An endoscope, including: a handle, a sheath tube, an endoscopic cannula, and a tensioning mechanism. The sheath tube includes a first axial guide hole and a first joint pin disposed in the first axial guide hole. The handle includes a second axial guide hole and a second joint pin disposed in the second axial guide hole. The first joint pin matches and is directly connected to the second joint pin. The sheath tube matches and connects to the handle. The handle includes a cavity and the tensioning mechanism is disposed in the cavity. The endoscopic cannula includes a flexible part extending out of the sheath tube and a rigid part fixed in the sheath tube. The flexible part includes a steering wire. The first joint pin is connected to the steering wire. The tensioning mechanism is connected to the second joint pin.

A bending section (5) for an endoscope (1) and the endoscope, where the bending section comprises a number of segments (12), where adjacent segments are connected by a first hinge (14) and a second hinge (24). Both the first and the second hinges are made integrally from the same material as the segments (12), and the first and second hinges are arranged for allowing the connected segments to bend in a bending plane. A second hinge at the distal end of a segment forms a continuous rib (44) with the second hinge (24) at the proximal end of the segment. This continuous rib is arranged perpendicular to the bending plane.

An endoscope includes: a plurality of wires each having a distal end connected to a bending portion of an insertion portion and a proximal end extending into an operation portion; one or more tubular members provided on the operation portion and including a first part extending in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the insertion portion, a second part provided on a proximal end side of the first part and extending in a side direction to the longitudinal axis, and a bent part connecting the first part and the second part, any one of the plurality of wires being inserted into the one or more tubular members, the first part and the second part being fixed to the operation portion; and a stopper fixed in the operation portion and arranged to prevent movement of the bent part by abutting on an inside of bending of the bent part.

An articulating tracheoscope control device, a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) device, and an articulating tracheoscope control device and LMA device combination system, that can control precise movement of a distal end of a tracheoscope with a patient's larynx within an angular range of at least 180 degrees and can lock the distal end of the tracheoscope in any desired position within the patient's larynx such that managing the tracheoscope during a tracheostomy procedure is not required in order to monitor the tracheostomy procedure.

An endoscope with a rotating drum or a rotation module, in particular for use as a sterile disposable instrument, having an elongate rigid and/or flexible shaft tube which at a distal end mounts the rotating drum, so as to be rotatable about at least one first axis of rotation, an optical imaging system being arranged in the rotating drum, with the at least one first axis of rotation running approximately transversely to a longitudinal axis of the shaft tube and with the endoscope having at least one control line for rotating the rotating drum. Here, the at least one control line of the rotating drum runs on an outer side/outer face of the shaft tube, and is fastened to the rotating drum at at least one lever distance (a) from the at least one first axis of rotation.

Medical instruments having a translatable spool are disclosed. In one aspect, a medical instrument configured for use with a robotic system includes an instrument base configured to couple to a robotic drive mechanism of the robotic system and an elongate shaft coupled to the instrument base. The elongate shaft has a distal end. The medical instrument also includes a pull wire fixedly coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft, the pull wire being configured to actuate the elongate shaft, and a rotatable spool in the instrument base. The rotatable spool is configured to direct the pull wire to the elongate shaft at an angle. The rotatable spool is configured to translate in coordination with actuation of the elongate shaft to control the angle of the pull wire relative to the elongate shaft.

An endoscopic system includes a single-use portion and a multiple-use portion. The two portions can be mated and un-mated. The single-use portion includes an elongated cannula that has a bendable section near its distal end providing a “steerable” distal tip. The distal tip includes LED illumination and an imaging module that feeds live video to a display screen forming which forms part of the multiple-use portion. Ergonomically designed steering control and significant portions of the steering structure reside in the multiple-use portion. The cannula is configured to rotate, which further expands the field of view when combined with steering deflection along a single axis. Some embodiments, include motorized distal tip deflection and/or omni-directional tip deflection.

Disclosed herein are various systems and methods for guiding, supporting, and/or housing instruments. One exemplary system includes a guide tube having a manipulation section and mated with rails carrying instrument control members. Moving the rails with respect to the guide tube, or another point of reference, can control movement of the manipulation section.

A computer-assisted medical system comprises a flexible elongate instrument. The flexible elongate instrument comprises a plurality of wires extending from a proximal end of the flexible elongate instrument to a distal end of the flexible elongate instrument. Each wire of the plurality of wires may be used to steer the distal end. The system also comprises a control system coupled to the flexible elongate instrument. The control system is configured to monitor movement of the flexible elongate instrument along a longitudinal central axis and determine an extent of motion of the flexible elongate instrument in a first direction along the longitudinal central axis based on the monitoring. The control system is also configured to alter a rigidity of the flexible elongate instrument based on a rigidity profile relative to the extent of motion by adjusting one or more forces applied by the plurality of wires to the distal end of the flexible elongate instrument.

An actively bendable sheath such as ureteral access sheath (UAS) and a method for delivering a medical instrument (e.g. a ureteroscope) therethrough are disclosed. The sheath's tubular wall includes a deflectable or bendable segment at or adjacent to the distal sheath end. Two pull/control wires are slidably disposed within two separate dedicated channels/lumens and attached to points distally beyond the deflectable segment. The bendable segment may be passively bended by force from a bending medical instrument within it or by the force of a surgeon pulling one of the two pull/control wires.