Torque devices for use with intravascular devices and associated systems and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, a torque device for use with an intravascular device includes a first component having a body defining a tapered opening for receiving a proximal portion of the intravascular device, a first arm extending from the body, and a second arm extending from the body; and a second component movably coupled to the first component, wherein the second component is movable relative to the first component between an open position where the torque device is configured to slidably receive the proximal portion of the flexible elongate member between the first and second arms of the first component and a closed position where the torque device fixedly engages the proximal portion of the flexible elongate member between first and second arms of the first component.

A system includes an expandable distal-end assembly, a proximal position sensor, a distal position sensor, and a processor. The expandable distal-end assembly is coupled to a distal end of a shaft for insertion into a cavity of an organ of a patient. The proximal and distal position sensors are located at a proximal end and a distal end of the distal-end assembly, respectively. The processor is configured to estimate a position and a longitudinal direction of the proximal sensor, and a position of the distal sensor, all in a coordinate system used by the processor. The processor is further configured to project the estimated position of the distal sensor on an axis defined by the estimated longitudinal direction, and calculate an elongation of the distal-end assembly by calculating a distance between the estimated position of the proximal sensor and the projected position of the distal sensor.

An accessory device for assisting insertion of a catheter is disclosed. The accessory device comprises a handle comprising an attachment means for releasably coupling a catheter to the handle, and a camera for capturing one or more images, and a monitor in communication with the camera is disclosed. The monitor comprises a display configured to display the one or more images. The accessory device provides for visualizing the meatal area on a monitor by means of a camera moving in unison with the catheter, such that the user is assisted in identifying the meatus and inserting the catheter.

An ultrasound catheter includes a hollow body and a plurality of ultrasound sensing regions. The hollow body is made of a flexible circuit board. The ultrasound sensing regions are disposed on a periphery of the hollow body, wherein each of the ultrasound sensing regions has a plurality of channels, and the channels of each ultrasound sensing region are arranged along an axial direction of the hollow body. A medical system using the ultrasound catheter is also provided.

A system and method for determining a position of a medical device within a body are provided. The system includes an electronic control unit that receives position signals from position sensors of a first type and a second type disposed on the device and applies a filter to each of the position signals to obtain filtered estimated positions for each sensor. The unit computes a spline connecting the position sensors of the first type responsive to the filtered estimated positions for the sensors and estimates a spline position for the sensor of the second type along the spline. The unit generates maps between the spline position and filtered and unfiltered estimated positions for the sensor of the second type and determines actual positions for the sensors of the first type responsive to the filtered estimated position for the sensors and a composite map of the two maps.

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 power supply.

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.

Disclosed are systems, devices, and methods for performing treatment along a lumen network, an exemplary method comprising receiving image data of a patient's lungs, mapping one or more luminal networks inside the patient's lungs based on the received image data, identifying a treatment target in the image data, determining a luminal pathway to the treatment target via at least one of the luminal networks, configuring treatment parameters for treatment of the treatment target and at least one of the luminal networks, navigating a tool inside at least one of the luminal networks to the treatment target, treating the treatment target with a primary treatment modality, and treating the luminal pathway of at least one of the luminal networks leading to or from the treatment target with a secondary treatment modality.

A robotic catheter can include bi-stable concentric tubes and a torsional spring mechanism that can provide torque at the proximal extremity of one or more tubes. The robotic catheter can compensate for the energy that may be released by the tubes snapping from on stable-equilibrium position to another by using the energy stored in the torsional spring mechanism. The energy released by the tubes upon snapping from one stable-equilibrium position to the other can be compensated by the energy stored in the torsional spring at the base, thereby resulting in the first, energy-free, zero stiffness catheter system that (1) synchronizes with the motion of the heart and (2) naturally results in optimal, pseudo-constant contact force with the tissue.

An aspiration system for aspirating blood clots from a human body has a power source, an aspiration pump, and an electrical motor coupled to the power source and the aspiration pump, wherein the aspiration pump is pulsed at a frequency below 10 Hz.