A medical apparatus includes a probe configured for insertion into a body of a patient. The probe includes a plurality of electrodes configured to contact tissue within the body. The medical apparatus further includes an electrical signal generator configured to apply between one or more pairs of the electrodes signals of first and second types in alternation. The signals of the first type include a sequence of bipolar pulses having an amplitude sufficient to cause irreversible electrophoresis (IRE) in the tissue contacted by the electrodes. The signals of the second type include a radio-frequency (RF) signal having a power sufficient to thermally ablate the tissue contacted by the electrodes.

A thulium fiber laser system can be used to treat tissues based on the ability for quick changes between laser pulses. For example, to treat stones in a tissue, a long pulse having low peak power can be used to create bubbles in front of the stone (calculi), then follow a series of shorter pulses and higher peak power can be used to break the stone. The sequence can be repeated to maintain large bubble formation, with the long pulse characteristics changed to accommodate for the changes in the tissue. A fluorescent sensing assembly can be used to detect the tissue conditions for selecting the conditions of the thulium fiber laser.

A dilator used in performing a transseptal puncture; it has a hub with an opening at a proximal end; a shaft, connected to a distal end of the hub, comprising a lumen miming along a length of the shaft defining an inner wall within the shaft; an optical fiber for insertion into the lumen of the shaft, the optical fiber comprising a proximal end portion for sealing the opening of the hub, the optical fiber having a length for running along a length of the lumen; wherein the optical fiber is configured to, in a simultaneous or alternating fashion: propagate a laser beam with an ultrafast pulse duration that is generated by an ultrafast laser; and propagate light for obtaining visualization information from the light interacting with neighboring surfaces in the heart using optical coherence tomography.

Provided herein is a multifunctional aesthetic system including a housing, an electromagnetic array situated in the housing and having one or more electromagnetic radiation (EMR) sources, a controller in electronic communication with the array to operate the one or more of the EMR sources to direct the EMR beam to a treatment area, and one or more sensors 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.

Various embodiments provide an electrosurgical apparatus for treating biological tissue with microwave energy. The apparatus comprises: a microwave energy signal generator for generating a microwave energy waveform; an electrosurgical instrument arranged to deliver the microwave energy waveform from a distal end thereof for tissue treatment; and a controller in communication with the microwave energy signal generator. The microwave energy signal generator is configured to deliver the microwave energy waveform as one microwave energy signal pulse. The controller is configured to control the profile of the one microwave energy signal pulse to cause ablation or coagulation of the biological tissue and to substantially prevent the one pulse from causing heat to build-up in the electrosurgical instrument.

An electrosurgical controller and related methods. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: placing a distal end of an electrosurgical wand in operational relationship with biological tissue; delivering energy to an active electrode of the electrosurgical wand. During delivering energy, the method may comprise: measuring a value indicative of flow of the energy to the active electrode; summing, over a first predetermined window of time, to create a first value indicative of energy provided to the active electrode; summing, over a second predetermined window of time, to create a second value indicative of energy provided to the active electrode. The method may further comprise: ceasing delivering energy responsive to the first value meeting or exceeding a predetermined value; and ceasing delivering energy responsive to the second value meeting or exceeding a threshold value.

There is provided a computerized method of tracking a position of an intra-body catheter, comprising: physically tracking coordinates of the position of a distal portion of a physical catheter within the physical body portion of the patient according to physically applied plurality of electrical fields within the body portion and measurements of the plurality of electrical fields performed by a plurality of physical electrodes at a distal portion of the physical catheter; registering the physically tracked coordinates with simulated coordinates generated according to a simulation of a simulated catheter within a simulation of the body of the patient, to identify differences between physically tracked location coordinates and the simulation coordinates; correcting the physically tracked location coordinates according to the registered simulation coordinates; and providing the corrected physically tracked location coordinates for presentation.

The invention includes a system for generating virtual images of proposed and designated areas on a patient's anatomy that are to be treated in a RFA procedure. The images include a size, shape, and location of lesion/ablation patterns. The virtual images include dynamic (developing) or static (developed) lesions selected for the RFA procedure. The images are provided on at least one user interface that superimposes or overlays the lesion pattern(s) on an image of a patient's anatomy that undergoes the procedure. The images can be used to accurately and efficiently conduct RFA procedures and to record the procedures with enhanced visual data to confirm treated tissue areas. The invention further includes a diagnostic method of generating images in preparation for a RFA procedure, and a method of conducting the RFA procedure in which measured parameters determine the size and shape of the ablated areas achieved in the procedure.

Disclosed herein is a medical RF apparatus using an RF pulse, comprising an RF generator, which generates a test pulse for detecting characteristics of tissue; a monitoring unit, which monitors the change in the information on the tissue state while the test pulse is transmitted to the tissue; and a measurement unit, which determines the tissue characteristics of a patient by comparing the values monitored in the monitoring unit with the reference data; and a method for controlling the same.

A hair cutting device according to the present disclosure comprises an optical waveguide. The optical waveguide comprises a light irradiator. The light irradiator irradiates hair protruding from the skin with light to cut the hair. The refractive index of the light irradiator is smaller than the refractive index of the surface of the skin. As a result, options such as the material of the optical waveguide and the like can be increased. Furthermore, for example, when the skin is appropriately irradiated with light from the light irradiator, an action on the skin such as sterilization or activation can also be expected.