Patent ID: 8251990

Claim:
An apparatus for cauterizing and severing tissue from a patient's body, the apparatus comprising: a sheath adapted for insertion into the body, the sheath having a tubular cross-section and including longitudinally spaced proximal and distal ends; and a cauterization device including a main body portion and a plurality of electrodes for contacting and cauterizing the tissue, each electrode having longitudinally spaced proximal and distal ends and extending longitudinally through the sheath, the distal end of each electrode adapted to selectively protrude from the distal end of the sheath to contact and cauterize the tissue; at least one of the plurality of electrodes including at least one sharpened cutting edge formed adjacent the distal end for mechanically severing cauterized tissue from the body upon movement of the main body portion; and wherein at least one of the electrodes has an elongate electrode body, with at least one longitudinally extending electrode edge terminating at a laterally extending distal end of the electrode, and at least one longitudinally extending electrode edge is sharpened along a portion of the length thereof.