A surgical tool can include a handle, an outer tube, an end effector, an inner tube, and a guide tube. The outer tube can be connected to the handle and can extend along a longitudinal axis. The end effector can be connected to the outer tube. The inner shaft can be located within the outer tube and can extend along the longitudinal axis. The inner shaft can be connected to the end effector and the outer shaft. The handle can be operable to translate the inner shaft with respect to the outer tube to operate the end effector. The guide tube can be located within the outer tube between the handle and the end effector. The guide tube can include a conduit extending therethrough.

Electrosurgical probes for treating tissue, and surgical procedures that make use of such probes. Such a probe includes a working element having a core member, a sheath secured to the working element, and a conductor disposed in a first internal longitudinal channel of the core member and having an active electrode coupled thereto. The sheath has a passage in which the core member is disposed, and the passage has an opening at a distal end of the sheath. The conductor is reciprocable within the sheath and adapted to carry a radio frequency current to and from the active electrode, which extends from the opening at the distal end of the sheath. An irrigation channel is defined by a second internal longitudinal channel of the core member. The electrosurgical probe is marked as disposable and not for reuse in a medical procedure performed on more than one patient.

An arthroscopic or other surgical system includes a handpiece and a probe. The handpiece carries a motor drive, and the probe has a proximal hub and an elongate shaft which extends about a longitudinal axis to a working end of the probe. The hub is configured for detachably coupling to the handpiece, and the motor drive is configured to couple to a rotating drive coupling in the hub when the hub is coupled to the handpiece. A first magnetic component is carried by the hub, and a second magnetic component is coupled to rotate with the rotating drive coupling.

A tissue treatment device has a shaft assembly including an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve. The inner sleeve is co-axially and rotatably received in an axial passageway in the outer sleeve. A dielectric housing has an outer cutting window forming a distal portion of the outer sleeve, and a distal portion of the inner sleeve forms an RF electrode and has an inner cutting window formed therein. The outer and inner cutting windows have outer and inner cutting edges disposed to close together as the inner sleeve is rotated relative to the outer sleeve.

A fluid source on a carrier is configured to rotate relative to a probe to direct a fluid stream from the source toward an opening of an evacuation lumen. This may help to remove material that may collect near the opening, such as blood clots and tissue. Also, directing the fluid stream toward the evacuation lumen can draw flowable material from the surgical site toward the evacuation lumen to improve removal of material from the surgical site.

A medical device may include a handle, a sheath fixed relative to the handle, a longitudinal actuator movable relative to the handle, an end effector, a member extending proximally from the end effector through the sheath, with a portion of the member being fixed relative to the longitudinal actuator, and a rotation actuator. Movement of the rotation actuator may cause rotation of the member relative to the sheath, and movement of the longitudinal actuator may cause longitudinal movement of the member relative to the rotation actuator.

High-frequency (HF) tools are used in medicine for manipulating body tissue, using an HF resectoscope. For electrical insulation of an electrode from an electrode support, the ends of the electrode are initially guided through ceramic tubes. These ceramic tubes are sensitive in particular to forces transverse to the longitudinal axis of the resectoscope. Disclosed herein is a high-frequency tool that has increased stability with respect to transverse forces. An electrode has two ends, which for establishing a connection to an electrode support are each insertable into a receiving opening of the ends of the electrode support, or positionable in front of the ends. The electrode is contacted in an electrically conductive manner, at least in the area of a receiving opening, with a conductor wire that is guided in the electrode support.

Surgical handheld devices are used in electrosurgical procedures in urology. For this use, a radiofrequency electric current is applied to an electrode. It is necessary to avoid the electrode coming into electrical contact with the handheld device. Known insulation inserts for electrical insulation can be connected to the handheld device only with difficulty. Moreover, the connection is very unreliable. A surgical handheld device, and an insulation insert which can be connected to a shaft of the handheld device in a safe and easily releasable manner. The insulation insert is of a tubular configuration and is releasably coupled with a proximal end region to a distal end of a tubular shaft of the handheld device. The proximal end region of the insulation insert has at least two resilient fasteners, which each have a latch element pointing into an interior of the insulation insert.

An electrode unit comprises: an electrode supporting member provided with a pair of distal end rigid members surfaces of which are covered by an electrically insulating material; a treatment electrode configured with electrode bodies arranged in respective distal end portions of the pair of distal end rigid members and protruding downward respectively from the pair of distal end rigid members, and a spanning portion that spans respective lower end portions of the electrode bodies; and a detection sensor arranged on respective proximal end sides of the pair of distal end rigid members and configured to detect a contact state between the pair of distal end rigid members and tissue.

A radiofrequency electrode for handheld devices are used predominantly in urology for electrosurgical work in the bladder, the prostate, and the urethra. A large active area of the electrode is known to be advantageous. However, the size of the area is restricted by the available space. Moreover, greater energy is required for igniting the plasma for large electrodes. However, an elevated energy level is disadvantageous in terms of the heat influx into the rinsing liquid and this may be disadvantageous for the surrounding tissue. The invention develops a radiofrequency electrode, an electrode instrument and a resectoscope, in which a plasma can be better localized at the electrode and the energy for igniting the plasma is reduced at the same time. This is achieved by virtue of a radiofrequency electrode for use in a surgical handheld device having the shape of a toroid.