Electrosurgical device having floating-potential electrode for obstruction removal

摘要

Disclosed herein are embodiments of an electrosurgical device that include one or more floating electrodes and are specifically adapted to remove, cut, resect, ablate, vaporize, denaturize, drill, coagulate and form lesions in soft tissues, with or without externally supplied liquids, preferably in combination with a resectoscope, particularly in the context of urological, gynecological, laparoscopic, arthroscopic, and ENT procedures. Specific adaptations for urological and gynecological applications, for example kidney stone removal and BPH treatment, are also described.

主权项

1. An electrosurgical instrument comprising:
a. an elongate conductive shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and a longitudinal axis, wherein said proximal end is configured for connection to an electrosurgical power source; b. an electrode assembly mounted to the distal end of said elongate conductive shaft and comprising an active electrode, a floating electrode, and an insulator separating said active and floating electrodes, wherein:
i. said insulator is disposed around said active electrode, and said floating electrode is disposed around said insulator;ii. said insulator is formed from a nonconductive dielectric material whereas said active and floating electrodes are formed from an electrically conductive material;iii. said active and floating electrodes are positioned in close proximity to each other;iv. said active electrode is electrically connected to said elongate conductive shaft whereas said floating electrode is not directly connected to either the elongate conductive shaft or the electrosurgical power source; c. a grasping subassembly slidably mounted proximate to said distal end of said elongate conductive shaft, said grasping subassembly comprising a plurality of grasping arms and a tubular control element positioned and axially slidable over said plurality of grasping arms, wherein advancement of said tubular control element in a distal direction causes said plurality of grasping arms to deflect inwardly and capture tissue retained therebetween.