An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a wetting member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade that is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The wetting member is selectively movable between a first position and a second position. The wetting member is configured to be spaced away from the ultrasonic blade in the first position. The wetting member is configured to contact the ultrasonic blade in the second position and thereby apply a cooling fluid to the ultrasonic blade.

An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm comprises a clamp pad. The clamp arm is movable toward the ultrasonic blade to compress tissue between the clamp pad and the ultrasonic blade in two stages. During the first stage, the clamp arm is configured to compress tissue with only a distal portion of the clamp pad. During the second stage, the clamp arm is configured to compress tissue with the distal portion and a proximal portion of the clamp pad. Thus, the tissue compression begins at the distal portion and subsequently progresses toward the proximal portion.

An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade, a clamp arm, and a sleeve. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm is configured to move toward the ultrasonic blade. The sleeve extends along at least part of the length of an outer portion of the ultrasonic blade or the clamp arm. The sleeve is configured to prevent tissue from contacting a portion of the ultrasonic blade or clamp arm covered by the sleeve.

The method determines parameters to generate confocal ultrasound beams (B1,B2) inside a medium (4), and uses a device (1) comprising first and second ultrasound means (11,12) and first and second displacement members (13,14) for moving the ultrasound means (11,12). The parameters include signals s1,s2 to the ultrasound means (11,12), and the positions x1,x2 of the ultrasound means (11,12). The parameters are optimized for having a minimum amplitude a1,a2 of the signals s1,s2 and having an acoustic effect inside the medium (4).

An apparatus comprises a body, a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a shield member. The shaft assembly extends distally from the body. The end effector is located at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is configured to vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency. The clamp arm is movable toward the ultrasonic blade to compress tissue against the ultrasonic blade. The shield member is selectively movable from a first position to a second position in response to movement of the clamp arm toward the ultrasonic blade. The shield member is configured cover at least a first portion of the ultrasonic blade in the first position. The shield member is configured to uncover the first portion of the ultrasonic blade in the second position.

Disclosed are thermal treatment methods that involve monitoring and/or actively adjusting the temperature of targeted and/or non-targeted tissues.

Methods and devices for assessing, and treating patients having sympathetically mediated disease, involving augmented peripheral chemoreflex and heightened sympathetic tone by reducing chemosensor input to the nervous system via carotid body ablation.

A skin care apparatus suitable for use in proximity to a subject's eyes. The apparatus includes a treatment device and a stimulus device. Upon activation by a user, such as the subject or a technician, a stimulus delivered by the stimulus device causes the subject's eyelid to close prior to the administration of a skin care treatment by the treatment device.

Apparatus comprising a reflection-facilitation element, which is disposed in the pericardial cavity of a subject and on a first side of a tissue of the subject. The reflection-facilitation element comprises an inflatable member, having a first side and a second side, and configured to be inflated while disposed in the pericardial cavity, and a plurality of electrodes, comprising at least a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode being disposed on the first side of the inflatable member. The apparatus further comprises an ultrasound transducer placed on a second side of the tissue of the subject, and configured to apply ultrasound energy to the tissue of the subject such that at least a portion of the energy reaches the inflatable member. The inflatable member reflects at least a portion of the ultrasound energy that reaches the inflatable member.

According to embodiments, a membrane with a flat or curved surface is provided for protection of intraocular tissues. The membrane can be used to cover the cornea for protecting corneal endothelial cells, to cover the anterior and posterior surface of the iris, or to cover the surface of the posterior capsule for separating the intraocular tissues. The membrane has a layered structure, which is composed of a collagen and a hydrophilic biopolymer or an organic polymer material. In particular, the membrane has high transparency and high water retention in a wet state.