Patent ID: 8361066

Claim:
An electrical ablation apparatus, comprising: a shaft; first and second selectably deployable electrodes slideably receivable within the shaft, each electrode comprising a first end configured to couple to an energy source and a second end configured to couple to a tissue treatment region, wherein the first selectably deployable electrode is deployable independent of the second selectably deployable electrode and the second selectably deployable electrode is deployable independent of the first selectably deployable electrode; a sheath slideably coupled to the first and second electrodes, the sheath slideable with respect to the first and second electrodes and the shaft, the sheath is disposable in a first position and a second position, the first position covers the first and second electrodes in a deployed state and the second position exposes the first and second electrodes in a deployed state; and an energy source coupled to the first and second selectably deployable electrodes, the energy source configured to deliver a first series of electrical pulses sufficient to induce cell necrosis by irreversible electroporation and a second series of electrical pulses sufficient to induce cell necrosis by thermal heating, through at least one of the first and second selectably deployable electrodes; wherein the first series of electrical pulses is characterized by a first amplitude, a first pulse length, and a first frequency; and wherein the second series of electrical pulses is characterized by a second amplitude, a second pulse length, and a second frequency.