Volumetrically oscillating plasma flows, the volume of which controllably expands and contracts with time, are disclosed. Volumetrically oscillating plasma flows are generated by providing an energy with a power density that changes with time to the plasma-generating gas to form a plasma flow. The changes in the energy power density result in plasma flow volumetric oscillations. Volumetric oscillations with a frequency of above 20,000 Hz results in ultrasonic acoustic waves, which are known to be beneficial for various medical applications. System for providing volumetrically oscillating plasma flows and a variety of surgical non-surgical applications of such flows are also disclosed.

Vascular treatment devices and methods include a woven structure including a plurality of bulbs that may be self-expanding, a hypotube, for example including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs, and a bonding zone between the woven structure and the hypotube. The woven structure may include patterns of radiopaque filaments measurable under x-ray. Structures may be heat treated to include various shapes at different temperatures. The woven structure may be deployable to implant in a vessel. A catheter may include a hypotube including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs and optionally a balloon. Laser cutting systems may include fluid flow systems.

A surgical instrument includes an end effector, a drivetrain configured to transmit at least one motion to the end effector, and an electric motor operably coupled to the firing drivetrain, wherein the electric motor is configured to generate a mechanical output to motivate the drivetrain to transmit the at least one motion to the end effector. The surgical instrument further includes a controller that has a processor and a memory storing program instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to activate a safe mode in response to an acute failure of the drivetrain and activate a bailout mode in response to a catastrophic failure of the drivetrain.

A surgical instrument includes a shaft, an end effector extending distally from the shaft, and a housing extending proximally from the shaft. The housing includes a motor configured to generate at least one motion to effectuate the end effector, and a power source configured to supply power to the surgical instrument, wherein the power source includes a casing, a data storage unit, and a deactivation mechanism configured to interrupt access to data stored in the data storage unit. In addition, the power source includes a battery pack and a deactivation mechanism configured to deactivate the battery pack if the casing is breached.

Various methods of performing ultrasound contrast assisted therapy are provided. One such method includes delivering a plurality of microbubble-based ultrasound contrast agents to a target area and disrupting the microbubble-based ultrasound contrast agents by delivering tone bursts of ultrasound to the target area. The oscillation of the microbubble-based ultrasound contrast agents can be achieved by delivering ultrasound tone bursts of greater than 5 acoustic cycles with a pulse repetition frequency of between 0.01 and 20 Hz, with pressure greater than 0.3 MPa.

A medical instrument having a tool assembly including a pair of opposing tissue engaging surfaces for clamping tissue therebetween. The medical instrument includes a housing having a fixed handle and a movable handle mounted to the housing and selectively movable relative to the fixed handle from a first position in spaced relation relative to the fixed handle to a second position closer to the fixed handle to actuate the clamping of tissue. The medical instrument includes a selectively activatable drive assembly including a power source and a motor which is operatively coupled to the movable handle, wherein upon actuation the motor actuates the pair of opposing tissue engaging surfaces. The drive assembly includes a controller configured to variably control the rate at which the motor actuates the pair of opposing tissue engaging surfaces in response to the force exerted on the movable handle.

The object of the invention is an electronic device for the operation of an endourological laser surgery system. The endourological laser surgery system comprises an endourological laser surgery device. The electronic device comprises a processor; memory; an interface comprising a display and an input device. The electronic device is configured for the acquisition of a configuration scheme of the endourological laser surgery device. The electronic device is configured for the determination, based on the configuration scheme, of an energy parameter associated with the light emission by the endourological laser surgery device. The energy parameter is determined based on an energy level and a pulse duration for the light emission by the endourological laser surgery device. The electronic device is configured for the representation, on the display, of a first user interface object which is representative of the energy parameter.

An electrosurgical system having an ultrasound generator, configured to emit a high-frequency electrical signal, and an ultrasound instrument, including an ultrasound transducer configured to convert the signal into an ultrasound oscillation, wherein the generator is further configured to determine a resonance frequency of the transducer and adapt a frequency of the signal to the resonance frequency, and wherein the generator is further configured to detect a phase position between the current and the voltage of the signal and based on the detected phase position to determine whether the frequency of the signal corresponds to the resonance frequency. To enable the resonance frequency of the transducer to be determined correctly irrespective of component tolerances, the electrosurgical system is characterized in that the generator is configured to consider, during determination of the phase position, correction values, which are or can be stored in a memory of the generator and/or of the instrument.

A surgical instrument includes an end effector, a drivetrain configured to transmit at least one motion to the end effector, and an electric motor operably coupled to the firing drivetrain, wherein the electric motor is configured to generate a mechanical output to motivate the drivetrain to transmit the at least one motion to the end effector. The surgical instrument further includes a controller that has a processor and a memory storing program instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to activate a safe mode in response to an acute failure of the drivetrain and activate a bailout mode in response to a catastrophic failure of the drivetrain.

Methods and devices are disclosed to reduce tissue trauma when a physician retracts a patient's tissues for surgery. A device includes a tissue engager adapted to engage a patient's tissue, a control system adapted to control the tissue engager to deform the patient's tissue, and a sensor adapted to produce a first signal based on the deformation. The control system is further adapted to receive the first signal, perform a plurality of measurements based on the first signal over time; and compare a substantially instantaneous measurement of the first signal to a variance in the plurality of measurements over an interval of time preceding the instantaneous measurement, and detect a state of the patient's tissue based on the comparison.