The present disclosure provides a catheter grip device that secures to a catheter shaft and provides easier manipulation of the catheter shaft for the user. For example, the catheter shaft, such as for an Electrophysiology catheter, may insert into a patient's blood vessel. From here, the user, such as the physician, may need to manipulate, re-position, rotate, or otherwise maneuver a distal end of the catheter shaft while inserted inside the patient's blood vessel. In this regard, by the catheter grip being securely attached to the catheter shaft, the user is able to manipulate, rotate, etc. the catheter shaft by rotating and manipulating the catheter grip. The catheter grip reduces strain on the various muscles of the user's hand, and also provides more accurate manipulation of the catheter shaft.

A medical insertion device includes an elongated shaft extending from a proximal end to a distal end and having flexibility sufficient for insertion through a working channel of an endoscope along a tortuous path. The elongated shaft includes a coil extending from the proximal end to the distal end and having a channel extending longitudinally therethrough and a braided portion extending around a portion of the coil, the braided portion including a plurality of lines wound together such that first and second ones of the lines intersect to enclose a predetermined angle therebetween, the angle being between 25 and 55 degrees.

Apparatus for percutaneous access to a patient's body comprising a first steerable tube (12), shaped to define a first lumen, and a first coupling (152) at a longitudinal site of the first tube; and a second steerable tube (14), shaped to define a second lumen and a second coupling (154), the second coupling being intracorporeally couplable to the first coupling, the apparatus having (A) an unlocked state in which the second tube is rotatable within the first lumen, and (B) a locked state in which the second coupling is coupled to the first coupling, and rotation of the second tube is inhibited. The apparatus is configured such that when the second coupling becomes disposed at the longitudinal site in a given rotational orientation of the second tube, the apparatus moves into the locked state by the second coupling automatically coupling to the first coupling. Other embodiments are also described.

A surgical tool with a bendable shaft. At least one inelastic cable and at least one elastic cable (288) extend along the shaft. The shaft moves relative to the body to which the shaft is attached. When the shaft is so displaced, the shat bends around the inelastic cable. The inelastic and elastic cables cooperate to hold the bendable section of the shaft in compression so the bendable section of the shaft resists deformation.

Disclosed is a flexible surgical instrument system (100), comprising a flexible surgical instrument (10) composed of a distal structural body (11), a proximal structural body (12), a driving transmission mechanism (13) and a middle connecting body (14), wherein a surgical end effector (111) is located at a distal end of the distal structural body (11), a proximal end of the distal structural body (11) is linked to the middle connecting body (14), and the driving transmission mechanism (13) is linked to the proximal structural body (12) via the middle connecting body (14); the distal structural body (11) comprises at least one distal structural segment (112, 113), wherein each distal structural segment (112, 113) comprises a distal fixing disk (115, 118) and structural backbones (116, 119); the proximal structural body (12) comprises at least one proximal structural segment (120, 121), wherein each proximal structural segment (120, 121) comprises a proximal fixing disk (122, 126), structural backbones (124, 128), and driving backbones (125, 129); and the driving transmission mechanism (13) comprises an introducing part, a driving part, and a reversing part.

A flexible tube includes an envelope, a spiral tube and a built-in component. The spiral tube includes a first area portion and a second area portion. The spiral tube is under an initial tension throughout the overall length, and the built-in component includes a supplement area portion which supplements the elasticity of the spiral tube.

A medical device includes an inner element and an outer element positioned at least in part around the inner element. At least one of the inner element and the outer element comprises compression-stiffening particles. The compression-stiffening particles are transitionable from a first state to a second state in response to application of pressure. The compression-stiffening particles have a higher rigidity in the second state than in the first state. The medical device also includes a pressure source operably coupled to one or both of the inner element and the outer element to apply pressure sufficient to transition the compression-stiffening particles from the first state to the second state.

A steerable instrument has a proximal end and a distal end, a steering device (168), and a tubular body (18) extending in a longitudinal direction from said proximal end to said distal end. The tubular body (18) has an intermediate flexible zone (12a) and a distal deflectable zone (17) and a tube element made from a metal. The tube element has a first slotted structure (74) in the flexible zone (12a) and a second slotted structure (72; 106; 136; 156) in the deflectable zone (17). The tubular body (18) has tangential rotation blocking elements which form cable channels (96; 97; 146; 152), each cable channel (96; 97) accommodating one of a plurality of cables (90). The cables (90) are connected at the proximal end to the steering device (168) and at the distal end to the deflectable zone (17) to allow deflection of the deflectable zone (17) by the steering device (168).

In one aspect, the present invention is an articulation joint for use in a low cost medical device such as an endoscope intended for a single use. In one embodiment, the articulation joint comprises a plurality of interconnected segments. In another embodiment, the articulation joint comprises an elongated tubular body. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods of manufacturing an articulation joint for use in a medical device.

A flexible surgical tool system comprising a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm, the flexible surgical tool, the remote control device and a controlling computer is provided. A method for controlling the same with motion constraints is also provided. The method can comprise: obtaining a target posture of the surgical actuator, a current posture of the surgical actuator and bending angle values of the sections of the flexible surgical tool. A desired velocity of the surgical actuator and a motion limitation condition can be obtained. Joint velocity of the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm and bending velocity of the sections of the flexible surgical tool can be obtained. A target joint position value of the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm, a target bending angular value of the sections of the flexible surgical tool, and transmitting them to a corresponding controller to drive each section can be obtained. The above operations can be repeated.