The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 08, 2003
Filed:
Jan. 19, 2001
Jean Woloszko, Mountain View, CA (US);
Theodore C. Ormsby, Milpitas, CA (US);
Christopher L. Willink, Mountain View, CA (US);
Terry S. Davison, San Francisco, CA (US);
Steve Masterson, San Francisco, CA (US);
ArthroCare Corp., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
Electrosurgical methods and apparatus for removing tissue from a target site of a patient. An electrosurgical suction apparatus includes an aspiration channel in communication with a distal aspiration port, and an electrode support having a plurality of active electrodes disposed thereon, the plurality of active electrodes spanning the aspiration port. Each of the plurality of active electrodes is adapted for removing tissue from a target site to form low molecular weight ablation by-products. Each of the plurality of active electrodes is also adapted for digesting resected tissue fragments to yield low molecular weight ablation by-products. Ablation by-products and resected tissue fragments are readily removed from the target site via an aspiration stream flowing proximally through the aspiration channel. In one embodiment, each of a plurality of active electrodes protrude in different directions from a beveled treatment surface of the electrode support, and each of the plurality of active electrodes extend from the beveled treatment surface by substantially the same orthogonal distance.