A surgical device integrating a suction mechanism with a coagulation mechanism is provided for improving lesion creation capabilities. The device comprises an elongate member having an insulative covering attached about means for coagulating soft tissue. Openings through the covering expose regions of the coagulation-causing elements and are coupled to lumens in the elongate member which are routed to a vacuum source. A fluid source to passively transport fluid along the contacted soft tissue surface may be provided in order to push the maximum temperature deeper into tissue.

A method of altering corneal tissue includes creating an electrochemical reaction in the tissue, wherein the electrochemical reaction occurs in the presence of an electrolytic solution in or on the tissue.

Prostate treatment using fluid stream to resect prostate tissue, thereby relieving symptoms of conditions such as BPH, prostatitis, and prostatic carcinoma. A device having a fluid delivery element is positioned within a lumen of the urethra within the prostate. A fluid stream is directed outwardly from the fluid delivery element toward a wall of the urethral lumen. The fluid delivery element is moved to scan the fluid stream over the wall to remove a volume of tissue surrounding the lumen. The fluid may be combined with therapeutically active substances or with substances that increase resection efficiency. Fluid force may be adjusted to provide selective tissue resection such that soft tissue is removed while harder tissue is left undamaged. In order to gain a working space within the urethra, another fluid may be introduced to insufflate the urethra in the region of treatment.

A system, ablation probe, and method is provided for treating tissue, e.g., tissue having tumors. The treatment system is configured to automatically deliver infusaid to tissue when needed and comprises an ablation probe having an ablative element and at least one perfusion exit port. The system further comprises an ablation source operably coupled to the ablative element, and a pump assembly operably coupled to the perfusion exit port(s). The pump assembly is configured for pumping infusaid out through the perfusion exit port(s), preferably during the ablation process. The system further comprises a feedback device configured for controlling the amount of infusaid displaced by the pump assembly based on a sensed tissue parameter, e.g., tissue temperature or tissue impedance.

Electrosurgical devices and systems having one or more porous electrodes are provided. An electrosurgical apparatus is provided having a shaft, a handle, and at least one porous electrode. The shaft is coupled to the handle and the at least one porous electrode is disposed on a distal tip of the shaft. The at least one porous electrode conducts energy provided to the distal tip and enables fluid provided to the distal tip to pass through the porous structure of the at least one electrode, such that the electrosurgical energy and the fluid are simultaneously applied to patient tissue adjacent to the at least one porous electrode. In one aspect, the electrosurgical apparatus includes a switching means configured to enable a user to select which of at least a first fluid, e.g. saline, or a second fluid, e.g., helium, to be provided to the distal tip.

High-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE) is a tissue ablation modality employing bursts of electrical pulses in a positive phase-interphase delay-negative phase-interpulse delay pattern. Despite accumulating evidence suggesting the significance of these delays, their effects on therapeutic outcomes from clinically-relevant H-FIRE waveforms have not been studied extensively. The present invention provides methods of pulse delivery, including delays, that mitigate bubble formation and/or minimize the risk of arcing, such as due to the presence of bubbles, and/or minimize muscle stimulation are described herein.

Endolumenal devices and methods can be used for the treatment of health conditions including obesity and diabetes. In some embodiments, the methods and systems provided herein can cause weight loss or control diabetes by reducing the caloric absorption of an individual. For example, this document provides several devices and methods for treating obesity and diabetes by using electroporation to modulate the duodenal mucosa. In addition, this document provides devices and methods for bypassing portions of the gastrointestinal tract to reduce nutritional uptake.

An ablation catheter including an elongate shaft, an inflatable balloon positioned at a distal region of the elongate shaft, a first ablation electrode disposed outside of and carried by an outer surface of the inflatable balloon, a first ultrasound transducer disposed outside of the inflatable balloon, and a flexible circuit. The flexible circuit includes a first conductor and a second conductor and is disposed outside of and carried by the outer surface of the inflatable balloon. The first conductor is in electrical communication with the first ablation electrode, and the second conductor in electrical communication with the first ultrasound transducer.

A system to treat a patient comprises a user interface that allows a physician to view an image of tissue to be treated in order to develop a treatment plan to resect tissue with a predefined removal profile. The image may comprise a plurality of images, and the planned treatment is shown on the images. The treatment probe may comprise an anchor, and the image shown on the screen may have a reference image marker shown on the screen corresponding to the anchor. The planned tissue removal profile can be displayed and scaled to the image of the target tissue of an organ such as the prostate, and the physician can adjust the treatment profile based on the scaled images to provide a treatment profile in three dimensions. The images shown on the display may comprise segmented images of the patient with treatment plan overlaid on the images.

The instant disclosure relates to electrophysiology catheters for tissue ablation within a cardiac muscle, for example. In particular, the instant disclosure relates to an electrophysiology ablation balloon catheter with a combination of coated and uncoated surfaces for focusing ablation energy at a desired portion of tissue.