Systems and methods for non-thermal ablation of tissue are provided. A non-implantable minimally invasive system for treatment of tissue in a body via direct current ablation is provided including a catheter, a plurality of electrodes for deployment through the catheter, a power source for applying power to the electrodes, and a fixation element for maintaining the catheter in a treatment position during treatment of the tissue. A minimally invasive method for treating tissue in a body via direct current ablation is provided including inserting a catheter into the body such that a portion of the catheter remains outside of the body, deploying a fixation element to fix the catheter in a treatment position, deploying a plurality of electrodes through the catheter, applying power to the plurality of electrodes, using the electrodes to apply a current to the tissue, and removing the catheter from the body.

Example methods and apparatuses are disclosed for providing tissue ablation through electrolysis, electroporation, or a combination thereof. A way to deliver the combination through a pulse that has an element of gradual decay and can thereby reduce both muscle contraction and electric breakdown discharge at the electrodes is disclosed. The apparatus disclosed may include an electrode, a power supply, and a controller. The controller may control a charge applied to the electrode to induce a direct current through a treatment site to produce electrolysis products and a voltage to produce electroporation. The duration and magnitude of the charge applied may determine the dose of the products and the degree of the permeabilization of cells in the treatment site.

A system and method for the safe delivery of treatment energy to a patient, which includes verification of system integrity before, during, or after the delivery of treatment energy and provides several mechanisms for rapid termination of the delivery of potentially harmful energy to the patient when a fault condition in the device and/or system is identified. The system may include an energy generator having processing circuitry to determine if there is a fault condition in the system and to automatically terminate a delivery of treatment energy when the processing circuitry determines there is a fault condition. The method may generally include performing a series of pre-checks, synchronizing a treatment energy delivery to the proper segment of the heart's depolarization pattern, configuring the system for treatment energy delivery, delivering the treatment energy, and performing post-treatment evaluation.

This disclosure relates to electrophysiology cardiac ablation devices, methods, and systems. In particular, this disclosure relates to devices, methods, and systems that create a reversible non-ablative blockade of cardiac tissue, test the cardiac tissue, and ablate the cardiac tissue.

An electrosurgical instrument includes an elongated shaft, an end effector, a drive shaft, and a switch assembly. The end effector is coupled to a distal end portion of the elongated shaft and includes opposing first and second jaw members. The end effector is configured to move between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The drive shaft is operably coupled to the end effector to move the end effector between the open and closed configurations. The switch assembly includes a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact. The first electrical contact is coupled to the drive shaft and configured to move with the drive shaft. The first electrical contact is configured to engage the second electrical contact in response to a movement of the drive shaft to determine a first angle between the first and second jaw members.

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector is disclosed. The end effector comprises a surgical dissector.

A modular surgical instrument is disclosed. The modular surgical instrument comprises a control interface, a shaft extending from the control interface, an end effector extending from said shaft, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to sense the electrical potential applied to the modular surgical instrument, determine if the sensed electrical potential is above a predetermined threshold, and adjust the operation of the modular surgical instrument when the sensed electrical potential exceeds the predetermined threshold.

An electrosurgical generator is presented for controlling a surgical instrument. The electrosurgical generator includes a controller programmed to generate a first carrier wave signal and a second carrier wave signal based on an algorithm employing real-time current values of tissue at a tissue site to determine tissue impedance at a distal end of the surgical instrument, the first carrier wave signal having a first oscillating waveform and the second carrier wave signal having a second oscillating waveform, a multistage variable gain amplifier for amplifying the first and second oscillating waveforms to generate a first output signal for a first mode of operation and a second output signal for a second mode of operation, and an electrosurgical connector for transmitting the first and second output signals. The controller concurrently runs the first and second oscillating waveforms while switching between the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.

A surgical system for treating targeted tissue in a fluid-filled working space includes a probe having an elongated shaft extending from a proximal end to a working end. A tissue-receiving window formed in the working end opens to a passageway in the elongated shaft, and a motor moves an electrode across the tissue-receiving window to resect tissue. A radiofrequency (RF) current source is coupled to the electrode, and a controller operatively connected to the motor and the RF source. In some instances, the controller actuates movement of the electrode in response to electrode contact with the targeted tissue. In some instances, the controller actuates movement of the electrode in a single stroke to perform biopsy.

A portable electrosurgical device (ESD) has a housing, a probe connected to the housing and a heating element connected to the probe for destroying human tissue. The heating element is detachable from the probe and/or the probe with heating element can be detachable from the housing. The user can set a drive signal's electrical characteristics, such as operating frequency, duty cycle, peak voltage, and the like for a customized drive signal formed in the ESD based on the heating element used. Memory storage allows for storage of inputted data from a keyboard, downloaded reference documents and information off the Internet from an Ethernet connector that can be displayed for reference on a screen of the ESD. Another even more compact ESD is an integral one-piece portable device having a type of pistol hand-held grip, dis-connectable probe, and a rechargeable, removable battery in the handle provides approximately 30, one-minute treatments on a single battery charge.