Flexible instruments and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a flexible instrument comprises an elongate device having an inner conductor, an outer conductor surrounding the inner conductor, and a dielectric layer insulating the inner conductor from the outer conductor. The flexible instrument further includes a recess formed in the outer conductor. An insert is positioned within the recess and about the inner conductor.

In one aspect, embodiments relate to a system for performing preventative dental laser treatment. The system includes, a code reader configured to read a machine readable code, a processor configured to verify the machine readable code and prevent future verification of the machine readable code, and a laser treatment system configured to perform a laser treatment, based upon the verified machine readable code. The laser treatment system includes a laser arrangement configured to generate a laser beam, an optical arrangement configured to direct the laser beam toward a dental hard tissue, and a laser controller configured to control a parameter of the laser beam in order to heat at least a portion of a surface of the dental hard tissue to a temperature above 400° Celsius.

Disclosed are a body contouring device using RF energy, a control method thereof, and a body contouring method using the same, in which a surface of tissue overheated due to the edge effect is selectively cooled while the tissue is heated with the RF energy transferred thereto, thereby having a uniform treatment effect on a treatment area, reducing pain, and preventing the tissue from being damaged.

A surgical system includes a surgical instrument and a cooling module. The cooling module includes a fluid reservoir retaining a conductive cooling fluid, a pump configured to pump the conductive cooling fluid along a flowpath, first and second electrodes disposed at first and second positions along the flowpath and configured to sense an electrical property of the conductive cooling fluid at the first and second positions, and a controller configured to determine an impedance of the conductive cooling fluid between the first and second positions based upon the sensed electrical properties of the first and second electrodes. A method for cooling a surgical instrument includes detecting an electrical property of a conductive cooling fluid at first and second positions along a flowpath and determining an impedance of the conductive cooling fluid between the first and second positions based upon the detected electrical properties at the first and second positions.

An intraluminal microneurography probe has a probe body configured to be introduced into an artery near an organ of a body without preventing the flow of blood through the artery. An expandable sense electrode and an expandable stimulation electrode are fixed to the probe body at one end of each electrode such that movement of the other end toward the fixed end causes the sense electrode to expand from the probe body toward a wall of the artery. A ground electrode is configured to couple to the body, and a plurality of electrical connections are operable to electrically couple the electrodes to electrical circuitry. The sense electrode is operable to measure sympathetic nerve activity in response to excitation of the stimulation electrode. A radio frequency ablation element is located between the expandable sense electrode and expandable stimulation electrode, and is operable to ablate nerves proximate to the artery.

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.

Provided herein is a multifunctional aesthetic system including a housing, an electromagnetic array situated in the housing and having a plurality of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) sources, each EMR source configured to generate an EMR beam having a wavelength different than that of an EMR beam generated by another of the EMR sources, a controller in electronic communication with the array to operate two or more of the EMR sources to direct the EMR beam to a treatment area, and a sensor in electronic communication with the controller for providing feedback to the controller based on defined parameters to allow the controller to adjust at least one operating condition of the multifunctional system in response to the feedback.

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.

A method of determining the status of a fluid cooled microwave ablation system is provided including providing an electrical current to a pump to pump fluid through an ablation system along a fluid path to cool the ablation system, measuring an electrical current drawn by the pump, and determining a status of the ablation system based on the measured electrical current. In another aspect of the disclosure, an ablation system is provided including an ablation probe defining a fluid path for circulation of fluid therethrough, a generator configured to supply energy to the ablation probe for treating tissue, a pump configured to pump fluid through the fluid path of the ablation probe to cool the ablation probe, a sensor configured to measure an electrical current drawn by the pump, and a computing device configured to determine a status of the ablation system based on the measured electrical current.

Ablation catheters and systems include coaxial catheter shafts with an inner lumen for delivering an ablative agent and an outer lumen for circulation of a cooling element about the catheter. Induction heating is used to heat a chamber and vaporize a fluid within by wrapping a coil about a ferromagnetic chamber and providing an alternating current to the coil. A magnetic field is created in the area surrounding the chamber which induces electric current flow in the chamber, heating the chamber and vaporizing the fluid inside. Positioning elements help maintain the device in the proper position with respect to the target tissue and also prevent the passage of ablative agent to normal tissues.