A deployment and retraction mechanism for a surgical instrument includes a gear box defining a longitudinal slot, a slider, a ring gear, and a planet gear. The slider is configured to engage a deployable component of the surgical instrument and is translatable along the longitudinal slot between a proximal end, corresponding to a storage condition of the deployable component, and a distal end, corresponding to a use condition of the deployable component. The planet gear is operably engaged with the ring gear and configured to orbit within the ring gear. The planet gear includes an off-center pin rotatably supporting the slider thereon. The planet gear and ring gear are configured such that a one-half orbit of the planet gear within the ring gear translates the slider from one end of the longitudinal slot to the other end of the longitudinal slot.

A device is designed to remove blockages in a lumen such as a thrombus, blood clot, or embolus. The device comprises a manipulating wire and a structure that can conduct electrical current to a lumen blockage. The electrical current is preferably in radio frequency (RF). The RF electric current in the blockage can excite the contents such as proteins of the blockage, so that cross-linking density and interfacial adsorption of the entire blockage is enhanced. The enhanced cross-linking density can result in increased fracture resistance of the blockage such that fracture of the blockage during the removal process is unlikely. The enhanced interfacial adsorption results in increased interfacial fracture resistance between the device and blockage so that the blockage can be securely captured during the removal process without using radially applied force.

A surgical instrument includes a housing, a rotating assembly including a rotation wheel coupled to the housing, a shaft engaged with the rotation wheel within the housing and extending distally from the housing, an end effector assembly disposed at a distal end of the shaft, a drive assembly slidably disposed within the shaft and operably coupled to the end effector assembly for manipulating the end effector assembly, a knife assembly slidably disposed within the shaft translatable relative to the end effector assembly between a retracted position and an extended position, an elongated insulative sheath slidably disposed about the shaft, and an energizable member slidably disposed within the shaft. The instrument is configured such that rotation of the rotation wheel relative to the housing similarly rotates the shaft, end effector assembly, drive assembly, knife assembly, elongated insulative sheath, and energizable member relative to the housing.

Systems and methods to confirm safe delivery of treatment energy to a patient by identifying a presence of a fault in an energy delivery pathway and identifying a location of the fault within the device. The system includes a processing unit configured to calculate blood impedances external to the device based on known impedance characteristics of the device, and then to calculate impedances within the device during energy delivery based on the calculated blood impedances. The processing unit prevents the delivery of energy in an energy delivery pathway that is determined to be compromised. The processing unit is also configured to compare times for two different frequencies to travel a predetermined distance, the difference in the times corresponding to a location of a fault within the energy delivery pathway.

A deployment and retraction mechanism for deploying and retracting a deployable component of a surgical instrument includes a gear assembly, a slider, and one or more actuators. The slider is translatable between a proximal position, corresponding to a storage condition of the deployable component, and a distal position, corresponding to a use condition of the deployable component. The actuator(s) is coupled to the gear assembly and is movable from an un-actuated position to an actuated position. The gear assembly is configured such that a full actuation and subsequent release of the actuator(s) translates the slider from one of the proximal or distal positions to the other of the proximal or distal positions while a partial actuation and subsequent release of the actuator(s) translates the slider from one of the proximal or distal positions to an intermediate position and back to the one of the proximal or distal positions.

A first shaft defining a proximal end, a distal end, and a first lumen there between sized to receive a medical lead. The first shaft includes a cutting element disposed at its distal end. The cutting element includes a sharp edge configured to mechanically cut tissue. A second shaft defining a proximal end, a distal end, and a second lumen there between is included. The second shaft co-axially surrounds the first shaft and is configured to slideably receive the first shaft. The second shaft includes a co-axial electrode extending from its distal end and configured to cut tissue with monopolar radiofrequency energy.

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for limiting arcing during an electroporation procedure. A method includes delivering a calibration shock using a catheter, measuring a current delivered during the calibration shock and a voltage delivered during the calibration shock, calculating, using a processing device, a calibration shock impedance based on the delivered current and the delivered voltage, calculating, using the processing device, a bridge impedance based on the calibration shock impedance and a target impedance, wherein the bridge impedance is a difference between the calibration shock impedance and the target impedance, adding an impedance in series with the catheter, the impedance being greater than or equal to the bridge impedance, and delivering a therapeutic shock using the catheter in series with the added impedance.