Patent ID: 8100906

Claim:
An electrosurgical instrument for cutting and coagulating a tissue to be treated comprising: at least one cutting electrode for conducting a high-frequency current through the tissue for carrying out a cutting process; and power supply devices for supplying the high-frequency current at least to the at least one cutting electrode, wherein the at least one cutting electrode is mounted on the electrosurgical instrument in a manner that enables the at least one cutting electrode to rotate about a rotation axis, the at least one cutting electrode comprising at least one cutting area which is provided in the form of a helical curve running around the rotation axis and which is arranged in such a manner that when the at least one cutting electrode rotates about the rotation axis the at least one cutting electrode is active in sections over its length, each section acting on the tissue when the section falls below a defined minimum distance from the tissue or is located within a defined window area; further comprising two branches which are connected to one another and which can be activated according to a clamping or cutting tool and thus form a retaining device that includes at least one holding element on the branches for holding the tissue to be treated, the at least one holding element including a receiving/passage area comprising a receiving area and a passage area such that the at least one cutting electrode can be mounted in or on the holding elements in the receiving area and a voltaic arc can be generated across the passage area between the at least one cutting electrode and the tissue clamped in the retaining device, wherein the at least one cutting electrode encompasses a twisted surface element on whose edges two cutting areas are formed as helical curves and the section of the cutting areas along the helical curves runs along the surface element when the cutting electrode rotates.