Electrode for electrosurgical ablation of tissue
AssigneeOratec Interventions, Inc.
InventorsHugh R. Sharkey, Gary S. Fanton, John A. Ashley, J. Remberto Carranza
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrosurgical probe is provided to vaporize, cut, coagulate or remove tissue from a body structure. A method of surgically treating a mammal includes providing a surgical instrument including a length of shaft and an active electrode having a curved current density edge with at least one convex surface; and ablating a tissue surface with said surgical instrument.
Claims47
A surgical apparatus, comprising:
- an energy application tip including:
- a length of shaft having an end;
- and
- an active electrode extending distally of the end of the shaft, the active electrode having a base formed by the end of the shaft and a substantially cylindrical wall extending distally of the base, the wall having a convex outer surface extending distally and radially outwardly to a substantially circular current-density concentrating edge forming a rim of the active electrode.
A surgical apparatus for ablating tissue, comprising:
- a energy application tip including:
- a length of shaft having an end;
- and
- an active electrode extending distally of the end of the shaft, the active electrode having a substantially planar base and a substantially cylindrical wall extending distally of the base, the wall tapering at it extends distally to a substantially circular current-density concentrating edge for forming a rim of the active electrode to scrape tissue when electrical energy is supplied to the active electrode.
A surgical apparatus for treating tissue in a body of a mammal comprising an elongate member having proximal and distal extremities and an active electrode mounted on the distal extremity of the elongate member, the active electrode being substantially cup-shaped and having an arcuately-extending edge around at least a portion thereof, the arcuately-extending edge serving as a current-density concentrating edge for ablating and sculpting the tissue when electrical energy is supplied to the active electrode and being provided with a plurality of cutouts therein for focusing the electrical energy on the arcuately-extending edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.