The present disclosure is directed to a method of determining a position of a medical instrument. The method may include inserting a first material into a body and adjacent to the medical instrument, analyzing at least one characteristic of the inserted first material, and determining the position of the medical instrument based on the analysis of the at least one characteristic.

The subject invention pertains to a novel system capable of long-term monitoring the concentration of a typical analyte in body fluid. The invention includes an untethered battery-free concentration monitor and an external data recorder to continuously measure the concentration of certain analytes and send out signals corresponding to the measured analytes concentration in real-time.

Provided is a catheter that includes a catheter tube and a temperature sensor. The catheter tube includes a tip-flexible part and a base end part. The base end part includes a first base end section having rigidity higher than the tip-flexible part, and a second base end section having rigidity lower than the first base end section. The tip-flexible part has an axial length from 40 mm to 100 mm, the first base end section has an axial length from 200 mm to 400 mm, and the second base end section has an axial length from 200 mm to 900 mm. A value of the rigidity of each of the first and the second base end sections decreases linearly from the first base end section to the second base end section, in a region around a boundary between the first base end section and the second base end section.

Systems and methods are described for detecting heat stroke and monitoring cooling treatment of heat stroke. The system includes a rectal temperature probe including a flexible length and an indicator positioned on the flexible length to indicate when the probe has been inserted to a target insertion depth. A controller is configured to receive a signal from the probe indicative of a sensed temperature and to determine whether heat stroke is likely based on the sensed temperature. When monitoring cooling treatment, a cooling rate is calculated based on periodically sensed temperatures and, based on the calculated cooling rate, the system indicates whether the heat stroke is being adequately treated or if the current treatment methods are insufficient.

There is provided herein a system and a method for guiding insertion of a gastroenteral tube including: an electromagnetic field generator configured to generate an electromagnetic field covering a treatment area; wherein said electromagnetic field generator is external to the patient; a registration sensor configured to mark anatomic locations on the patient's torso; a gastroenteral tube comprising a tip sensor configured to sense its position and/or orientation relative to the electromagnetic field generator; and a processing circuitry configured to: calculate an orientation of the subject relative to the field generator based on the anatomic locations marked by the registration sensor, load a predefined anatomic map representing a torso; aligning the map based on the anatomic locations marked by the registration sensor, and showing on the map a path of the gastroenteral tube insertion; wherein the path is generated according to changes in the strength of the electromagnetic field sensed by the tip sensor's during the insertion of the gastroenteral tube, independent of the subject's movement and independent of deviations in the position and/or orientation of said field generator.

A temperature probe for monitoring temperatures of a surface of a tissue or organ within the body of a subject includes a section with a substantially two-dimensional arrangement and a plurality of temperature sensors positioned across an area defined by the substantially two-dimensional arrangement. Such an apparatus may be used in conjunction with procedures in which thermal techniques are used to diagnose a disease state or treat diseased tissue. Specifically, a temperature probe may be used to monitor temperatures across an area of a surface of a tissue or organ located close to the treated tissue to prevent subjection of the monitored tissue or organ to potentially damaging temperatures.

There is provided a system for monitoring a heart of a subject and monitoring impedance-related parameters, comprising: a feeding tube, an electrode disposed(s) on a distal end of the feeding tube, a controller that performs, while the feeding tube is in located in an esophagus and feeding is delivered to a subject via the feeding tube, in a plurality of iterations: continuously measuring voltage at the electrode(s) of the feeding tube, applying alternating current(s) between the electrode(s) of the feeding tube and at least one other electrode, computing impedance measurement(s) from the electrode(s) of the feeding tube according to the applied alternating current(s) and the measured voltage, computing impedance-related parameter(s) based on the impedance measurement(s), terminating the application of the alternating current(s), obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement based on the voltage measured at the electrode(s) of the feeding tube, and providing the impedance-related parameter(s) and the ECG measurement.

The present invention relates to endotracheal tubes for intra-operative monitoring of nerve and muscle tissue (neuromonitoring), a system for intra-operative neuromonitoring, a method for deriving stimulus responses in intra-operative neuromonitoring, and a method for classifying tissue types, having the purpose of preventing damage to nerves and muscles which run within the area of operation.

An example assembly for use with a vacuum system and an esophageal positioning device esophageal positioning device includes an introducer, in which the esophageal positioning device includes a handle, a first segment, a second segment and an articulation driving mechanism. The first segment being coupled to the handle. The second segment being pivotally connected to the first segment. The articulation driving mechanism being configured to pivot the second segment about the first segment upon articulation.

A mucosal impedance measuring device measures a pressure-controlled impedance of mucosal tissue. The device includes an endoscope having an elongated body extending to a scope end in which the scope end is articulable relative to the elongated body and a plurality of impedance measuring electrodes supported by the endoscope proximate the scope end. Upon articulation of the scope end, the plurality of impedance measuring electrodes are moved relative to the elongated body to be drawn into contact with mucosal tissue under an applied pressure to collect pressure-regulated impedance of the tissue. In some forms, an impedance measuring system can be in electrical communication with the electrodes and may include software that determines whether the pressure-controlled impedance of the mucosa that is measured is a stable impedance measurement indicative of consistent pressure-regulated contact between the impedance measuring electrodes and the mucosa. Still further, such device may be used to map and provide a visual indication of the colon or other portion of the gastrointestinal tract and visually provide impedance measurements associate with one or more regions of the gastrointestinal tract.