Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to flexible high-density mapping catheters with a planar array of high-density mapping electrodes near a distal tip portion. These mapping catheters may be used to detect electrophysiological characteristics of tissue in contact with the electrodes, and may be used to diagnose cardiac conditions, such as cardiac arrhythmias for example.

A balloon catheter includes a shaft, a balloon made of an expandable membrane, a flexible substrate, one or more electrodes, and one or more radiopaque flags. The shaft is configured for insertion into a heart of a patient. The balloon is fitted at a distal end of the shaft. The flexible substrate is disposed on the membrane. The one or more electrodes are disposed over the flexible substrate and have a fishbone configuration. The one or more radiopaque flags are coupled to the expandable membrane, wherein the one or more radiopaque flags include a serpentine pattern so that the radiopaque flags fold in conformance with flexible substrate as the balloon is collapsed into a compressed or folded configuration.

Ablation systems and methods of the present disclosure control lesion depth and width such that, for example, wide and shallow lesions can be formed in target tissue in an anatomic structure of a patient during a medical procedure. Such wide and shallow lesions can be useful for treating, for example, thin tissue such as atrial tissue in atria of the heart of the patient.

Aspects of the present disclosure include control systems of an electrosurgical system for managing the flow of fluid, such as saline, and rates of aspiration or suction, in response to various states of conditions at a surgical site. The control system(s) may monitor and adjust to impedance at the surgical site, temperature of the surgical tissue, and/or RF current of electrodes, and may account for certain undesirable conditions, such as the electrodes sticking. The control systems may include various automatic sensing scenarios, while also allowing for several manual conditions.

Intrauterine devices and methods for facilitating deployment thereof using a bumper are disclosed. In one embodiment, an intrauterine device comprises a structure including a first central support member and a deployment mechanism coupled to the first central support member. The intrauterine device further comprises a bumper positioned at a distal end of a second central support member and at a more distal position relative to a distal end of the structure so as to prevent the distal end of the structure from contacting the fundus of the uterus of a patient during deployment of the deployment mechanism. In another embodiment, the intrauterine device comprises a bumper coupled to the deployment mechanism and configured to move from a more distal to a more proximal position relative to a distal end of the structure.

Disclosed herein is a tissue ablation device comprising a sheath and a probe. The sheath is positionable within body tissue and comprises a distal end, a proximal end and a lumen extending therebetween. The probe comprises an elongate portion configured to be slidably received in the lumen, the elongate portion housing an electrode that is deployable from a distal end of the probe's elongate portion into a substantially planar deployed configuration when the distal end of the elongate portion is located at or beyond the distal end of the sheath. An angle of deployment of the electrode from the distal end of the probe (and hence into the body tissue, in use) is selectable by orientating the probe with respect to the sheath.

An electrosurgical device can be delivered to a tissue site to provide supplemental sealing of vessels and/or vascular tissue that include suturing, stapling, or the like. The electrosurgical device is generally in the form of forceps, and includes an end effector assembly including opposing movable jaws. Each jaw includes a deformable pad or cushion including an electrode array positioned thereon. Each deformable cushion is configured to deliver a fluid, such as saline, during activation of the electrode array, thereby creating a virtual electrode which couples radiofrequency (RF) energy emitted from the electrode array into tissue in which the RF energy is converted into thermal energy. The deformable cushion and electrode array provide a controlled degree of compression upon the target tissue or vessel to maintain integrity of a suture, staple, or clip, as well as controlled energy emission for sealing, cauterizing, coagulating, and/or desiccating the target tissue or vessel.

An end-effector and a surgical instrument including the end-effector are disclosed. The end-effector includes a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator. The clamp arm includes a clamp jaw, a cantilever electrode configured to electrically couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator. The cantilever electrode is fixed to the clamp jaw at a proximal end and free to deflect at a distal end. The clamp arm includes control features to adjust a tissue path relative to the clamp arm to create a predefined location of contact.

An end-effector is disclosed. The end-effector includes a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator. The clamp arm includes a clamp jaw, a clamp arm pad, and a cantilever electrode that is free to deflect. The cantilever electrode is configured to electrically couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator. Also disclosed are configurations where the clamp arm includes a peripheral cantilever electrode and a clamp arm pad extending beyond the electrode, a floating cantilever electrode and a resilient clamp arm pad, an interlocked cantilever electrode plate and a clamp arm pad configured to receive the plate, a laterally deflectable cantilever electrode and a clamp arm pad extending beyond the electrode, and a flexible cantilever electrode and a clamp arm pad extending beyond the electrode.

Systems, devices, and methods to treat a urinary bladder are disclosed. An expandable member is introduced and expanded in the urinary bladder to appose one or more elongate conductors on the outer surface of the expandable member against the inner wall of the urinary bladder. The one or more elongate conductors are used to create a predetermined pattern of electrically isolated tissue regions having reduced electrical propagation such that electrical propagation through the urinary bladder as a whole is reduced. A mucus layer may be removed from the inner bladder wall prior to the ablation. Ablation may be regulated by impedance measurement with the one or more elongate conductors. The urinary bladder may be filled with a fluid to facilitate the impedance measurement.