HIGH EFFICIENCY, PRECISION ELECTROSURGICAL APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract

An electrosurgical apparatus for cutting and/or coagulating living tissue, a method of forming the electrosurgical apparatus, and a method of using the electrosurgical apparatus. The cutting and/or coagulating living tissue is performed with one or two heated loops of resistance wire accompanied by sufficient electrical current across the living tissue to enable said cutting and/or coagulating to be performed. The electrosurgical apparatus may include: a glow blade having one or two glow loops of resistance wire; a radio frequency (RF) generator; and one or two voltage supplies configured to operate concurrently, while the one or two glow loops are heated to said glow, to supply both sufficient RF power and associated electrical current across the living tissue for cutting and/or coagulating the living tissue by the one or two glow loops. A first output of the RF generator is electrically coupled to the one or two glow loops.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an electrosurgical apparatus in a single ended mode with a single glow blade for use with a patient, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts an electrosurgical apparatus configured for differential operation with a dual glow blade for use with a patient, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts the single glow blade of FIG. 1 in greater detail, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4A depicts the dual glow blade of FIG. 2 in greater detail, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is an isometric view of the two glow loops in the dual glow blade of FIG. 4A, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts an equivalent electric circuit representing the electrosurgical apparatus and patient of FIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6A depicts an equivalent electric circuit representing the electrosurgical apparatus and patient of FIG. 2, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is an isometric view of glow loops in FIG. 6A, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 depicts examples of radio frequency (RF) generator output wave shapes, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 depicts an alternative electrosurgical apparatus in a single ended mode with a single glow blade for use with a patient, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 depicts an alternative electrosurgical apparatus configured for differential operation with a dual glow blade for use with a patient, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrosurgical apparatus for cutting and/or coagulating living tissue, comprising: a glow blade having one or two glow loops, each glow loop being a loop of resistance wire;a radio frequency (RF) generator; andone or two loop power supplies respectively corresponding to the one or two glow loops, each loop power supply configured to independently supply sufficient electrical current to its respective glow loop to heat the resistance wire of its respective glow loop to a glow,wherein the RF generator and the one or two loop power supplies are configured to operate concurrently, while the one or two glow loops are heated to said glow, to supply both sufficient RF power and associated electrical current across the living tissue for cutting and/or coagulating the living tissue by the one or two glow loops, andwherein a first output of the RF generator is electrically coupled to the one or two glow loops.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein there is no electrical current path from any output of the RF generator into a first loop power supply of the one or two loop power supplies.

3. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or two glow loops consist of a single glow loop, and wherein the one or two power supplies consist of a first loop power supply.

4. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first output of the RF generator is electrically connected to both a first output of the first loop power supply and a first portion of the single glow loop,wherein a second output of the first loop power supply is electrically connected to a remaining portion of the single glow loop, andwherein a second output of the RF generator is is adapted to be electrically connected to a patient pad which is in physical and electrical contact with the patient to facilitate an electric current flowing through the living tissue between the single glow loop and the patient pad.

5. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or two glow loops consist of a first glow loop and a second glow loop, wherein the one or two power supplies consists of the first loop power supply and a second loop power supply, wherein the first loop power supply is configured to supply electric current to the first glow loop, and wherein the second loop power supply is configured to supply electric current to the second glow loop.

6. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first output of the RF generator is electrically connected to a first output of the first loop power supply,wherein a second output of the RF generator is electrically connected to a second output of the second loop power supply,wherein the first output and a second output of the first loop power supply are electrically connected to the first glow loop,wherein a first output and the second output of the second loop power supply are electrically connected to the second glow loop, andwherein the electrosurgical apparatus is configured to flow an electric current in the living tissue disposed between the first glow loop and the second glow loop.

7. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF generator is configured to output power in a range of 1.25 watts to 125 watts.

8. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, wherein each loop power supply of the one or two loop power supplies is configured to receive power from a corresponding alternating current (AC) power source.

9. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, wherein each loop power supply of the one or two loop power supplies is configured to receive power from at least one battery.

10. The electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF generator is a commercial electrosurgical generator.

11. A method for forming the electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1, said method comprising: providing the glow blade, the RF generator, and the one or two loop power supplies; andelectrically coupling the first output of the RF generator to the one or two glow loops.

12. A method, comprising using the electrosurgical apparatus of claim 1 to cut and/or coagulate the living tissue, said using the electrosurgical apparatus comprising: applying electrical power to the RF generator to supply RF power for cutting and/or coagulating the living tissue by the one or two glow loops;applying electrical power to the one or two power supplies, resulting in a glowing of each glow loop of the one or two glow loops; andduring said applying power to the RF generator and to the one or two power supplies, cutting and/or coagulating the living tissue with the glowing one or two glow loops such that the RF generator and the one or two loop power supplies are operating concurrently to supply both sufficient RF power and associated electrical current across the living tissue for said cutting and/or coagulating the living tissue by the one or two glow loops.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said cutting and/or coagulating comprises said cutting and said coagulating.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said cutting and/or coagulating consists of said cutting.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said cutting and/or coagulating consists of said coagulating.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said coagulating the living tissue comprises brushing the glowing one or two glow loops along a surface of the living tissue being coagulated.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the living tissue is living tissue of a human being.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the living tissue is living tissue of a non-human mammal.

19. A method, comprising cutting and/or coagulating living tissue with one or two heated loops of resistance wire accompanied by sufficient electrical current across the living tissue to enable said cutting and/or coagulating to be performed.

20. The method of claim 19, said heated loops of resistance wire being glowing loops of resistance wire.

21. The method of claim 19, said heated loops of resistance wire being non-glowing loops of resistance wire.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said cutting and/or coagulating comprises said cutting and said coagulating.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said cutting and/or coagulating consists of said cutting.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said cutting and/or coagulating consists of said coagulating.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said coagulating the living tissue comprises brushing the glowing one or two heated loops along a surface of the living tissue being coagulated.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the living tissue is living tissue of a human being.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the living tissue is living tissue of a non-human mammal.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein said one or two heated loops consists of said one heated loop.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein said one or two heated loops consists of said two heated loops.