Electrosurgical cutting tool

An electrosurgical cutting tool having:

• a first blade and a second blade joined at a pivot point, each blade comprising a planar body made of a first dielectric material separating a first conductive element on a first surface from a second conductive element on a second surface, the second surface facing in the opposite direction to the first surface;
• actuation means for causing relative rotation between the first and second blades about the pivot point, between and open position and a closed position, the relative rotation being substantially in the plane of the blades;
• a first coaxial transmission line having a first inner conductor and a first outer conductor separated by a second dielectric material, the first coaxial transmission line arranged to deliver RF and microwave frequency signals for the first blade, wherein the first inner conductor and the first outer conductor are respectively connected to the first conductive element and the second conductive element of the first blade,
• a second coaxial transmission line having a second inner conductor and a second outer conductor separated by a third dielectric material, the second coaxial transmission line arranged to deliver RF and microwave frequency signals to the second blade, wherein the second inner conductor and the second outer conductor are respectively connected to the first conductive element and the second conductive element of the second blade, and
• wherein:
• the first conductive element and the second conductive element of each blade are able to act as active and return electrodes for sustaining an RF electric field
• therebetween, the RF electric field corresponding to the RF signal delivered to the first and second blades by the first and second coaxial transmission lines respectively, and the first conductive element and the second conductive element are able also to act as an antenna structure for radiating a microwave frequency EM field corresponding to the microwave signal delivered to the first blade and the second blade by the first and second coaxial transmission lines respectively.