Patent ID: 8066700

Claim:
An electrosurgical instrument comprising: a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and defining a first longitudinal axis between the proximal and distal ends; a flexible portion having a first end and a second end, the first and second ends of the flexible portion directly attached to an end of the shaft; and a head having a proximal end and a distal end and defining a second longitudinal axis between the proximal and distal ends, the proximal end of the head being closer to the distal end of the shaft than the distal end of the head, a part of the flexible portion received by a portion of the head such that the head is free to pivot about an axis, defined by the part of the flexible portion, that is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the head including a substantially planar, flat non-conductive surface and an electrically conductive surface, the non-conductive surface formed from one or more of ceramic, plastic, alumina, aluminum nitride, or zirconia, and the electrically conductive surface having at least a portion recessed in or projecting from the substantially planar, flat non-conductive surface, wherein the flexible portion is configured to passively bias the non-conductive surface and the electrically conductive surface towards a tissue surface such that, prior to contacting the tissue surface, the second longitudinal axis is offset from the first longitudinal axis by an angle α.