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.

Methods for treating hypertension and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. One aspect of the present technology, for example, is directed to methods for therapeutic renal neuromodulation that partially inhibit sympathetic neural activity in renal nerves proximate a renal blood vessel of a human patient having a 24-hour heart rate at or above a median heart rate for a population of hypertensive patients. This reduction in sympathetic neural activity is expected to therapeutically treat one or more conditions associated with hypertension of the patient. Renal sympathetic nerve activity can be modulated, for example, using an intravascularly positioned catheter carrying a neuromodulation assembly, e.g., a neuromodulation assembly configured to use electrically-induced, thermally-induced, and/or chemically-induced approaches to modulate the renal nerves.

An optical probe includes: an optical fiber; a reflecting portion; and a traveling direction changing portion changing a traveling direction of a laser beam of a first wavelength that has transmitted through the reflecting portion to a direction different from a traveling direction before transmitting through the reflecting portion. Further, the traveling direction changing portion is configured by a bending structure having a structure in which a portion on a distal end side of the optical fiber is bent, and the reflecting portion is provided closer to a proximal end side of the optical fiber than the bending structure.

A device for controlling the energy supply to a medical instrument contains the medical instrument and an energy supply device. The energy supply device has at least a first and a second energy supply mode that can be preselected on the energy supply device and which supplies energy to the medical instrument according to a preselected energy supply mode. The energy supply device additionally has a third mode which differs from the at least two energy supply modes, can be preselected on the energy supply device, can detect an actuation of an energy supply operating element arranged on the medical instrument, and can carry out the supply of energy to the medical instrument in the first or second mode based on the detected actuation.

A vessel sealing device having a pair of electrodes that are maintained in spaced apart configuration when closed by non-uniform coating formed from a non-conductive material that has been applied to roughened electrodes so that the coating allows for the passage of a predetermined amount of radiofrequency (RF) energy between the electrodes. The coating has a predetermined thickness that spaces the electrodes apart while also having the predetermined non-uniformity that allows RF energy to pass between the electrodes when a vessel is trapped therein, thus desiccating the vessel positioned in the jaws. The electrodes may include a series of grooves in a herringbone pattern, with each electrode having the pattern oriented in the same direction or in opposite directions.

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector is disclosed. The end effector comprises a surgical dissector. The surgical dissector can apply mechanical and/or electrosurgical energy to treated tissue.

A surgical system includes a control circuit, a surgical instrument, and a user interface is disclosed. The surgical instrument includes a plurality of components and a sensor. Each of the plurality of components of the surgical instrument includes a device parameter and is configured to transmit its respective device parameter to the control circuit. The sensor of the surgical instrument is configured to detect a tissue parameter associated with a proposed function of the surgical instrument, and transmit the detected tissue parameter to the control circuit. The control circuit is configured to analyze the detected tissue parameter in cooperation with each respective device parameter based on a system-defined constraint. The user interface is configured to indicate whether the surgical instrument comprising the plurality of components is appropriate to perform the proposed function.

The disclosure includes a vein ablation system, comprising a catheter having an elongated body. In some embodiments, the vein ablation system comprises an ablation device at a distal portion of the elongated body. According to some embodiments, the vein ablation system comprises a control device at a proximal portion of the elongated body. The control device may comprise an input mechanism configured to simultaneously control at least two of a longitudinal translation of the ablation device through a target vessel, a rotation of the ablation device about a central longitudinal axis, and an infusion of a chemical agent into the target vessel.

A catheter system may include a catheter lumen, first and second electrodes, and a sensor in communication with the first and second electrodes. The sensor may be configured to detect at least one of: a bulk volume of blood within a blood vessel and extravasation of a drug from the blood vessel into soft tissue adjacent the blood vessel. Other catheter systems may include a catheter lumen and a sensing chip coupled to the catheter lumen. The sensing chip may be configured to detect at least one of: a bulk volume of blood within a blood vessel and extravasation of a drug from the blood vessel into soft tissue adjacent the blood vessel.

A system to be used inside a dialysis unit for dilating obstructed blood vessel, comprises a catheter, a device, a remote-control box, supportive components and connection cables. A catheter comprises an elongated portion, a proximal end and a distal end, extended longitudinally. A distal end of a catheter has a convectively heating tip with a heat generating element and an inflatable balloon. A device has a radiofrequency current generator to supply and control a heating process of a heat generating element of a catheter tip. A remote-control box comprises a valve assembly, a heat activation switch and a balloon inflation switch to facilitate a treatment process.