A nervous tissue imaging system and a method therefor. The system includes: a housing containing an excitation light source, optically coupled with a source optical train, the excitation light source emits excitation light in a first wavelength range, which can be in a near ultraviolet light range, to illuminate a tissue region of interest including healthy nervous tissue and healthy non-nervous tissue. The excitation light in the first wavelength range causes the healthy nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, to endogenously autoflouresce and emit first autofluorescence light at a first luminance in a second wavelength range. The healthy non-nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, either avoids emitting any autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range; or endogenously autoflouresces and emits second autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range at a second luminance that is lower than the first luminance.

A stimulation probe includes a proximal end connector and a flexible wire coupled to the end connector. A handle is coupled to the wire and a needle extends from the handle and terminates at a conductive tip.

The present application includes a position tracking system for tracking the location of surgical objects within the surgical field, a neuromonitoring system for detecting the existence of (and optionally the distance and/or direction to) neural structures during a surgical procedure, and a processing system communicatively linked to both the position tracking system and the neuromonitoring system.

A system, including various apparatus and methods, for surgical navigation is provided. The system is configured to track the spine of a patient by capturing images via one or more cameras. The cameras are configured to capture images of one or more arrays. The system transmits the images to a computer system. The one or more arrays are releasably secured with the spine of the patient, such as by a spine pin or a spine clamp. The system can determine the spatial position and orientation of relevant anatomical features, implants, and instruments using and processing the captured images.

Systems and methods for treating and/or averting cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, are provided. A device comprises a housing including an energy source, a contact surface and an electrode. The energy source is configured to transmit an electrical impulse to the electrode through the outer skin surface to a vagus nerve of the patient. The electrical impulse comprises bursts of about 2 pulses to about 20 pulses with each of the bursts having a frequency of about 3 Hz to about 100 Hz. The electrical impulse modulates the vagus nerve to treat a cardiac arrhythmia of the patient. A system includes a sensor for detecting a physiological parameter of a patient's heart, such as heart rate variability, and a controller configured to activate the stimulator based on the physiological parameter to cause the stimulator to generate the electrical impulse.

This invention provides a device for mapping and ablating the renal nerves distributed on renal artery, having a guide catheter, a mapping-ablation catheter, a handle and a connector. The guide catheter has at least one lumen and a distal end with adjustable curvature. The mapping-ablation catheter is housed in one of the lumens of the guide catheter and its distal end has one or more electrodes and one or more detecting devices. The distal end of the mapping-ablation catheter is curved, rotatable, and can be extended out of or retracted into the guide catheter. The handle connects the guide catheter and mapping-ablation catheter, and has one or more controlling components for controlling the movement of the guide catheter and mapping-ablation catheter. The connector is designed to supply energy to the electrodes.

A stationary dilator has one or more electrodes in the distal region that are rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the dilator. The one or more electrodes are operable to deliver electrical stimulation signals to tissue through which the dilator is passed. The stimulation signals can be used for determining nerve directionality and optionally nerve proximity during surgical procedures involving the presence of neural structures.

A method of forming an access opening through a psoas muscle to a patient's spine includes laterally inserting a stimulating dilator into the psoas muscle. The stimulating dilator has a stimulation channel formed in an outer surface thereof. An electrical pulse is transmitted into the stimulating dilator to locate a position of a nerve in the patient's psoas muscle. The stimulating dilator is laterally inserted through the psoas muscle and toward the patient's spine in a way that avoids the nerve. A stimulating probe is inserted into the stimulation channel along the outer surface of the stimulating dilator while transmitting an electrical pulse into the stimulating probe to verify the position of the nerve.

Methods and devices are disclosed for inducing analgesia in a localized region of tissue. Inducing analgesia may be performed by identifying a nerve associated with the localized region, determining a resonant frequency for target neuronal cell membranes of the nerve, and generating a peripheral nerve blockade using the determined resonant frequency. The resonant frequency may be a frequency at which impedance of the nerve approaches a maximum.

A retractor system includes a retractor with an oximeter sensor at its tip and a force sensor coupled to the retractor. The retractor system also includes a system unit which can send signals to and receive signals from the oximeter sensor via optical fibers. The oximeter sensor measures oxygen saturation of a tissue being retracted by the retractor, and the force sensor measures an amount of force that is applied to the retracted tissue by the tip of the retractor. Another retractor system has a closed loop control arrangement with a positioning mechanism which moves the retractor based on measurements of the sensors.