Electrosurgery with improved control apparatus and method

An electrosurgical apparatus for performing laparoscopic electrosurgery at an operative site in the abdominal cavity of a patient, comprising the steps of:

• a source of environmental shielding gas providing gas molecules having properties for being energized at a particular frequency to an excited state.
• first delivery apparatus coupled to the source of gas and adapted to deliver the gas molecules into proximity with the operative site;
• a laser adapted to produce a laser beam providing laser energy at a frequency equal to about an integer multiple of the particular frequency of the environmental gas, and at a power generally sufficient to excite the gas molecules.
• second delivery apparatus coupled to the laser for delivering the laser beam along a pathway leading toward the operative site;
• an electrosurgery generator providing electrosurgical power;
• third delivery apparatus coupled to the electrosurgery generator and adapted to deliver the electrosurgical power along the pathway to the operative site.
• a handpiece including a housing and an elongate probe extending from the housing;
• and
• at least the third delivery apparatus extending through the probe of the handpiece.

A catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, the catheter being adapted to perform electrosurgery within a body conduit, comprising:

• any elongate shaft extending to the distal end of the catheter;
• a balloon carried by the shaft and being disposed generally at the distal end of the catheter, the balloon having a wall and being inflatable by an inflation gas having molecules excitable by a laser;
• portions of the balloon defining at least one hole providing for a controlled release of the inflation gas from the balloon;
• inflation apparatus for inflating the balloon with the inflation gas and for releasing a portion of the inflation gas through the at least one hole in the balloon;
• laser apparatus including a light fiber disposed along the wall of the balloon, the fiber being adapted to release laser energy into the inflation gas to excite the molecules of the gas along a pathway;
• and
• electrosurgical apparatus including an electrode disposed along the wall of the balloon, the electrode being adapted to release electrosurgical energy along the pathway and to perform the electrosurgery within the body conduit

An electrosurgical method for performing electrosurgery at an operative site on a patient, comprising the steps of:

• providing a source of environmental gas molecules having an excitation frequency;
• moving the gas molecules from the source into proximity with the operative site;
• providing a laser having a laser beam with a frequency equal to about an integer multiple of the excitation frequency of the enviromental gas;
• controlling the laser beam to provide power sufficient to excite the gas molecules generally along a pathway leading toward the operative site;
• providing an electrosurgical generator having electrosurgical power;
• and
• delivering the electrosurgical power along the pathway toward the operative site to perform the electrosurgery on the patient.

A laparoscopic method for performing electrosurgery at an operative site in the abdomen of a patient, comprising the steps of:

• insufflating the abdomen with gas molecules having an excitation frequency;
• exciting the gas molecules with a laser beam to form a pathway of excited molecules leading toward the operative site, the laser beam having a fundamental frequency or harmonic thereof equal to about the excitation frequency of the insufflation gas;
• and
• delivering electrosurgical energy along the pathway of excited gas molecules to perform an electrosurgical operation at the operative site.

An electrosurgical method for performing laparoscopic electrosurgery an operative site in the abdominal cavity of a patient, comprising the steps of:

• insufflating the abdominal cavity with an insufflation gas having an excitation frequency;
• lasing the insufflation gas at a lasing frequency, during the lasing step, exciting the gas molecules to form a pathway of excited gas molecules leading toward the operative site;
• directing electrosurgical energy along the pathway of excited gas molecules toward the operative site;
• and
• operating electrosurgically on the patient at the operative site.

A method for performing electrosurgery within a body conduit, comprising the steps of:

• providing a catheter having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, and a balloon with a wall, the balloon being carried by the shaft generally at the distal end of the shaft;
• inflating the balloon with a gas having molecules;
• releasing a portion of the gas molecules from the balloon;
• exciting the molecules of the inflation gas with laser energy to produce a pathway of excited gas molecules;
• and
• introducing electrosurgical energy into the pathway to perform the electrosurgery within the body conduit.

An electrosurgical apparatus adapted to perform electrosurgery at an operative site on a patient, comprising;

• an environmental gas having gas molecules with properties for being energized at an excitation frequency;
• a laser disposed to introduce a laser beam into the shielding gas to excite but not ionize the environmental gas along a pathway leading to the operative site on the patient, the laser beam having a discharge frequency equal to about an integer multiple of the excitation frequency of the shielding gas;
• and
• an electrosurgical generator disposed to create an electrosurgical arc along the pathway to perform the electrosurgery at the operative site on the patient.