An ablation instrument comprises an elongate shaft having a cannula channel and a scope channel, and an electrode disposed in the cannula channel. The electrode is slidable between a first position in which a distal end of the electrode is contained within the cannula channel, and a second position in which the distal end of the electrode extends out of a distal opening of the cannula channel. The ablation instrument further comprises a distal head coupled to the elongate shaft and configured for engaging tissue.

A medical instrument for enhancing diagnosis and treatment comprising a handle, an ablation probe extending from the handle, a catheter extending from the handle. The catheter defines a lumen and the ablation probe is located within the lumen of the catheter. A port in fluid communication with the lumen of the catheter is configured for connection to a vacuum or fluid source, and application of a vacuum or an injection of fluid creates a consistent zone of permittivity around the ablation probe.

In one embodiment, a medical system includes a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart, and including electrodes configured to capture electrical activity of tissue of the chamber over time, a display, and processing circuitry configured to compute a propagation of a cardiac activation wave over an anatomical map of the chamber of the heart from a start time in a cardiac cycle to an end time in the cardiac cycle responsively to the captured electrical activity, and render to the display respective portions of the propagation of the cardiac activation wave over respective portions of the anatomical map as viewed from a virtual camera while manipulating the virtual camera to follow progression of the propagation of the cardiac activation wave over the anatomical map.

Medical apparatus includes a flexible insertion tube, which has a first outer diameter and has a distal end configured for insertion into a cavity within a body of a patient. A rigid cylindrical electrode is fixed to the distal end of the flexible insertion tube and is configured to contact tissue within the cavity, and which has a second outer diameter that is at least 10% greater than the first outer diameter.

A medical device may comprise a handle having at least one actuator, a shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therebetween, the proximal end connected to the handle, the shaft including a distal articulable section including a distal tip, wherein the distal articulable section is configured to be articulated along a plane, a needle having a delivery lumen, the needle being movably positioned within the lumen of the shaft, and a vapor generator in fluid communication with the delivery lumen.

A medical instrument and associated functionality are described for performing a cystostomy with optical guidance. A cystostomy device (10) includes a sound (12) including a distal portion (18) and a proximal portion (20), a front handle (14) and a rear handle (16). A physician or other user can grip the handles (14 and 16) to guide the distal portion (18) of the sound (12) through the urethra and into a bladder of the patient. The device (10) includes an optical unit (32) mounted at the tip (22) of the sound (12). The optical unit (32) generally includes a distal sound tip cap (34) with a lens opening and an optical lens (36) mounted on the opening. The optical unit (32) may further include one or more illumination sources, such as LEDs, for illuminating a volume forward of the tip (22) of the sound (12).

Tools, systems, and methods described herein provide multiple treatments with a reduced number of tools. A single tool as described herein can be used to provide both clamping and sealing treatment modes.

A catheter has single axis sensors mounted directly along a portion of the catheter whose position/location is of interest. The magnetic based, single axis sensors are on a linear or nonlinear single axis sensor (SAS) assembly. The catheter includes a catheter body and a distal 2D or 3D configuration provided by a support member on which at least one, if not at least three single axis sensors, are mounted serially along a length of the support member. The magnetic-based sensor assembly may include at least one coil member wrapped on the support member, wherein the coil member is connected via a joint region to a respective cable member adapted to transmit a signal providing location information from the coil member to a mapping and localization system. The joint region provides strain relief adaptations to the at least one coil member and the respective cable member from detaching.

Described herein are systems and methods for performing optical signal analysis and lesion predictions in ablations. A system includes a catheter coupled to a plurality of optical fibers via a connector that interfaces with a computing device. The computing device includes a memory and a processor configured to receive optical measurement data of a portion of tissue from the catheter. The processor identifies one or more optical properties of the portion of tissue by analyzing the optical measurement data and determines a time of denaturation of the portion of tissue based on the one or more optical properties. A model is created to represent a correlation between lesion depths and ablation times using the time of denaturation, the one or more optical properties, and the predetermined period of time. A predicted lesion depth for a predetermined ablation time is generated using the model.

Systems, methods, and devices having improved conformal properties for biomedical signal measurement are disclosed. A device can have a first polymer substrate coupled to a conductive layer forming a conductive trace electrically coupled to a conductive pad exposed via an opening. The device can have a second polymer substrate forming a first cavity between the first polymer substrate and the second polymer substrate. The device can have a first inlet portion that receives a fluid that expands the first cavity causing the device to conform to an anatomical structure. The structure can be an atrium, such as the left atrium, of the heart of a patient. The device can conform to the walls of the tissue structure, and the conductive pad exposed via the opening can detect a signal from the wall of the tissue structure. The signal can be provided to an external measurement device for processing.