Electrosurgery devices

• US 7,549,989 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuortho Surgical Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nuortho Surgical Inc.
• Inventors: Augé, Wayne K., Prakash, N. Mani, Morgan, Roy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen; Lee S
• Application Number:
  US11/847,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20070293852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 606/41
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/042 using additional gas becoming plasma
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/06 caused by chemical reaction , e.g. moxaburners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1815 using microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1213 creating an arc

Abstract

Devices for electrosurgery by means of oxy-hydro combustion. Deleterious effects to tissue are minimized by means of control of acid-base shift reactions, which reactions can further be employed to control oxy-hydro combustion reactions. In one embodiment, radiofrequency energy in electrical connection with electrodes is employed to induce electrolysis in an aqueous salt environment, thereby producing oxygen and hydrogen, with the same energy source employed to initiate a combustion reaction.

Claims

1. An electrosurgical apparatus comprising:

a housing having proximal and distal ends;

an active electrode disposed adjacent the distal end of the housing, the electrode comprising an alloy that induces release of hydrogen; and

an electrical connector extending from the active electrode to the proximal end of the housing for connecting the electrode to a source of current wherein the active electrode comprises a gas porous structure.