Patent ID: 8414578

Claim:
An electrosurgical instrument for providing ionized gas to a surgical site, comprising: an elongated housing having a proximal end and a distal end, the elongated housing being configured for operable connection with a source of pressurized gas; an active electrode mounted at least partially within the elongated housing adjacent the distal end of the elongated housing, the electrode adapted to connect to a source of electrosurgical energy; at least one actuator which actuates the flow of pressurized inert gas from the source of pressurized gas over a portion of the active electrode within the elongated housing and which actuates the delivery of electrosurgical energy from the source of electrosurgical energy to the active electrode for ionizing the pressurized inert gas flowing over the active electrode for use at the surgical site; a flow regulator at least partially disposed within the elongated housing for selectively regulating the flow of pressurized gas from the source of pressurized gas upon actuation of the at least one actuator; and a sensor at least partially disposed on the elongated housing and in electrical communication with the flow regulator, the sensor being configured to sense a selected condition at the surgical site and automatically control the regulation of flow of pressurized gas to the active electrode.