An endoscopic system comprising an endoscope having a reusable hand-piece and separable single-use shaft assembly, a single-use cartridge and a console. The single-use shaft assembly includes fluid paths and electrical connectors configured to extend through the single-use cartridge. The single-use cartridge comprises a housing defining fluid paths and electrical connectors. The reusable hand-piece comprises articulation control(s) for articulation of the single-use shaft assembly.

An endoscopic system comprising an endoscope having a reusable hand-piece and separable single-use shaft assembly, a single-use cartridge and a console. The single-use shaft assembly includes fluid paths and electrical connectors configured to extend through the single-use cartridge. The single-use cartridge comprises a housing defining fluid paths and electrical connectors. The reusable hand-piece comprises articulation control(s) for articulation of the single-use shaft assembly.

An endoscope including a handle and an insertion cord having a bending section body, a first steering wire portion, and a second steering wire portion. The bending section body includes segments and hinges keeping together, and formed integrally with, the segments, a center axis and a center plane traversing the center axis, the center plane dividing the bending section into a first bending section side and a second bending section side, and the segments including passages that together form a working channel lumen having a non-circular cross-section. Steering wire lumens are displaced with respect to the center plane towards the first side and configured to accommodate the first and second steering wire portions.

An endoscopic imaging system includes a reusable control cabinet having a number of actuators that control the orientation of a lightweight endoscope that is connectable thereto. The endoscope is used with a single patient and is then disposed. The endoscope includes an illumination mechanism, an image sensor and an elongate shaft having one or more lumens located therein. A polymeric articulation joint at the distal end of the endoscope allows the distal end to be oriented by the control cabinet. The endoscope is coated with a hydrophilic coating that reduces its coefficient of friction and because it is lightweight, requires less force to advance it to a desired location within a patient.

An endoscopic imaging system includes a reusable control cabinet having a number of actuators that control the orientation of a lightweight endoscope that is connectable thereto. The endoscope is used with a single patient and is then disposed. The endoscope includes an illumination mechanism, an image sensor and an elongate shaft having one or more lumens located therein. A polymeric articulation joint at the distal end of the endoscope allows the distal end to be oriented by the control cabinet. The endoscope is coated with a hydrophilic coating that reduces its coefficient of friction and because it is lightweight, requires less force to advance it to a desired location within a patient.

A medical device and a system including same are provided. The medical device includes an elongated device body, at least a portion of which is steerable within a body of a subject via at least one control wire; and a plurality of control wire guides disposed along the elongated device body and being deployable to deflect the at least one control wire away from a longitudinal axis of the elongated device body.

A remote manipulator system according to the invention for carrying out manipulations in a body-internal cavity comprises a manipulator apparatus with a motor-driven actuator mechanism for moving at least two endoscope apparatuses that are insertable through a respective access opening into the body-internal cavity, said endoscope apparatuses each having an elongate shaft (3), wherein the at least two endoscope apparatuses are each displaceable along a longitudinal direction and pivotable about a pivot point (10) defined by the respective access opening, an operating apparatus (21, 71) with at least two control elements (22, 22′, 22″, 33, 72, 72′, 72″, 73), which each have an elongate shaft (23, 23′), wherein the at least two control elements (22, 22′, 22″, 33, 72, 72′, 72″, 73) are each, in manual fashion, displaceable in the direction of a longitudinal axis and pivotable about a pivot point (30), and a controller (75) which is embodied to detect a respective longitudinal displacement and pivot movement of the at least two control elements (22, 22′, 22″, 33, 72, 72′, 72″, 73) and actuate the manipulator apparatus (1) in such a way that the movements of the endoscope apparatuses correspond to those of the at least two control elements (22, 22′, 22″, 33, 72, 72′, 72″, 73), wherein the operating apparatus (21, 71) is embodied in such a way that a relative position of the pivot points (30) of the control elements (22, 22′, 22″, 33, 72, 72′, 72″, 73) is adjustable.

A probe includes an articulating member with at least two vertebrae elements sequentially arranged along a long axis of the elongate ultrasound imaging probe. The articulating member includes pivots located between the at least two vertebrae elements. The pivots are disposed off-center relative to the at least two vertebrae elements. The pivots are spatially oriented to provide a pivot point for a different articulation direction of a vertebra element. The probe further includes a plurality of guides, including at least one guide for each of the respective different pivot directions. The probe further includes an actuator with a set of controls, each control configured to actuate a different pair of the plurality of guides for controlling opposing articulation directions, wherein the actuator reduces stress induced on at least one of a pushed guide or a non-activated guide, wherein the stress is induced in response to the actuator pulling a guide.

A probe includes an articulating member with at least two vertebrae elements sequentially arranged along a long axis of the elongate ultrasound imaging probe. The articulating member includes pivots located between the at least two vertebrae elements. The pivots are disposed off-center relative to the at least two vertebrae elements. The pivots are spatially oriented to provide a pivot point for a different articulation direction of a vertebra element. The probe further includes a plurality of guides, including at least one guide for each of the respective different pivot directions. The probe further includes an actuator with a set of controls, each control configured to actuate a different pair of the plurality of guides for controlling opposing articulation directions, wherein the actuator reduces stress induced on at least one of a pushed guide or a non-activated guide, wherein the stress is induced in response to the actuator pulling a guide.

An endoscope includes a bending portion bendable in all directions including four directions: an up direction, a down direction, a left direction, and a right direction, a bending operation lever configured to bend the bending portion by being tilted, and a wire pulling mechanism provided integrally on the bending operation lever and including a lever tilting angle adjustment mechanism configured to set a first tilting angle at which the bending operation lever is tilted in order to bend the bending portion to at least one direction in the four directions by a predetermined bending angle and a second tilting angle at which the bending operation lever is tilted in order to bend the bending portion in a direction different from the at least one direction by a predetermined bending angle to different angles when the bending operation lever is tilted so as to bend the bending portion.