beyond the active electrode screen; and
at least one active electrode terminal protruding from the treatment surface, the at least one active electrode terminal electrically isolated from the active electrode screen. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A method for removing a target tissue at a surgical site, comprising:
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a) providing an electrosurgical probe having an active electrode assembly and a return electrode, the active electrode assembly comprising an active electrode screen disposed on a treatment surface of an electrically insulating electrode support, at least one flow protector protruding from the treatment surface, and a plurality of active electrode terminals protruding from the treatment surface, each of the plurality of active electrode terminals electrically isolated from the active electrode screen;
b) positioning the active electrode assembly in at least close proximity to the target tissue; and
c) applying a high frequency voltage between the active electrode screen and the return electrode and between the plurality of active electrode terminals and the return electrode, wherein at least a portion of the target tissue is ablated or modified. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88)
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89. A method for ablating a target tissue at a surgical site of a patient, comprising:
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a) providing an electrosurgical probe including a return electrode and an active electrode assembly, the active electrode assembly including at least one active electrode terminal and an active electrode screen, the active electrode screen disposed on a treatment surface of an electrically insulating electrode support, the electrode support including a flow protection unit for providing differential flow of an aspiration stream on a first side of the active electrode screen;
b) positioning the active electrode assembly in at least close proximity to the target tissue;
c) applying a high frequency voltage concurrently to the at least one the active electrode terminal and to the active electrode screen, the high frequency voltage sufficient to ablate at least a portion of the target tissue; and
d) aspirating unwanted materials from the surgical site, wherein the unwanted materials are aspirated via an aspiration port and a suction cavity, the aspiration port within the treatment surface and the suction cavity internal to the electrode support. - View Dependent Claims (90, 91, 92, 93)
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Specification