Biopsy needle guide with pointer for performing a biopsy in a tissue of a patient in conjunction with an imaging method for imaging the tissue and identification of a target volume to be examined, comprising a needle guide head (2), which is freely movable in a plane via at least two degrees of freedom and is mounted so as to be movable about an axis (S) that does not stand perpendicular to this plane, and has a needle passage opening (20, 29), a marker pin (4), which can be inserted in an opening (20, 29) of the head (2) and contains a marker part (41), which can be imaged by the imaging method with good contrast, wherein, when the marker pin (4) is inserted in the opening (20, 29), the marker part (41) lies in the pivot axis (S) of the head (2), as well as a use of such a biopsy needle guide.

A marker device for producing paint marks on an eye is disclosed. The marker device comprises a handling unit and a marker unit coupled to the handling unit for rotation with respect to the handling unit about a rotational axis. The marker unit includes at least two spaced apart marking surfaces and has a rotationally symmetric distribution of weight with respect to the rotational axis. A coupling between the handling unit and the marker unit permits the marker unit to rotate, due to gravity, relative to the handling unit into an equilibrium position.

A method for guiding resection of local tissue from a patient includes generating at least one image of the patient, automatically determining a plurality of surgical guidance cues indicating three-dimensional spatial properties associated with the local tissue, and generating a visualization of the surgical guidance cues relative to the surface. A system for generating surgical guidance cues for resection of a local tissue from a patient includes a location module for processing at least one image of the patient to determine three-dimensional spatial properties of the local tissue, and a surgical cue generator for generating the surgical guidance cues based upon the three-dimensional spatial properties. A patient-specific locator form for guiding resection of local tissue from a patient includes a locator form surface matching surface of the patient, and a plurality of features indicating a plurality of surgical guidance cues, respectively.

One variation of a method includes: accessing a virtual patient model defining a target resected contour of a hard tissue of interest; after resection of the hard tissue of interest during a surgical operation, accessing an optical scan recorded by an optical sensor facing a surgical field occupied by a patient, detecting a set of features representing the patient in the optical scan, registering the virtual patient model to the hard tissue of interest in the surgical field based on the set of features, and detecting an actual resected contour of the hard tissue of interest in the optical scan; and calculating a spatial difference between the actual resected contour of the hard tissue of interest and the target resected contour of the hard tissue of interest represented in the virtual patient model registered to the hard tissue of interest in the surgical field.

Scrub resistant inks and methods and apparatus for fabrication and use thereof are provided. Scrub-resistant ink compositions may include a dye for marking skin; and a solvent dissolving a marking effective amount of the dye, wherein the solvent comprises about 0.1 to about 90 percent of a polar aprotic solvent. Apparatus for marking patients may include an ink reservoir; an ink dispenser having a fluid connection to the ink reservoir to dispense the ink at a desired rate to mark a patient; and a scrub resistant ink disposed in the ink reservoir. Methods for forming scrub-resistant ink compositions may include providing a marking effective amount of a dye suitable for use in marking skin; and mixing the dye with a first solvent comprising 0.1% to 90% of a polar aprotic solvent. Methods of marking patients may include applying an ink as recited above to a body part of the patient.

Systems and methods for reducing pathogens near an implant are discussed. In some cases, the methods include reducing contaminants in a portion of a patient that has an implant and that is disposed interior to a closed surface of skin of the patient. The method can further include placing a conduit in the closed surface of skin and flowing an antimicrobial fluid into that portion of the patient to contact the antimicrobial fluid with a surface of the implant and tissue adjacent to the implant. In some cases, the antimicrobial fluid is then removed from the portion of the patient having the implant. As part of this method, biofilm near the implant can be mechanically, ultrasonically, electrically, chemically, enzymatically, or otherwise disrupted. Other implementations are described.

Methods and devices for removing non-viable tissue at a treatment situs are described. The method can include administering a selective biofilm stain dye to the treatment situs at a dilution that selectively stains non-viable tissue compared to viable tissue at a selectivity ratio that provides a visually identifiable separation between the non-viable tissue and the viable tissue. The selective biofilm stain dye is diluted in water to a concentration of from about 0.001 mg/mL to about 0.5 mg/mL. The method can also include visually identifying the non-viable tissue, and removing the non-viable tissue based on the visual identification.

A biofilm staining device can include an applicator having a dispense tip, a rupture lever adapted to rupture a rupturable capsule and release a selective biofilm stain dye, and a housing sized to retain the rupturable capsule and adapted to allow released selective biofilm stain dye to flow to the dispense tip.

A medical robot system, including a robot coupled to an effectuator element with the robot configured for controlled movement and positioning. The system may include a transmitter configured to emit one or more signals, and the transmitter is coupled to an instrument coupled to the effectuator element. The system may further include a motor assembly coupled to the robot and a plurality of receivers configured to receive the one or more signals emitted by the transmitter. A control unit is coupled to the motor assembly and the plurality of receivers, and the control unit is configured to supply one or more instruction signals to the motor assembly. The instruction signals can be configured to cause the motor assembly to selectively move the effectuator element.

A number of improvements are provided relating to computer aided surgery. The improvement relates to both the methods used during computer aided surgery and the devices used during such procedures. Some of the improvement relate to controlling the selection of which data to display during a procedure and/or how the data is displayed to aid the surgeon. Other improvements relate to the structure of the tools used during a procedure and how the tools can be controlled automatically to improve the efficiency of the procedure. Still other improvements relate to methods of providing feedback during a procedure to improve either the efficiency or quality, or both, for a procedure.

A radio-opaque composition is formulated to enable a clinician to apply custom markings to a surface, such as a patient's skin or a surgical drape on the patient. More specifically, the radio-opaque composition may be used to write on the surface. The markings may be well-defined and contrast with the surface to which they are applied. Such a composition may include a liquid radio-opaque component that includes one or more radio-opaque materials that have been dissolved in a solvent, as well as a solid radio-opaque component with particles of one or more radio-opaque materials dispersed throughout a carrier, such as the solvent of the liquid radio-opaque component. Marking apparatuses that may be used to write with the radio-opaque composition are also disclosed, as are methods for using the radio-opaque composition.