Systems and methods of tracking the position of an endoscope within a patient's body during an endoscopic procedure is disclosed. The devices and methods include determining a position of the endoscope within the patient in the endoscope's coordinate system, capturing in an image fiducial markers attached to the endoscope by an external optical tracker, transforming the captured fiducial markers from the endoscope's coordinate system to the optical tracker's coordinate system, projecting a virtual image of the endoscope on a model of the patient's organ, and projecting or displaying the combined image.

The present disclosure is directed to measuring impedance across a plurality of electrode pairs. The disclosed systems and methods may simultaneously provide drive signals between electrode pairs and then sense the voltage signals that develop at the electrodes. Digital signal processing may be used to synchronously demodulate the voltage signal at each electrode to determine impedances at the electrodes. Each electrode pair may be driven at a unique frequency to allow for significantly increasing a number of electrode pairs and/or increasing drive current magnitudes. Synchronous demodulation allows the unique frequencies to be detected independent of each other while minimizing crosstalk. Typically, the drive frequencies are made orthogonal by setting the drive frequencies at harmonics of a common base frequency and measuring a response over an integer number of cycles. In an embodiment, quadrature demodulation may occur providing a real component for resistive impedance and an imaginary component for reactive impedance.

Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to detecting malposition of a medical device within a vessel of a patient, such as an Azygos vein. The medical device can include a multi-core optical fiber including a plurality of core fibers, where each of the plurality of core fibers includes a plurality of sensors is configured to reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and change a characteristic of the reflected light signal for use in determining a physical state of the multi-core optical fiber. The system can include a console having non-transitory computer-readable medium storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing a broadband incident light signal to the multi-core optical fiber, receiving reflected light signals, processing the reflected light signals, and determining whether the medical device has entered the Azygos vein of the patient based on the reflected light signals.

A system for differentiating between magnetic field distortion and physical movement in a hybrid magnetic and impedance tracking system can comprise a first drive patch and a second drive patch configured to generate an electrical field within the body for locating an electrode on the medical device, a magnetic localization system configured to generate a magnetic field, a magnetic sensor configured to receive signals from the magnetic localization system, and an electronic control unit configured to receive location data from the impedance localization system and magnetic sensor location data from the magnetic localization system. The electronic control circuit can be configured to detect a location change of the magnetic sensor and use the drive patch location data and magnetic sensor location data to determine whether the detected location change of the magnetic sensor is caused by a magnetic field distortion or a physical movement of the magnetic sensor.

According to some embodiments, a medical instrument (for example, an ablation device) comprises an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end, an energy delivery member positioned at the distal end of the elongate body, a first plurality of temperature-measurement devices carried by or positioned within the energy delivery member, the first plurality of temperature-measurement devices being thermally insulated from the energy delivery member, and a second plurality of temperature-measurement devices positioned proximal to a proximal end of the energy delivery member, the second plurality of temperature-measurement devices being thermally insulated from the energy delivery member.

A device includes a syringe, which has a tip, plunger, and barrel containing a fluid. The device also includes a needle electrode coupled to the tip of the syringe, a release component, and a control component configured to receive electrical measurements made by the needle electrode, determine impedance values from the electrical measurements, and identify a target tissue based on the impedance values. In response to the identification, the control component generates instructions to reposition a release component. A method includes receiving electrical measurements from a needle electrode, determining impedance values based on the electrical measurements. A target tissue is identified based on the impedance values, and a release component is repositioned in response. An article of manufacture includes a needle electrode and a microprocessor configured to receive electrical measurements, determine impedance values, identify a target tissue based on the impedance values, and generate instructions to reposition a release component.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.

A heart treatment system is disclosed capable of diagnosing one or more critical regions of interest for a biological rhythm disorder by sensing signals from biological tissue. If a critical region is not present at the current location of sensed signals, the system is capable of indicating a guidance direction in which to navigate to reach one or more critical regions. Ablation energy is delivered to treat said region of interest. Signals are again sensed and analyzed to assess the impact of treatment. This process is repeated until all critical regions of interest are treated. In some embodiments, all functionality is provided by a single sensing and treating catheter with display device and analytical software.

Provided herein are compositions for the ingestible administration of lisinopril. In some embodiments the compositions comprise lisinopril and silicon. In some embodiments, the compositions comprise lisinopril, silicon, magnesium metal, and copper (I) chloride. Also provided herein are apparatuses comprising the compositions provided herein. Also provided herein are methods for using the compositions and apparatuses provided herein.

Devices, systems, and techniques are disclosed for determining spatial relationships between electrodes implanted within a patient. In one example, a medical device delivers, via a first electrode, an electrical stimulus and senses, for each other electrode, a respective electrical signal indicative of the electrical stimulus. The medical device determines, for each other electrode, a respective value for each respective electrical signal. The medical device determines, based on the respective values for each respective electrical signal and values of tissue conductivity of tissues of the patient interposed between the first electrode and the other electrodes, spatial relationships between the first electrode and each other electrode of the plurality of electrodes.