Patent ID: 6832998
Filing Date: 2004-12-21
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An electrosurgical system, comprising a bipolar cutting blade, a handpiece to which the cutting blade is secured, and an electrosurgical generator for supplying a radio frequency voltage signal to the cutting blade, the cutting blade comprising first and second electrodes, and an electrical insulator spacing apart the electrodes, the spacing being between 0.25 mm and 1.0 mm, and the electrosurgical generator being adapted to supply a radio frequency voltage signal to the cutting blade which has a substantially constant peak voltage value, the relationship between the peak voltage value and the spacing between the electrodes being such that the electric field intensity between the electrodes is between 0.1 volts/&mgr;m and 2.0 volts/&mgr;m, the first electrode having a characteristic which is dissimilar from that of the second electrode such that the first electrode is encouraged to become an active electrode and the second electrode is encouraged to become a return electrode.