Patent ID: 9603653
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. An apparatus for coagulating tissue, comprising: an electrode adapted to produce a high-frequency current; a gas-delivering device having an outlet and being adapted to deliver an inert gas from said outlet into a space defined between said electrode and said tissue, such that a plasma is produced between said electrode and said tissue when said high-frequency current is applied to said inert gas, wherein a distal end of said electrode projects out of said outlet of said gas-delivering device; and a guiding device comprised of an electrically insulating material and disposed at said distal end of said electrode, said guiding device for directing and guiding said plasma such that at least a part of said plasma is diverted in a predetermined direction, wherein a cross-section of at least a portion of said guiding device is at least a size of an opening of said outlet at a furthest distal end of said gas-delivering device in order to divert said plasma into said space substantially radially with respect to an opening of said outlet of said gas-delivering device, wherein the guiding device comprises a concave surface at a surface facing the outlet of the gas-delivering device and a substantially hemispherical surface at a surface facing away from the outlet of the gas-delivering device, and wherein only the electrode and the guiding device, and no other portion, of the apparatus extend past the opening of said outlet at said furthest distal end of the gas-delivering device.