Apparatus, System, and Method for Performing Surface Tissue Desiccation Having an Internal Cooling system

Abstract

Three types of internal cooling mechanisms for cooling one or more electrodes of a surface tissue desiccation device are described. Each cooling mechanism is closed-ended thereby preventing the cooling fluid from being dispensed from an electrosurgical handset of the device and onto the surgical site. The cooling fluid re-circulates in a conduit or lumen assembly between a fluid source, such as a fluid reservoir, and the electrode(s) at a distal end of the electrosurgical handset. A method is also provided for performing an electrosurgical procedure using the surface tissue desiccation device. The method includes activating an energy source; causing one or more electrodes to heat tissue; and internally cooling at least a portion of the at least one electrode(s) via an internal cooling mechanism. The internal cooling mechanism keeps the electrode(s) in a cooled state during the electrosurgical procedure, such as surface tissue desiccation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.