Bipolar medical coagulation instrument

Abstract

The legs of a forceps constitute two coagulation electrodes each of which has a jaw at one end and a terminal at the other end. The two terminals are electrically insulated from each other and constitute a projection having a spherical or frustoconical portion which can be inserted into a socket at the front end of a pistol-shaped coupling device serving to connect the electrodes with a source of high-frequency energy when the forceps is to be used as a coagulation instrument. The terminals of the legs can be moved into mere abutment with the terminals of conductors which are embedded in the insulating carrier of the coupling device. If the terminals of the coagulation electrodes form a projection with a spherical portion and a smaller-diameter cylindrical portion, the coupling device can be caused to swivel with reference to the forceps through angles of up to 40 degrees from a position in which the axis of the conical or frustoconical internal surface bounding the socket coincides with the axis of the cylindrical portion. The absence of the need for a positive connection between the terminals of the coagulation electrodes and the terminals of the conductors renders it possible to abruptly shift from utilization of the forceps as a separate mechanical instrument to utilization of the forceps as a part of a coagulation instrument or vice versa without any changes in the position of the forceps relative to the body of a patient.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.