A probe is configured with a flushing port and an evacuation port to establish a flow path to remove blood from a resected tissue. The probe comprises a balloon configured to expand and contact the resected tissue to compress filaments and improve access to the underlying blood vessels for coagulation with an energy source. An endoscope can be used to view the tissue, and the balloon may comprise a transparent material or a viewing port to allow imaging of the bleeding tissue through the balloon. The probe may have a light source to illuminate the tissue with a beam oriented at an oblique angle to the tissue surface, which can decrease interference from blood and may allow more localized coagulation of the blood vessel.

A method and device for modulating the autonomic nervous system adjacent a pericardial space to treat cardiac arrhythmia includes a treatment source arranged to supply a treatment medium, a catheter having an end sized for insertion into the pericardial space, a medium delivery assembly having a distal end arranged to be positioned by the catheter into the pericardium, with the distal end of the delivery assembly comprising a delivery tip arranged to extend away from the distal end of the catheter into the pericardial space. A connector operatively couples the delivery tip of the medium delivery assembly to the treatment source, and the delivery tip of the medium delivery assembly including a plurality of delivery points for delivering the treatment medium at a plurality of treatment areas within the pericardial space. The device performs modulation or ablation of the autonomic nervous system at selected treatment areas within the pericardium.

A method and system for lesion formation assessment in tissue that has undergone an ablation procedure. In one embodiment, a method of assessing lesion formation comprises: recording a baseline impedance measurement from an area of tissue with a medical device; ablating the area of tissue with the medical device; recording a post-treatment impedance measurement from the area of tissue with the medical device; identifying at least one amplitude characteristic of the baseline impedance measurement and identifying at least one amplitude characteristic of the post-treatment impedance measurement; comparing the at least one amplitude characteristic of the baseline impedance measurement and the at least one amplitude characteristic of the post-treatment impedance measurement; generating an indication of efficacy based on the comparison, the indication of efficacy being one of sufficient lesion formation and insufficient lesion formation; and re-ablating the area of tissue if the indication of efficacy is insufficient lesion formation.

The present disclosure relates generally to the use of medical devices for the treatment of chronic venous disease and collagenous scar tissue. In particular, the present disclosure provides methods and systems for remodeling a collagen obstruction using energy and an expandable catheter.

A catheter system for ablation of tissue around a blood vessel, e.g., the pulmonary artery, to reduce neural activity of nerves surrounding the blood vessel. The catheter system includes an elongate shaft having a proximal portion coupled to a handle, and a distal portion. The distal portion includes a transducer and an expandable anchor, which may be actuated to transition between a collapsed delivery state and an expanded deployed state where the anchor centralizes the transducer within the blood vessel. The transducer may be actuated to emit energy to reduce neural activity of the nerves surrounding the blood vessel. Systems and method are further provided for confirming that neural activity of the nerves surround the blood vessel has been sufficiently reduced.

Apparatus, systems, and methods provide access to the renal pelvis of a kidney to treat renal nerves embedded in tissue surrounding the renal pelvis. Access to the renal pelvis may be via the urinary tract or via minimally invasive incisions through the abdomen and kidney tissue. Treatment is effected by exchanging energy, typically delivering heat or extracting heat through a wall of the renal pelvis, or by delivering active substances.

A heat exchanger is disclosed for causing cryolysis of adipose tissue of a human tongue. The heat exchanger includes a body having cooling channels for circulating fluids therein. The body forms a contact surface that contacts a portion of the dorsal surface of the tongue and a portion of the base of the tongue. The heat exchanger includes a pair of side walls extending from the body and forming a pair of side contact surfaces that are dimensioned so that they contact the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the tongue in a manner so as to constrict the tongue when the contact surface is in contact with the tongue. A method of treatment for apnea using the heat exchanger and/or administering a chemical adipolysis formulation/vasoconstriction agent is also disclosed.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a grounding cuff having a flexible body and an inflatable bladder disposed within the flexible body. The inflatable body is configurable to an inflated state and a deflated state. In the inflated stated, the inflatable bladder applies pressure to the grounding cuff to provide and maintain improved contact between the ground cuff and skin of a patient. Additionally, the inflatable bladder includes an inlet configured to receive a fluid from a hose, the inflatable bladder configured to the inflated state based on the fluid received via the hose. The grounding cuff may include a grounding pad coupled to a ground terminal to extract energy from the patient during a medical therapy, such as ablation therapy. The inflatable bladder may be configured to the inflated state to promote strong contact between the grounding pad and skin of the patient.

Devices and methods for treating rhinitis are provided. An integrated therapy and imaging device is provided for single handheld use. The device may have a hollow elongated cannula, a therapeutic element coupled to a distal portion of the cannula, an imaging assembly coupled to the cannula to provide visualization of the therapeutic element, and an articulating region operably coupled to the imaging assembly to articulate the imaging assembly. The imaging assembly may be articulated so as to translate vertically, laterally, axially, and/or rotationally.

Apparatus, including a catheter configured to be inserted into an organ of a human body. A plurality of electrodes are deployed on the catheter, the electrodes being configured to transfer radiofrequency (RF) ablation energy to tissue of the organ. The apparatus also includes a power supply configured to supply the RF ablation energy at a level of up to 100 W to each of the plurality of electrodes simultaneously, so as to ablate respective sections of the tissue of the organ in contact with the electrodes.