Patent ID: 7976540

Claim:
A method for controlling an electrosurgical electrode of a medical device comprising: providing a patient box with a step-up transformer; providing an electrical conductor from said patient box in an electrical connection with said electrosurgical electrode of said medical device; providing an RF generator with a balanced and symmetrical shielded transmission line electrically connecting said RF generator to said patient box; delivering an RF energy from said RF generator to said patient box through said balanced and symmetrical shielded transmission line electrically connecting said RF generator to said patient box; monitoring an electrical characteristic associated with said electrosurgical electrode; controlling the RF energy from said RF generator based upon the monitored electrical characteristic associated with said electrosurgical electrode; delivering an RF signal with a first RF power level from said RF generator to said patient box; increasing said RF power level of said RF signal in said patient box; delivering said RF signal with an increased RF power level to said electrosurgical electrode as an RF output through the electrical conductor; and detecting a leakage current by inducing a test signal in said patient box by directing said RF signal through said step-up transformer in said patient box, said step-up transformer being an RF transformer coupling a series of two capacitors between ground and a center tap of a winding in said RF transformer, and inducing said test signal onto RF output leads of said patient box by passing said RF signal through a common mode transformer, said test signal having a frequency of about 500 KHz.