A catheter system for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a vessel wall or a heart valve includes an energy source, a balloon, an energy guide, and an electrical analyzer assembly. The energy source generates energy. The balloon is positionable substantially adjacent to the treatment site. The balloon has a balloon wall that defines a balloon interior that receives a balloon fluid. The energy guide is configured to receive energy from the energy source and guide the energy into the balloon interior. The electrical analyzer assembly is configured to monitor a balloon condition during use of the catheter system. The electrical analyzer assembly can include a first electrode, a second electrode, and an impedance detector that is electrically coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode. The impedance detector is configured to detect impedance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

A multifunctional medical device, apparatus or system that is capable of perforating a surgical procedure or operation and also capable of attracting, collecting, removing or reducing debris generated by the surgical procedure or operation, on a subject. The apparatus comprising a plurality of electrodes, two of which are configured to be in electrical communication with or being electrically connectable to opposite poles of a source of high voltage dc electricity to ionize, attract, collect, and remove or reduce debris. At least one of the electrodes is also configured to be part of a RF circuit to perform a surgical procedure or operation such as tissue cutting, cauterization tissue sealing or coagulating at a surgical site on the subject.

The disclosed technology is directed to a RF power generator and feedback control system used to regulate the electrical power delivered to a cutting filament (i.e., a cutting electrode) of an electrosurgical instrument. The electrosurgical instrument uses the delivered energy to form a cutting arc for ablating a tissue mass to access a target tissue therein. The instrument forms a basket-like receptacle around the target tissue to excise the target tissue from the ablated tissue mass. As the instrument forms the receptacle, the length of exposed filament ablating the tissue changes. To this end, the RF power generator described herein is configured to vary the total power delivered during the deployment of the instrument based on a measurement of output power derived from a differential phase angle between a current sense output and a voltage sense output, in some embodiments, to maintain a uniform power density along the length of exposed filament.

The present disclosure is directed to an electrosurgical apparatus for generating plasma in electrosurgical applications. The electrosurgical apparatus includes an end effector disposed on a distal portion of a tube of the electrosurgical apparatus. The end effector mixes ambient air with an inert gas to increase the production of radical species. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the end effector includes a cylindrical augmenter disposed over a distal end of the tube with one or more tilted vanes disposed between the cylindrical augmenter and the tube. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the end effector includes one or more tilted vanes disposed on an inner surface of a wall of the distal end of the tube. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the end effector includes one or more advection apertures on the wall of the distal end of the tube.

An electrosurgical wand is disclosed for treating a plurality of tissues at a variety of tissue locations. The electrosurgical wand includes a handle on a proximal end and an elongate shaft with a combination active electrode at the distal end. The combination active electrode includes with a blade and screen portion; the blade portion extending along and laterally from the wand longitudinal axis, forming a dissecting tip. The screen portion extends from the blade portion at an obtuse angle and has at least one aspiration aperture through it. The wand also includes a second and third electrode, proximally spaced from the combination active electrode. The second electrode spans a portion of an outside surface of the wand adjacent the blade portion, while the third electrode spans a portion of the outside surface of the wand opposite the second electrode.

A tissue removal system for extracting a tissue specimen from a patient is disclosed. The system has a retrieval bag, a first electrode, and a return electrode. The retrieval bag has a flexible container with an opening. The first electrode is coupled to an interior of the flexible container, and has a conductive wire with an exposure area, a first load-bearing area, a coating having a first active electrode surface area, and an impedance that is greater than an impedance of the conductive wire. The first active electrode surface area is less than the exposure area. The coating is configured to degrade during application of electrosurgical power and wherein the degradation expands the first active electrode surface area during the application of the electrosurgical power.

An electrode assembly is provided. The electrode assembly includes a proximal end that is adapted to connect to an electrosurgical instrument including a housing defining a longitudinal axis therethrough and an electrosurgical energy source. A distal end includes a cutting electrode having a loop configuration configured to cut tissue. The distal end includes a return electrode operably disposed adjacent the cutting electrode. A dielectric shield is operably disposed between the cutting electrode and return electrode. The dielectric shield extending distally past the cutting electrode to hinder current flow to the return electrode when the dielectric shield, cutting electrode and return electrode are submersed in a conductive solution and the cutting electrode is energized, thereby concentrating current density at the cutting electrode.

Disclosed is a multifunctional medical device, apparatus or system that is capable of performing a surgical procedure or operation and also capable of removing or reducing smoke particles generated by the surgical procedure or operation on a subject, the apparatus comprising a plurality of electrodes, two of which are configured to be in electrical communication with or being electrically connectable to opposite poles of a source of high voltage dc electricity to ionize, and remove or reduce smoke particles, and at least one of which is also configured to be part of a RF circuit to perform a surgical procedure or operation such as tissue cutting, cauterization, tissue sealing or coagulating at a surgical site on the subject. Also disclosed is a method of employing the above disclosed device, apparatus or system or variations thereof to perform a surgical procedure or operation at a surgical site and to remove or reduce smoke particles generated during the surgical procedure or operation.

An electrosurgical wand is disclosed for providing a range of tissue treatment modes and for use in a variety of orientations. The electrosurgical wand includes a handle on a proximal end, an elongate shaft and at least three distinct electrodes disposed at a distal end of the wand. The three electrodes include a blade electrode having a length measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of wand, the length running parallel to the wand longitudinal axis for a portion of the length. The blade electrode has a distal portion that curves toward the longitudinal axis at the distal end of the wand. The three electrodes also include a second electrode disposed on a second side of the wand from the blade electrode; and a third electrode disposed between the blade electrode and the second electrode. All the electrodes have a different shape and surface area.

The present disclosure relates to electrosurgical systems and methods for controlling electrical treatment energy in connection with electrical arcs. A method in accordance with the present disclosure includes providing electrical treatment energy to an instrument based on an indicated electrical energy level, accessing voltage signal values over time relating to voltage of the electrical treatment energy and/or current signal values over time relating to current of the electrical treatment energy, determining whether an arc generated by the instrument is an arc to be maintained or an arc to be extinguished based on a threshold value and at least one of the voltage signal values or the current signal values, and controlling the electrical treatment energy based on determining that the arc is an arc to be extinguished.