Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for managing an esophagus of a subject during a medical procedure, such as cardiac tissue ablation or bronchial tissue ablation. Managing the esophagus may include displacing the esophagus, imaging the esophagus, and/or measuring temperature at one or more locations inside the esophagus. One example esophageal management system generally includes a tube configured for insertion through a mouth and into the esophagus of the subject. The tube generally includes a first port located at a proximal end of the tube and in fluid communication with a distal portion of the tube via a first path, a second port located at the proximal end of the tube, and a third port located between the proximal end of the tube and a distal end of the tube and in fluid communication with the second port via a second path.

An effortless means for deflating a balloon of a catheter. A catheter system includes a catheter, a circuit for making fluid flow through the catheter, and a drive device having a bidirectionally drivable pump and a controller. The catheter includes an inflatable balloon, and a first lumen and a second lumen that allow the fluid to flow through the balloon. The controller drives the pump in a first direction to make the fluid flow from a buffer tank via a first flow path into the first lumen and to make the fluid flow out from the second lumen via a second flow path to the buffer tank, and drives the pump in a second direction opposite to the first direction to make the fluid flow from the first lumen via the first flow path into the buffer tank.

A system and method of breakaway clutching in a device includes an arm including a first joint and a control unit coupled to the arm. The control unit includes one or more processors. The control unit switches the first joint from a first state of the first joint to a second state of the first joint in response to an external stimulus applied to the arm exceeding a first threshold, wherein movement of the first joint is more restricted in the first state of the first joint than in the second state of the first joint, switches the first joint from the second state to the first state in response to a speed associated with the first joint falling below a speed threshold, and prevents the switching of the first joint from the first state to the second state when the arm is in a predetermined mode.

A catheter system (100) includes an inflatable balloon (104), an optical fiber (122), and a laser (124). The optical fiber (122) has a distal end positioned within the inflatable balloon (104). The optical fiber (122) receives an energy pulse (431) to emit light energy in a direction away from the optical fiber (122) to generate a plasma pulse (134) within the inflatable balloon (104). The laser (124) includes a seed source (126) that emits a seed pulse (342) and an amplifier (128) that increases energy of the seed pulse (342) so that the laser (124) generates the energy pulse (431) that is received by the optical fiber (122), the energy pulse (431) having a waveform with a duration T, a minimum power PO, a peak power PP, and a time from PO to PP equal to TP.

The invention provides for a system for estimating a 3-dimensional treatment volume for a device that applies treatment energy through a plurality of electrodes defining a treatment area, the system comprising a memory, a display device, a processor coupled to the memory and the display device, and a treatment planning module stored in the memory and executable by the processor. In one embodiment, the treatment planning module is adapted to generate an estimated first 3-dimensional treatment volume for display in the display device based on the ratio of a maximum conductivity of the treatment area to a baseline conductivity of the treatment area. The invention also provides for a method for estimating 3-dimensional treatment volume, the steps of which are executable through the processor. In embodiments, the system and method are based on a numerical model which may be implemented in computer readable code which is executable through a processor.

A method and apparatus for controlling output of radio frequency ablation power, and a radio frequency ablation system. The method for controlling output of radio frequency ablation power comprises: when a starting signal is received, controlling a radio frequency energy generator to output a preset ablation power, recording ablation time, and acquiring an actual ablation parameter (102), wherein the actual ablation parameter comprises the actual impedance; when the actual impedance meets any one of a first preset condition and a second preset condition, controlling the radio frequency energy generator to suspend output of the ablation power, recording sleep time, and suspending recording of the ablation time (105); and if the sleep time exceeds a sleep time threshold value, controlling the radio frequency energy generator again to continue to output the ablation power, and continuing to record the ablation time (107), wherein the first preset condition is: R>K.sub.1×Rmin.sub.1, and the second preset condition is: R>K.sub.2×Rmin.sub.2. According to the method, the impedance of an ablation part is enabled to be in an intermittent stably-changing state, and continuous output of radio frequency energy can be ensured, such that radio frequency ablation is relatively uniformly performed in a cyclic manner.

Systems and methods of dithering to maintain grasp force include a computer-assisted device. The computer-assisted device includes an instrument having a first jaw and a second jaw configured to grasp a material, one or more actuators configured to actuate the first and second jaws to apply force to the grasped material, and a controller coupled to the one or more actuators. The controller is configured to determine that actuation of the one or more actuators should be dithered and in response to the determination, dither one or more control signals to the one or more actuators so as to cause variations in a force or torque applied by the one or more actuators. In some embodiments, the one or more control signals correspond to a force setpoint, a torque setpoint, a current setpoint, or a position setpoint for the one or more actuators.

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.

A method having: sending, to a spatially separately arranged server device, a configuration request having an item of identification information of the electrosurgical generator; receiving an item of operating information indicative of an operating mode, wherein the operating mode is capable of partially controlling the energy supply of the electrosurgical instrument by the electrosurgical generator; and storing the operating information in a data memory of the electrosurgical generator. Furthermore, a method for operating a server device, the method having: receiving a configuration request having an item of identification information of an electrosurgical generator; determining, at least partially in dependence on the identification information, an item of operating information indicative of one operating mode of a plurality of predefined operating modes, wherein operating modes are each capable of partially controlling an energy supply of an electrosurgical instrument by the electrosurgical generator; and sending, to the electrosurgical generator, the operating information.

A surgical instrument system comprising a handle, a shaft, and a disposable power module is disclosed. The handle comprises a motor, a control switch, and a motor-control processor which is in communication with the control switch. In various instances, the disposable power module comprises a disposable battery and a display unit configured to indicate at least one function of the surgical instrument system.