An intravascular catheter for nerve activity ablation and/or sensing includes one or more needles advanced through supported guide tubes (needle guiding elements) which expand to contact the interior surface of the wall of the renal artery or other vessel of a human body allowing the needles to be advanced though the vessel wall into the extra-luminal tissue including the media, adventitia and periadvential space. The catheter also includes structures which provide radial and lateral support to the guide tubes so that the guide tubes open uniformly and maintain their position against the interior surface of the vessel wall as the sharpened needles are advanced to penetrate into the vessel wall. Electrodes near the distal ends of the needles allow sensing of nerve activity before and after attempted renal denervation. In a combination embodiment ablative energy or fluid is delivered from the needles in or near the adventitia to ablate nerves outside of the media while sparing nerves within the media.

An electrosurgical forceps includes a housing having a shaft affixed thereto, the shaft including jaw members at a distal end thereof. The forceps also includes a switch assembly that includes a supporting member, a flexible membrane circuit having snap dome switch contacts operably fixed thereto, and ergonomically-contoured keytops. The switch assembly provides at least one monopolar activation switch, and a bipolar activation switch. The forceps also include a drive mechanism which causes the jaw members to move relative to one another for manipulating tissue. A monopolar safety switch is incorporated into the switch assembly which cooperates with the drive mechanism to inhibit the monopolar activation switch when the jaw members are in an open position.

A method for constructing a modular surgical system is disclosed. The method comprises providing a header module comprising a first power backplane segment, providing a surgical module comprising a second power backplane segment, assembling the header module and the surgical module to electrically couple the first power backplane segment and the second power backplane segment to each other to form a power backplane, and applying power to the surgical module through the power backplane.

A multi-pole synchronous pulmonary artery radiofrequency ablation catheter may comprise a control handle, a catheter body and an annular ring. One end of the catheter body may be flexible, and the flexible end of the catheter body may be connected to the annular ring. The other end of the catheter body may be connected to the control handle. A shape memory wire may be arranged in the annular ring. One end of the shape memory wire may extend to an end of the annular ring and the other end of the shape memory wire may pass through a root of the annular ring and be fixed on the flexible end of the catheter body. The annular ring may be provided with an electrode group. The device possesses advantages of simple operation, short operation time and controllable precise ablation. The device can be used to treat pulmonary hypertension with pulmonary denervation.

A smart tourniquet includes a casing having a control unit; a contact area arranged to the casing, configured to contact a patient's skin, and connected to the control unit; a cuff arranged to the casing with an inflatable bladder; an adjustable strap arranged to the cuff for securing the cuff and casing to the patient; a pump contained in the casing, connected to the bladder, and controlled by the control unit; a thermoelectric module contained in the casing, controlled by the control unit, and connected to the contact area; and at least one sensor contained in the casing for detecting blood pulse and controlled by the control unit. The control unit is configured to inflate and deflate the bladder in response to blood pulse for changing a pressure around an arm or leg and to heat the contact area for vasodilating a vein under the patient's skin for visual detection.

Methods and systems are disclosed for removing a tattoo from a subject's skin by application of a cold plasma that is delivered via a liquid-gas mixture. The plasma can be delivered in the form of gas bubbles, in which at least a portion of gas is in the form of a plasma.

A modular handpiece having a proximal handle module with a handle unit having at least one interior fluid cavity, having an exterior gripping surface, defining a fluid control port enabling fluid communication between the atmosphere and the interior fluid cavity, and capable of accommodating at least one waveguide for carrying optical radiation and capable of accommodating at least one RF electrode. The handpiece further comprises a cannula module having a distal portion with a distal tip, a central portion, and a proximal portion connectable with the handle module. All three cannula portions are capable of at least one of (a) defining a waveguide conduit, (b) carrying at least one RF electrode, and (c) defining a fluid passageway between the distal tip and the interior fluid cavity of the handle unit.

A corrugated radiofrequency ablation catheter and an apparatus thereof. The radiofrequency ablation catheter is provided with a strip-shaped connecting catheter (10). An electrode frame is provided at the front extremity of the connecting catheter (10). A control handle (20) is provided at the rear extremity of the connecting catheter (10). The electrode frame is a corrugated electrode frame consisting of one or more corrugations. One or more electrodes (2) respectively are distributed on the corrugations. Slidable, supporting, wall-attaching adjustment wires (6) are provided within one lumen of the connecting catheter (10) and the electrode frame. The supporting, wall-attaching adjustment wires (6) are divided into a flexible segment (61) away from the control handle and a rigid segment (62) in proximity to the control handle.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument and method of sealing a tissue includes generating a desired burst pressure in the tissue, sealing the tissue, verifying that the tissue is sealed with further application of at least one of the ultrasonic energy and the RF energy. The ultrasonic surgical instrument further includes an end effector having an ultrasonic blade, an RF electrode, and a controller. The controller operatively connects to the ultrasonic blade and the RF electrode and is configured to direct application of ultrasonic and RF energies according to an initial phase, a power phase, and a termination phase for respectively generating a desired burst pressure in the tissue, sealing the tissue, and verifying the sealing of the tissue while inhibiting transection of the tissue.

Controlling conductive fluid flow during an electrosurgical procedure. At least some of the example embodiments are methods including: flowing conductive fluid from a source lumen to a suction lumen of an electrosurgical wand, the flowing with the electrosurgical wand in a first orientation; sensing a change in orientation of the electrosurgical wand to a second orientation different than the first orientation; and changing a control parameter associated with the conductive fluid flow, the changing responsive to the change in orientation of the electrosurgical wand.