A medical system includes a medical instrument, at least one actuator, and a controller. The medical instrument defines a central axis and includes a steerable tip. The controller is configured to command the at least one actuator to cause active steering control of the medical instrument according to an insertion control mode after movement of the medical instrument is detected and exceeds a first threshold value in an insertion direction and to deactivate the at least one actuator to cause the steerable tip of the medical instrument to move freely, without the active steering control, in reaction to forces exerted against the medical instrument by a wall of the anatomic passageway after axial movement of the medical instrument is detected by the medical system and exceeds a second threshold value in a retraction direction. At least one of the first or second threshold values comprises a velocity threshold value.

An insertion assist system includes a guide member and a shift member. The guide member brings an outside bend of a peripheral surface of an insertion body into contact with a guide surface of the guide member. The shift member shifts a direction of the distal end of the insertion body. The shift member comes into contact with an inside bend of the peripheral surface of the insertion body when the insertion body is bent. The shift member bends the insertion body toward the guide surface about the guide surface as a fulcrum when the shift member comes into contact with the inside bend and bends the insertion body.

An insertion assist system includes a guide member and a shift member. The guide member brings an outside bend of a peripheral surface of an insertion body into contact with a guide surface of the guide member. The shift member shifts a direction of the distal end of the insertion body. The shift member comes into contact with an inside bend of the peripheral surface of the insertion body when the insertion body is bent. The shift member bends the insertion body toward the guide surface about the guide surface as a fulcrum when the shift member comes into contact with the inside bend and bends the insertion body.

An object is to provide an endoscope by which it is possible to reuse a camera including an expensive solid-state image sensor. An endoscope of the present invention includes a shaft to be inserted into a body, a handle mounted on a proximal end side of the shaft and including a grip and operation knobs, and a camera including a cable tube and a camera head equipped with an image sensor. The camera is separable from the handle and the shaft. The shaft is formed with a camera channel in which the camera is arranged, the handle is provided with a camera channel port communicating with the camera channel, and the cable tube of the camera is attached to a camera connector mounted to the camera channel port when the camera is arranged in the camera channel.—

An object is to provide an endoscope by which it is possible to reuse a camera including an expensive solid-state image sensor. An endoscope of the present invention includes a shaft to be inserted into a body, a handle mounted on a proximal end side of the shaft and including a grip and operation knobs, and a camera including a cable tube and a camera head equipped with an image sensor. The camera is separable from the handle and the shaft. The shaft is formed with a camera channel in which the camera is arranged, the handle is provided with a camera channel port communicating with the camera channel, and the cable tube of the camera is attached to a camera connector mounted to the camera channel port when the camera is arranged in the camera channel.—

A Stylet device that allows for the articulation of tubing and provides a method for positioning of the tubing during intubation or other procedures while the tubing is located within a passage-way or lumen of a subject, such as an airway, organs, veins, intestines and the like. Where unique anatomical conditions are present in a subject, rendering standard intubation devices inadequate, the articulation capabilities of the apparatuses of the current invention are of particular use during methods of use and further promote the non-occlusion of the central cavity of the tube.

There is provided an endoscope capable of suppressing the degradation of a distal-end-part body over time that is caused by the sandwiching of a treatment tool. An endoscope includes a distal-end-part body that is provided at a distal end of an insertion unit. The distal-end-part body includes an elevator-housing space-forming wall that forms an elevator-housing space opened in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the insertion unit, a lead-out portion that includes a treatment tool outlet opened into the elevator-housing space, and an elevator that is provided in the elevator-housing space so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft between a standing position and a fallen position and includes a guide surface guiding a treatment tool. The elevator-housing space-forming wall includes an opening wall portion provided on an opening side of the elevator-housing space. An opposite wall portion, which is opposite to the guide surface in a case where the elevator is in the standing position, of the opening wall portion is made of a material harder than the other wall portion other than the opposite wall portion.

To provide a guide wire including a core shaft having an elongated outer shape, and a coating film on an outer surface of the core shaft, the coating film containing a resin. The coating film includes a marker portion containing a pigment on an outer surface of the coating film and a resin portion not containing the pigment. On the outer surface of the coating film, the marker portion and the resin portion are alternately visible in a stretching direction. Of the coating film, a thickness of a portion where the marker portion is visible on the outer surface and a thickness of a portion where the resin portion is visible on the outer surface are substantially the same, or the thickness of the portion where the marker portion is visible is smaller than the thickness of the portion where the resin portion is visible.

A guide wire includes a main body portion having an elongated outer shape and having a base and a marker alternately presented on an outer surface along an extending direction, and a resin layer having light permeability, covering the outer surface of the main body portion, and including a recessed portion and a protruding portion alternately arranged along the extending direction of the main body portion, wherein in longitudinal cross-section along the extending direction of the main body portion, a width of the marker is wider than a width of the protruding portion.

A medical probe includes a shaft for navigation in a patient body, and first and second deflection mechanisms. The shaft ends with a flexible section and a spring, followed by a rigid distal tip having one or more medical devices coupled thereto. The first deflection mechanism is configured to deflect the flexible section relative to the shaft. The second deflection mechanism is configured to deflect the distal tip relative to the first flexible section by using the spring.