A handheld and self-contained electrosurgical instrument includes a self-contained housing, rechargeable batteries, a microprocessor for receiving an external radio frequency signal that defines a selected frequency and current level, a circuit producing an RF signal according to said selected frequency and current level that, when applied to an electrode, performs at least one of cutting, coagulating and combined cutting-coagulating of biological tissue, a radio frequency transformer located within the housing and conductively coupled to the circuit, the transformer for transforming the RF signal according to predefined attributes, and an active monopolar or bipolar electrode for receiving the RF signal from the transformer and contacting biological tissue so as to cut and/or coagulate said biological tissue.
