Retrieval of material from vessel lumens can be improved by electrically enhancing attachment of the material to the thrombectomy system. The system can include a catheter having a distal portion configured to be positioned adjacent to a thrombus in a blood vessel, an electrode disposed at the distal portion of the catheter, and an interventional element configured to be delivered through a lumen of the catheter. The electrode and the interventional element are each configured to be electrically coupled to an extracorporeal current generator. Delivery of current to the interventional element can be gradually ramped up during initialization to improve patient comfort and safety.

An end effector of an electrosurgical device may include a first body, a first electrode on the left side of the first body, and a second electrode on the right side of the first body. The first and second electrodes may be configured to receive electrosurgical energy to treat tissue in a target treatment zone. The end effector may also include a fluid aspiration port in fluid communication with a fluid path. The fluid aspiration port may be configured to remove a material from the target treatment zone.

Planar end effector designs having irrigation are presented. The example end effectors are configured to be affixed to a distal end of a catheter and delivered through vasculature in a collapsed configuration and expand at an intracardiac treatment site to a deployed configuration. In some instances, the end effector can have an electrode array with sufficient density to perform mapping and irrigation for mapping. The end effector can include dedicated irrigation tubes and/or irrigating electrode-carrying spines to irrigate within the electrode array. Flow rate at positions within the electrode array can be controlled in a predetermined manner by varying pore/port size, flow direction, and/or flow path cross-section throughout an irrigation flow path in the end effector.

A self-contained, battery powered transseptal crossing system is disclosed. An elongate, flexible electrically conductive needle body has a proximal end and a distal end. An insulation layer surrounds the sidewall and leaves exposed a distal electrode tip. A generator is configured to deliver RF energy to the electrode tip, and includes a processos configured to take impedance measurements at the tip to confirm contact with the intra atrial septum and / or confirm entry into the left atrium.

A method includes receiving: (i) a position of a target tissue intended to be ablated in an organ of a patient and having a predefined pattern, and (ii) an energy level of an ablation signal intended to be applied to the target tissue. One or more selected ablation electrodes that, when applying the ablation signal, produce together a lesion having a shape that covers the predefined pattern, are selected in a catheter that is inserted into the organ and has an array of ablation electrodes. In response to verifying that: (i) the one or more selected ablation electrodes are positioned on the target tissue, and (ii) a contact force between the one or more selected ablation electrode and the target tissue is larger than a force threshold, the ablation signal is applied to the target tissue using the one or more selected ablation electrodes.

A staple cartridge comprising staple drivers including stability supports is disclosed.

Disclosed is a surgical instrument comprising an end effector with independently activatable segmented electrodes.

A surgical instrument assembly is disclosed. The surgical instrument assembly comprises a shaft, an end effector, and a drive member configured to actuate a function of the end effector. The surgical instrument assembly further comprises an articulation member configured to be actuated to articulate the end effector and an articulation region, wherein the articulation member is configured to articulate the end effector relative to the shaft by way of the articulation region, wherein the drive member extends through the shaft, the articulation region, and the end effector. The articulation region comprises an articulation support pivot positioned within the articulation region, wherein the articulation member is coupled to the articulation support pivot, wherein the articulation member is actuatable to rotate the articulation support pivot, and wherein the drive member extends through the articulation support pivot.

Disclosed is a method of adapting energy modality due to a short circuit or tissue type grasped in the jaws of an end effector of a surgical instrument. The method includes selecting an electrode in an array of segmented electrodes during a pre-energy activation cycle. The method includes applying a sub-therapeutic electrical signal to the selected electrode to differentiate between a shorted electrode and low impedance tissue grasped in the jaws of the end effector. The method includes determining the selected electrode is shorted based on a measured electrical parameter received by the control circuit after applying the sub-therapeutic electrical signal and blending monopolar and bipolar RF energy. The method includes determining that the selected electrode is shorted and switching output energy of the RF generator between monopolar and bipolar RF energy.

A deployable radio-frequency (RF) ablation needle is provided. The deployable RF ablation needle is used to apply RF energy to hard and/or soft tissues to facilitate ablation thereof. Portions of the deployable RF ablation needle are configured for expansion from an undeployed configuration to a partially or completely deployed configuration via actuation by a user. The undeployed configuration of these portions of the deployable RF ablation needle affords a relatively small insertion size to facilitate insertion thereof into the hard and/or soft tissues, and the expansion of these portions from the undeployed configuration to the partially or completely deployed configuration correspondingly increases the application area of the RF energy to correspondingly increase the ablation zone afforded by use thereof.