Patent ID: 7951142

Claim:
An electrosurgical instrument comprising: a shaft defining a longitudinal axis; 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 coupled to the shaft through the flexible portion, a part of the flexible portion enclosed by a portion of the head such that the part of the flexible portion enclosed by the portion of the head defines an axis substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shaft and about which the head is free to pivot, the head including an electrically conductive surface and a substantially planar, flat non-conductive surface, the electrically conductive surface having at least a portion recessed in or projecting from the flat, non-conductive surface, wherein the flexible portion is configured to passively bias the electrically conductive surface towards a tissue surface and is arranged such that, in a relaxed state, the transverse axis is offset from the longitudinal axis of the shaft by a distance D.