A joint distraction lever includes a lever body, a foot coupled to the lever body via a hinge such that the foot is rotatable relative to the lever body, and a force sensor positioned between a bottom surface of the lever body and the foot and configured to measure a force of the foot on the bottom surface of the lever body during a joint distraction procedure in which a torque is applied to the lever body.

The present invention relates to an optical fiber sensor for shape sensing, comprising an optical fiber having embedded therein a number of at least four fiber cores (1 to 6) arranged at a distance from a longitudinal center axis (0) of the optical fiber, the number of fiber cores (1 to 6) including a first subset of at least two fiber cores (1, 3, 5) and a second subset of at least two fiber cores (2, 4, 6), the fiber cores (2, 4, 6) of the second subset being arranged to provide a redundancy in a shape sensing measurement of the fiber sensor (12′). The fiber cores (1, 3, 5) of the first subset are distributed in azimuthal direction around the center axis (0) with respect to one another, and each fiber core (2) of the second subset is arranged in non-equidistantly fashion in azimuthal direction around the center axis (0) with respect to two neighboring fiber cores (1, 3) of the first subset.

A method for determining the force applied to a tip of a medical instrument includes receiving inputs from a medical instrument having at least one elongated actuation element used to manipulate a position of the instrument while in a patient's body. The method also includes applying the inputs to a lumped model of the instrument and determining a force on a tip of the instrument based on both the inputs and the lumped model.

A system and method are presented for detecting and measuring pressure within a region of a body lumen or vessel. The pressure sensing system includes a light source for transmitting light through a pathway of polarization maintaining fiber optic wire. A distal portion of the polarization maintaining fiber optic wire is engaged to and extends along a guidewire. The distal portion of the fiber optic wire includes pressure sensing station(s) made up of fiber Bragg gratings (FBG). The light transmitted to and reflected from the FBGs on the two polarization modes of the polarization maintaining fiber optic wire can be analyzed to provide one or more pressure values.

In an example, this document discloses an apparatus for insertion into a body lumen, the apparatus comprising an optical fiber pressure sensor. The optical fiber pressure sensor comprises an optical fiber configured to transmit an optical sensing signal, a temperature compensated Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) interferometer in optical communication with the optical fiber, the FBG interferometer configured to receive a pressure and modulate, in response to the received pressure, the optical sensing signal, and a sensor membrane in physical communication with the FBG interferometer, the membrane configured to transmit the received pressure to the FBG interferometer.

Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to detecting damage to an optical fiber of a medical device. The optical fiber includes core fibers including a plurality of sensors configured to (i) reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and (ii) change a characteristic of the reflected light signal based on experienced strain. The system also includes a console having memory storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing receiving reflected light signals of different spectral widths of the broadband incident light by one or more of the plurality of sensors, processing the reflected light signals to detect fluctuations of a portion of the optical fiber, and determining a location of the portion of the optical fiber or a defect affecting a vessel in which the portion is disposed based on the detected fluctuations. The portion may be a distal tip of the optical fiber.

Systems and methods for monitoring eye health. The systems and methods monitor eye health by measuring scleral strain by way of an implantable monitor, a wearable monitor configured in eyeglasses, or an external monitor using a portable tablet computing device. Certain embodiments of the strain monitor may be utilized to measure the strain on any surface to which it is attached, including, but not limited to, the skin of a patient or the surface of a structure such as a building or a bridge.

The present invention belongs to the field of medicine and discloses a method for assessing volume responsiveness and a processing device for assessing volume responsiveness. The method comprises: acquiring, by using one or more vibration sensitive sensors, a first parameter associated with a change in preload in a first time interval before a subject performs a passive straight-leg lift in a passive leg raising (PLR) test; acquiring, by using the one or more vibration sensitive sensors, a second parameter associated with a change in preload in a second time interval after the subject performs a passive straight-leg lift in the PLR test; and determining the volume responsiveness of the subject according to the first parameter associated with a change in preload and the second parameter associated with a change in preload. The method provides a convenient and easy determination of volume responsiveness.

The disclosure relates to a catheter, comprising: an elongated shaft body extending along a longitudinal axis and having a distal end portion connected to a catheter tip at a distal end of the catheter, wherein the shaft body comprises a first lumen extending along the longitudinal axis, and an optical fiber for measuring a force, wherein the optical fiber extends in the first lumen and comprises at least a first Bragg grating arranged in in the distal end portion of the shaft body. The distal end portion of the shaft body encloses at least a first stiffening element, wherein the first stiffening element extends along the longitudinal axis for stiffening the distal end portion of the shaft body.

Disclosed herein is a system for assessing ablation lesions. The system includes an ablation catheter configured to ablate a target cardiac tissue site to form an ablation lesion thereon, and a mechanical probe operable to impart mechanical force to the target cardiac tissue site. The mechanical probe includes at least one sensor configured to measure a mechanical response of the target cardiac tissue site to the mechanical force. The system further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the mechanical probe, and configured to determine systolic and diastolic stiffness values of the target cardiac tissue site based on the mechanical response. The controller is further configured to determine a transmurality value of the ablation lesion based on the determined systolic and diastolic stiffness values.