Patent ID: 8518033

Claim:
An electro-surgical instrument for high-frequency cutting and high-frequency coagulation comprising two electrodes ( 31 , 33 ) spaced apart from each other by insulating material ( 17 ), and during operation connected at a proximal end ( 9 ) of the instrument ( 1 ) to an outlet of a high-frequency supply device, with a first electrode surface ( 25 ) of a first electrode ( 15 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 ) being provided such that together with a second electrode ( 14 , 16 , 33 ) it can be used for a cutting operation, the first electrode ( 15 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 ) comprises a second electrode surface ( 27 ) that can be used together with the second electrode ( 14 , 16 , 33 ) for a coagulation operation, and an effective area of the first electrode surface ( 25 ) of the first electrode ( 15 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 ) is smaller than an effective area of the second electrode surface ( 27 ) of the first electrode ( 15 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 ), wherein the first electrode ( 15 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 ) is fixedly connected to the second electrode ( 14 , 16 , 33 ) by at least one electrically insulating layer ( 17 ) fixed therebetween in a sandwich structure and forms a knife ( 11 ) of the electro-surgical instrument ( 1 ), and layers of the sandwich structure formed by the first and second electrodes and the insulating layer are aligned longitudinally in reference to sides ( 20 , 23 ) of the knife ( 11 ).