Patent ID: 7927331

Claim:
A surgical apparatus for cutting and cauterizing tissue, comprising: a handle portion having an opening therethrough; an operating portion connected to said handle portion, said operating portion including a plurality of projections each having a respective sharpened tip and a base portion, said projections being separated from one another by respective gaps, said operating portion having an upper surface with a ridge adjacent said projections and a mound between said ridge and said handle portion, wherein said operating portion has a longitudinal axis generally along a direction of travel of said operating portion, wherein said mound slopes directly down to edge portions of said operating portion that are laterally offset from said longitudinal axis; an electrical conductor extending through said handle portion and said operating portion; and a cauterization element connected to said conductor, said cauterization element extending through the base portions of said projections and being exposed in said gaps, so that said tips of said projections are forward of said cauterization element.