An auxiliary return system for use with a bipolar electrosurgical device includes a tissue guard defining open proximal and distal ends and a body extending therebetween. The body includes outer and inner peripheral surfaces, the inner peripheral surface defining a lumen extending between the open proximal and distal ends, the outer peripheral surface including an elongated channel defined therein configured to receive a ground wire, a distal end of the elongated channel includes a pocket defined between the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the body. An electrically conductive rivet includes a proximal end configured to engage the inner peripheral surface of the body and a distal end configured to engage the outer peripheral surface of the body to secure the rivet within the pocket. The distal end including a connector configured to engage the ground wire to provide electrical continuity between the ground wire and the rivet.

A surgical instrument having a first jaw and a second jaw arranged in a hinged manner with respect to each other. A tool is slidably supported in a longitudinal direction in a tool channel, preferably in or on the first jaw. The tool may be moved in longitudinal direction by an actuation device. The actuation device has an actuation element and a drive element that are pivotably supported around a pivot axis, preferably on the first jaw. A rotational coupling may be established between the actuation element and the drive element via a coupling device.

An end effector assembly for use with a forceps includes a pair of jaw members, a knife assembly, and one or more cam assemblies. One or more of the jaw members are moveable relative to the other about a pivot between open and closed positions. One or more of the jaw members include a knife channel. The pivot includes first and second sections defining a passage therebetween. The knife assembly includes a knife blade and an actuation shaft. The knife blade is disposed distally relative to the pivot. The actuation shaft is configured for slidable translation through the passage to allow selective advancement of the knife blade through the knife channel. The one or more cam assemblies are operably coupled to the one or more moveable jaw members and are actuatable to move the one or more jaw members between the open and closed positions for grasping tissue therebetween.

Thermal cutting surgical instruments incorporate a blade incorporating a first substrate of high thermal conductivity material in the heated portion of the blade and a support and, the first substrate of high thermal conductivity material joined to a second substrate of low thermal conductivity material in the support region of the blade; an electrically insulative dielectric layer disposed on the first surface of the first substrate and on the first surface of second substrate; an electrically resistive heating element disposed on the electrically insulative dielectric; electrically conductive power leads and electrically conductive sense leads disposed on the electrically insulative dielectric layer and that are in electrical communication with the electrically resistive heating element; and an electrically insulative dielectric overcoat layer disposed on the electrically resistive heating element and on the distal portion of the electrically conductive power leads and electrically conductive sense leads.

A surgical instrument according to one or more embodiments may include: a base; an end effector; an elongated element to drive the end effector; a flexible shaft including a distal end coupled with the end effector; a winding member provided to the base rotatably about a rotational axis orthogonal to the second surface such that the elongated element from the flexible shaft is wound around the winding member; a drive receiving member rotatable about a rotational axis orthogonal to the second surface, to receive drive for rotating the winding member; a first guide pulley; and a second guide pulley. The first guide pulley guides the elongated element drawn from the shaft toward the second guide pulley along the rotational axis of the winding member, and the second guide pulley guides the elongated element from the first guide pulley toward the winding member in a direction intersecting the rotational axis.

A cutting element for an electrosurgical device. The cutting element includes an elongate non-conductive body having a first face opposite a second face, the first face and the second face defining an edge there between. A conductive element is disposed only along the edge, the conductive element being configured to cut tissue with monopolar radiofrequency energy.

An adapter assembly is disclosed for attaching a lighting device to a handheld surgical instrument, which includes a first body portion configured to engage a distal end portion of the surgical instrument at a position along a central axis thereof, and a second body portion configured to support a lighting device adjacent the distal end portion of the surgical instrument, such that an illumination axis of the lighting device angularly intersects the central axis of the surgical instrument.

A surgical instrument includes a handle, and an elongated shaft extending from the handle. An end effector extending from the elongated shaft is in communication with a source of electrosurgical energy and defines an end effector axis. A roll joint couples the end effector to the elongated shaft and includes a first tubular structure extending distally from the elongated shaft and a second tubular structure rotatably coupled to the first tubular structure. The second tubular structure supports the end effector such that the end effector is rotatable about the end effector axis.

Tissue is resected and extracted from an interior location in a patient’s body using a probe or tool which both effects resection and causes vaporization of a liquid or other fluid to propel the resected tissue through an extraction lumen of the resecting device. Resection is achieved using an electrosurgical electrode assembly including a first electrode on a resecting member and a second electrode within a resection probe or tool. Over a first resecting portion, radio frequency current helps resect the tissue and over a second or over transition region, the RF current initiates vaporization of the fluid or other liquid to propel the tissue from the resection device. In one embodiment, an extending element extends from a housing and into a channel in a resecting member as the resecting member moves toward a distal position.

A surgical instrument includes a housing, an end effector extending distally from the housing, and a use counting feature disposed on the housing. The use counting feature includes a plurality of layers of material arranged in a stacked configuration such that only an upper-most layer of the plurality of layers of material is substantially visible. The upper-most layer of the plurality of layers of material is selectively removable from the plurality of layers of material such that, upon removal of the upper-most layer, a previously second upper-most layer of the plurality of layers of material becomes the upper-most layer and is substantially visible.