The present invention is advantageous in that the shape of the catheter can be sensed by detecting the position of bending of the catheter body, the direction thereof, the angle thereof, and the curvature thereof through a triplet calculation of information regarding three wavelengths that have undergone a transition along respective FBGs provided on three optical cores.

A catheter assembly is provided that includes a puncture tool and a catheter. The puncture tool includes a hollow puncture needle configured to puncture a blood vessel, a detection portion that protrudes forward from a tip of the puncture needle and detects pulsation of the blood vessel, and a determination portion that determines whether the blood vessel is a vein or an artery based on the pulsation of the blood vessel detected by the detection portion. The detection portion includes a probe provided inside the hollow puncture needle that is configured to advance and retreat in an axial direction, and a sensor that detects pulsation of a blood vessel transmitted via the probe.

A surgical port feature may include a funnel portion, a tongue, a waist portion, and surgical instrument channels. The waist portion may be located between the funnel portion and the tongue. The surgical instrument channels may extend from the funnel portion through the waist portion. The surgical port feature may further include a second tongue, with the wait portion being located between the funnel portion, the tongue, and the second tongue.

One aspect relates to a catheter system, a use of such catheter system and a manufacturing method for such catheter system. The catheter system includes an at least partially flexible catheter body, at least a ring electrode, and at least a strain gauge. The ring electrode surrounds at least a portion of the flexible catheter body. The strain gauge is allocated to the ring electrode and the strain gauge is configured to measure a deformation of the flexible catheter body at a position allocated to the ring electrode to detect a contact between the ring electrode and tissue.

For robotically operating a catheter, a medical catheter is controlled by rotation of the catheter as well as steering in one or more planes of a distal end of the catheter. To robotically rotate the catheter, a handle is rotated. The steering is performed separately using one or more knobs on the handle. The rotation of the handle complicates the robotic control of the knob. A mechanical decoupling is used so that rotation of the handle maintains the position of the knob relative to the handle. Gearing or transmission is used to avoid independent control of the knob and handle rotation. In an alternative or additional approach, the handle may be robotically controlled while also guiding the catheter shaft spaced away from the handle, allowing fine-tuned control of the catheter at the access point to the patient.

Techniques and technologies for guiding medical instruments during medical procedures using real-time imaging technologies are disclosed. A representative apparatus includes a medical instrument, an imaging system, a stage assembly, and a control system. The medical instrument includes an elongated portion configured to be inserted into a body portion and having an optical fiber that includes a tip portion that is extendable beyond a distal end of the elongated portion. The imaging system provides a sampling energy that is emitted from the tip portion. The stage assembly actuates the tip portion to perform scanning of one or more tissues with the sampling energy. The imaging system receives a reflected energy, providing a plurality of one-dimensional arrays of intensity values of the reflected energy. The control system analyzes the plurality of one-dimensional arrays of intensity values to determine a shape and a location of the target tissue, and displays information for guiding the medical instrument into engagement with the target tissue.

A drive assembly for a catheter procedure includes a body configured to receive a percutaneous device where the body has a first end and a second end. A distal pinch is configured to releasably engage the percutaneous device. A proximal pinch is positioned on the first end of the body and is configured to releasably engage the percutaneous device. A linear drive mechanism is coupled to the body and configured to move the body and the proximal pinch between a first position and a second position to cause linear movement of the percutaneous device along a longitudinal axis of the percutaneous device. A rotational drive mechanism is coupled to the second end of the body and is configured to rotate the body and the proximal pinch to cause the percutaneous device to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the percutaneous device.

Provided is a robot for vascular intervention. The robot for vascular intervention comprises: a catheter driving unit for rotating and translating a catheter extending in a longitudinal direction while having the longitudinal direction as an axis; a guide wire driving unit provided at a side of the catheter driving unit, drawing a guide wire into the catheter by translating the guide wire, and rotating the guide wire coaxially with the catheter; a micro-catheter driving unit provided at a rear of the catheter driving unit and translating the micro-catheter in a path coaxial with the catheter that is different from draw-in and draw-out paths of the guide wire when the guide wire is drawn out from an inside of the catheter; and a micro-guide wire driving unit provided at a rear of the micro-catheter driving unit, and drawing a micro-guide wire into the micro-catheter by translating the micro-guide wire, and rotating the micro-guide wire coaxially with the micro-catheter.

A surgical tool comprises a pair of opposing jaws moveable relative to each other between a closed position and first and second open positions. The opposing jaws remain substantially parallel to one another when moving between the closed position and the first open position and remain non-parallel to one another when moving between the first open position and the second open position.

The present invention relates to comprehensive systems, devices and methods for delivering energy to tissue for a wide variety of applications, including medical procedures (e.g., tissue ablation, resection, cautery, vascular thrombosis, treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and dysrhythmias, electrosurgery, tissue harvest, etc.). In certain embodiments, systems, devices, and methods are provided for delivering energy to difficult to access tissue regions (e.g. peripheral lung tissues), and/or reducing the amount of undesired heat given off during energy delivery.