Methods for treating eating disorders and for reducing a risk associated with developing an eating disorder in patients via therapeutic renal neuromodulation and associated systems. Renal sympathetic nerve activity can be attenuated to improve a patient's eating disorder status or risk of developing an eating disorder. The attenuation can be achieved, for example, using an intravascularly positioned catheter carrying a therapeutic assembly configured to modulate the renal sympathetic nerve.

A system includes a pulse waveform generator and an ablation device coupled to the pulse waveform generator. The ablation device includes at least one electrode configured for ablation pulse delivery to tissue during use. The pulse waveform generator is configured to deliver voltage pulses to the ablation device in the form of a pulsed waveform. The pulsed waveform can include multiple levels of hierarchy, and multiple sets of electrodes can be activated such that their pulsed delivery is interleaved with one another.

Cystic lesions can be treated by electroporation. For example, this document describes methods and devices for endoscopic ultrasound-guided ablation of cystic lesions using a needle for electroporation.

A system and method for supplying microwave energy to tissue for microwave therapy includes an electrosurgical generator having an output for coupling to a surgical instrument. The electrosurgical generator includes a microwave energy source and a controller for controlling the operation of the electrosurgical generator. The surgical instrument, coupled to the electrosurgical generator, includes a microwave antenna for delivering microwave energy from the microwave energy source. The controller of the electrosurgical generator is operable for causing the electrosurgical generator to apply at least two pulses of microwave energy.

Devices, systems and methods are provided for delivering pulsed electric field (PEF) energy to tissue through one or more energy delivery bodies, each having one or more electrodes. The PEF energy is generated from a waveform having a variety of features. Waveform delays, such as inter-pulse delays, inter-cycle delays, inter-phase delays, inter-packet delays, inter-bundle delays, may be utilized within a treatment to obtain a desired outcome. In particular, these delays may be specifically manipulated to obtain particular desired outcomes. For example, one, some or all of these delays may be manipulated to control various aspects of PEF therapy so as to mitigate any associated risks, such as gas formation, electrical discharge, cavity formation, muscle contraction, and temperature rise, to name a few. In some embodiments, the delays distribute the period over which PEF energy is delivered, resulting in marked changes and optimization to the treatment delivery outcomes.

A surgical system for sealing a hollow organ, the surgical system including: a pair of electrodes; a memory storing data which include patterns corresponding to predetermined burst pressure value; an electrosurgical generator configured to generate a high frequency current for sealing the hollow organ; and one or more processors configured to: perform the sealing by application of the high frequency current through the hollow organ; measure impedance of the hollow organ between the pair of electrodes with time during the performing the sealing; subsequent to performing the sealing, classify parameters related to the impedance as one of patterns corresponding to predetermined burst pressure value according to the data; and estimate the burst pressure value of the hollow organ based on the one of patterns.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to controlling electrical power of an electrotherapeutic signal that is provided to a biological tissue engaged by an electrosurgical instrument during a medical procedure. Electrical power—a product of a voltage difference across and an electrical current conducted by the engaged biological tissue—is controlled according to a therapeutic schedule. The electrotherapeutic schedule can be reduced or terminated in response to a termination criterion being met. In some examples, the termination criterion is a current characteristic, such as, for example, a decrease in current conducted by the engaged biological tissue. In some examples, the termination criterion is a biological tissue resistance characteristic, such as, for example, an increase in the biological tissue resistance that exceeds a predetermined delta resistance value.

A method for determining parameters for operating a light source within a photo-thermal targeted treatment system is disclosed. The method includes cooling a treatment location, administering first laser pulses at the treatment location, the first laser pulses having thermal energy below a known damage threshold, tracking skin surface temperatures at the treatment location while administering the first laser pulses, estimating a relationship between parameters for operating the light source and the skin surface temperature by fitting tracked skin surface temperature to a correlation model, determining a safe operating range for the light source to avoid thermal damage at the treatment location while still effectively targeting the chromophore, administering second laser pulses at the treatment location, the second laser pulses staying within the safe operating range for the light source, and adjusting the light source according to the tracked skin surface temperatures to stay within the safe operating range.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument and method of sealing a tissue includes generating a desired burst pressure in the tissue, sealing the tissue, verifying that the tissue is sealed with further application of at least one of the ultrasonic energy and the RF energy. The ultrasonic surgical instrument further includes an end effector having an ultrasonic blade, an RF electrode, and a controller. The controller operatively connects to the ultrasonic blade and the RF electrode and is configured to direct application of ultrasonic and RF energies according to an initial phase, a power phase, and a termination phase for respectively generating a desired burst pressure in the tissue, sealing the tissue, and verifying the sealing of the tissue while inhibiting transection of the tissue.

A medical device may include an elongated body, a balloon positioned at a distal portion of the elongated body, and one or more pressure-wave emitters positioned along a central longitudinal axis of the elongated body within the balloon. The one or more pressure-wave emitters may be configured to propagate pressure waves radially outward through the fluid to fragment a calcified lesion at the target treatment site. The at least one of the one or more pressure-wave emitters may include an electronic emitter comprising a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode may be arranged to define a spark gap between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the second electrode may comprise a portion of a hypotube.