Arthroscopic devices and methods

1. An arthroscopic tissue resecting probe, comprising:

a hub;

an elongated shaft extending distally from the hub and comprising an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve which are each formed of an electrically conductive metal, the elongated shaft extending about a longitudinal axis to a working end of the elongated shaft that is located distally of the hub, wherein a proximal end of the outer sleeve is fixed to the hub, and wherein a proximal end of the inner sleeve is fixed to a drive coupling that is couplable to a motor shaft for rotating the inner sleeve within the outer sleeve and relative to the hub when the motor shaft is rotated;

an outer cutting window formed in a distal end of the outer sleeve;

an inner cutting window formed in a distal end of the inner sleeve;

wherein each of said outer cutting window and inner cutting window includes conductive metal cutting edges that can cut tissue when the inner sleeve is rotated within the outer sleeve;

a ceramic body including a ceramic window formed in a first side of the ceramic body, the ceramic body received on the distal end of the outer sleeve such that the ceramic window extends entirely around the outer cutting window in the distal end of the outer sleeve so as to expose entirely the outer cutting window through the ceramic window, wherein the ceramic body is fixed to the distal end of the outer sleeve so that the ceramic window remains fixed relative to the outer cutting window and thereby remains extending entirely around the outer cutting window when the inner sleeve is rotated within the outer sleeve; and

an electrode carried by the ceramic body on a second side of the ceramic body that is opposite the first side, wherein the electrode includes a proximal anchoring portion that is received in an anchoring slot in the second side of the ceramic body so as to leave a distal exposed portion of the electrode exposed along the second side of the ceramic body, wherein the second side of the ceramic body includes an aperture that communicates with an aperture in the outer sleeve, the distal exposed portion of the electrode extending partly across the aperture in the ceramic body to partly occlude the aperture in the ceramic body;

wherein a lateral edge of the distal exposed portion of the electrode is spaced-apart by a first radial angle of at least 10° from a closest lateral edge of the ceramic window in the ceramic body.

2. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the first radial angle is at least 20°.

3. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the lateral edge of the distal exposed portion of the electrode is spaced apart at least 0.010″ from the closest lateral edge of the ceramic window in the ceramic body.

4. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode occludes less than 70% of the aperture in the ceramic body.

5. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode has a width of at least 0.05″.

6. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode has a width measured in a second radial angle of at least 15°.

7. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode has a width measured in a second radial angle of at least 25°.

8. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the elongated shaft has an insertion profile with a maximum cross-section of less than 6.5 mm.

9. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the elongated shaft has an insertion profile with a maximum cross-section of less than 5.5 mm.

10. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode includes a non-linear edge extending across the aperture in the ceramic body.

11. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic body has a proximal collar portion extending 360° around the outer sleeve proximal to the outer cutting window.

12. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 11 , wherein said proximal collar portion has an axial length of at least 0.020″.

13. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 10 , wherein the non-linear edge includes a v-shaped edge.

14. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 11 , wherein the proximal collar portion of the ceramic body has a wall thickness of at least 0.010″.

15. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode occludes less than 60% of the aperture in the ceramic body.

16. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 further comprising a negative pressure source communicating with a passageway in the inner sleeve, wherein a ratio of a cross-section of said passageway relative to a maximum cross-section of an insertion profile of the elongated shaft is at least 0.5:1.

17. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the proximal anchoring portion of the electrode comprises two legs.

18. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the proximal anchoring portion of the electrode has a mean cross sectional dimension of at least 0.005″.

19. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the proximal anchoring portion of the electrode is configured with first and second anchor shaft portions disposed in respective first and second axial bores in the anchoring slot in the second side of the ceramic body.

20. The arthroscopic tissue resecting probe of claim 1 , wherein the distal exposed portion of the electrode occludes less than 50% of the aperture in the ceramic body.