An electrode is disclosed for use in a system for heating biological tissue via RF energy. The electrode comprises a plurality of electrically conductive pins projecting from, and in electrical contact with, an electrically conductive common base. The base is connectible to a source of RF energy and the spaced ends of the pins remote from the base have contact regions for introducing RF energy from the source into the biological tissue. Each contact region is sufficiently small to achieve uniform dielectric heating in the biological tissue beneath the contact region at the frequency of the applied RF energy.

An electrical apparatus includes a spiral electrode and an interface circuit. The spiral electrode is disposed on a distal end of a probe for insertion into a body of a patient. The interface circuit is configured to (a) transfer a radiofrequency (RF) ablation signal to the electrode for ablating tissue in the body, (b) output a voltage that develops across the electrode in response to an external magnetic field, for measuring a position of the distal end in the body, and (c) transfer electrical current through the electrode for measuring a resistivity that is indicative of tissue temperature in a vicinity of the electrode.

A cold plasma device is suitable for treating a region of a biological surface. The device includes a cold plasma generator with an electrode and a dielectric barrier. The dielectric barrier includes a first side that faces the electrode and a second side that faces away from the electrode. An actuator is configured to selectively reciprocate the cold plasma generator between a first position and a second position, and a controller is programmed to control the actuator to selectively position the cold plasma generator relative to the biological surface.

An energy generator includes a connector port configured to couple to an electrosurgical instrument including an electrode having a polymeric dielectric coating; a power converter configured to generate energy; and a sensor coupled to the power converter and configured to sense a parameter of the energy. The energy generator also includes a controller coupled to the sensor and the power converter. The controller is configured to: control the power converter to output energy to modify an electrical property of the polymeric dielectric coating; and determine whether the electrical property of the polymeric dielectric coating has been sufficiently modified by the energy.

A surgical system comprising a generator and a surgical instrument configured to receive power from the generator is disclosed. The surgical instrument comprises a housing, a shaft defining a longitudinal axis, an end effector, and an internal charge accumulator. The housing comprises a motor. The end effector is operably responsive to actuations from the electric motor, transitionable between an open and closed configuration, and rotatable about an articulation axis transverse to the longitudinal axis. The generator is incapable of supplying a sufficient power directly to the motor to perform the actuations. The internal charge accumulator is in electric communication with the generator and supplies power to the motor. The internal charge accumulator is chargeable by the generator to a threshold value at a charge rate dependent on a charge level of the internal charge accumulator. The charge rate is independent of a charge expenditure by the surgical instrument.

An electrosurgical instrument comprising a housing, a shaft extending from the housing, an end effector extending from the shaft, an articulation joint rotatably connecting the end effector to the shaft, and a wiring circuit is disclosed. The housing comprises a printed control board. The wiring circuit extends from the printed control board through the shaft and into the end effector. The wiring circuit is configured to monitor a function of the end effector and communicate the monitored function to the printed control board. The wiring circuit comprises a proximal rigid portion fixed to the shaft, a distal rigid portion fixed to the end effector, and an intermediate portion extending from the proximal rigid portion to the distal rigid portion. The intermediate portion comprises a resilient portion and a stretchable portion.

A surgical instrument comprising a motor assembly, a shaft defining a shaft axis, a distal head, a rotary drive member, and a distal head lock member movable between a first position where the distal head is unlocked from the shaft and a second position where the distal head is locked to the shaft is disclosed. The motor assembly comprises a motor and a controller configured to operate the motor in first and second operating modes. The distal head comprises an end effector movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The distal head is rotated about the shaft axis when the distal head lock member is in the first position and the rotary drive member is actuated. The end effector is moved from the open configuration toward the closed configuration when the distal head lock member is in the second position and the rotary drive member is actuated.

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector including a proximal end, a distal end, a first jaw, and a second jaw is disclosed. The first jaw comprises a first electrode. The second jaw comprises a second electrode and a monopolar electrode centrally disposed down a length of the end effector. The first electrode and the second electrode cooperate to deliver bipolar energy to the tissue in a bipolar cycle. The monopolar electrode comprises a wedge shape that graduates in width along the length of the end effector. The monopolar electrode is electrically isolated from the first and second electrodes. The monopolar electrode is configured to employ monopolar energy to cut the tissue in a monopolar cycle.

A surgical end effector for use with an electrosurgical instrument is disclosed. The end effector comprises a first jaw including a first electrode and a second jaw including a second electrode. The end effector is transitionable from an open configuration to a closed configuration to grasp tissue. The second electrode is laterally offset from the first electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode are configured to cooperate to deliver a bipolar energy to the tissue. The second jaw further comprises a monopolar electrode configured to deliver a monopolar energy to the tissue and a compliant substrate. The monopolar electrode and the second electrode are fixedly attached onto the compliant substrate in a spaced apart arrangement. The compliant substrate is configured to apply a biasing force to the second electrode and the monopolar electrode toward the first jaw in the closed configuration.

The present invention relates to a method, device, and system for improved mapping and/or ablation of a tissue. The device may generally include an elongate body and a distal assembly affixed to the elongate body that includes a treatment electrode having a conductive mapping region and a selectively conductive ablation region that is conductive of high-frequency current and substantially non-conductive of low-frequency current. Alternatively, the device may generally include a treatment electrode having a conductive mapping or ablation region and a region that is coated with an electrically insulated but thermally conductive layer.