MULTI-FEATURE ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT

An improved hand-held electrosurgical instrument includes a housing, an electrosurgical electrode, supportably interconnected to and extending from a distal end of the housing in a first direction, at least one light source supportably interconnected to the housing for emitting light in the first direction, and a light tunnel member extending away from the distal end of the housing in the first direction and defining a light tunnel therethrough for receiving and directing light emitted by the light source(s) through the light tunnel and out of a distal end of the light tunnel member. The light tunnel member yields improved tissue site illumination. The electrosurgical electrode may extend through and beyond the distal end of the light tunnel member, wherein the light tunnel extends along at least a majority of a length of the electrosurgical electrode that extends distally from the housing. The light tunnel may include an open passageway that extends proximally from the distal end of the light tunnel member for use in evacuating smoke from a tissue site. The hand-held electrosurgical instrument may include a smoke evacuation passageway fluidly interconnected to and extending proximally from the open passageway of the light tunnel, wherein smoke may be drawn in to a distal end of the open passageway, and through the open passageway and smoke evacuation passageway, to yield improved tissue site visibility and an improved working environment. The smoke evacuation passageway may be defined by a tubular member adjoined to the light tunnel member for handling as a single unit. L'invention concerne un instrument électrochirurgical tenu à la main amélioré comprenant un boîtier, une électrode électrochirurgicale, interconnectée en étant supportée à une extrémité distale du boîtier et s'étendant à partir de ladite extrémité distale du boîtier dans une première direction, au moins une source de lumière interconnectée en étant supportée sur le boîtier pour émettre de la lumière dans la première direction, et un élément formant tunnel de lumière s'étendant à partir de l'extrémité distale du boîtier dans la première direction et définissant un tunnel de lumière à travers celui-ci, destiné à recevoir et à diriger la lumière émise par la ou les sources de lumière à travers le tunnel de lumière et l'envoyer hors d'une extrémité distale de l'élément formant tunnel de lumière. L'élément formant tunnel de lumière permet d'obtenir un meilleur éclairage du site tissulaire. L'él