Patent ID: 6923809

Claim:
Apparatus for electrosurgically cutting about a tissue volume, comprising: a support member having an outer surface surmounting an interior channel and extending along an instrument axis to a forward region; a tissue capture component positioned within said interior channel, having a leaf assembly comprising a plurality of elongate thin leafs extending forwardly from a base portion, a said leaf having a thickness extending between oppositely disposed faces, having a leaf width extending between oppositely disposed side edges and extending a leaf length along a centrally disposed leaf axis to a tip region having a forward edge, having a cable guide channel extending along said leaf to a guide outlet at said tip region, and having an eyelet structure extending forwardly from the location of said forward edge with an eyelet width extending substantially continuously along said leaf length effective to withstand tissue cutting loads, having a surface substantially perpendicular to a said leaf face and having a cable receiving aperture extending therethrough said leaf assembly being moveable to deploy outwardly from said support member forward region, said capture component having a pursing cable assembly extending through said cable guide channel, said guide outlet, and said cable receiving aperture of each said leaf, electrosurgically energizable and deployable with each said leaf tip region to define an electrosurgical cutting arc of initially expanding extent and subsequent contracting extent; a drive assembly engageable with said leaf assembly base portion and said pursing cable assembly and actuable to move said leaf assembly to deploy outwardly from said support member while effecting said deployment of said pursing cable assembly; and a control assembly drivably engageable with said drive assembly to effect said actuation thereof and having a terminal electrically coupled with said cable assembly to effect the electrosurgical energization thereof.