A medical device that has high pushing performance is capable of forming a hole in a biological tissue in a living body, is capable of being arbitrarily shaped, and is capable of suppressing a kink. The medical device may be used to form a hole in an oval fossa in a living body. The medical device includes: a hollow dilator made of resin; a core made of metal that is disposed in a part in a circumferential direction of the dilator and extends in a long axis direction of the dilator; and an output unit that is disposed in a distal portion of the dilator and outputs energy to form the hole in the oval fossa, in which the core is embedded in between an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the dilator, and the core has conductivity and is electrically connected to the output unit.

The invention provides a system for remote control of a surgical device, comprising a first imaging device of a first type having a first image output. The first imaging device is positioned to image an area being subject to surgery. A second imaging device of a second type has a second image output. The second imaging device is positioned to image the area being subjected to surgery. A computer is coupled to receive the first and second image outputs and merge the first and second image outputs into a unitary image output representing a unitary image. Software, resident in the computer generates a graphic user interface including a menu and submenu items. A surgical device is coupled to the computer. Software, resident in said computer, receives and displays information received from the surgical device and/or controls the operation of the surgical device. A display as coupled to the computer for displaying the graphic user interface and the unitary image.

The present disclosure is directed to a minimally invasive medical assembly including a delivery device in the form of a sheath configured to be delivered to a target site in a patient by being advanced through tortuous anatomy to deliver surgical and ablative devices to a target site (e.g. a lung tumor), to remove and ablate the target tissue. The invention allows for the delivery of various surgical and ablative devices to a target site without the need to surgically open and release the patient's chest cavity.

A method of treating tissue includes extending a distal tip of an electrode of a surgical instrument from a body of the surgical instrument to expose the distal tip by sliding the electrode along a longitudinal axis defined by the body, delivering energy from the distal tip to tissue, and applying suction adjacent the distal end of the body with a suction pipe of the surgical instrument. The distal tip of the electrode may include a collapsible portion. Extending the distal tip of the electrode may include moving the collapsible portion to extend beyond an outer radial dimension of a nose of the surgical instrument.

Provided herein are catheter devices, systems, and methods to ablate a tissue location. The devises, systems, and methods disclosed herein comprise catheters comprising a fenestrated nozzle, ablation balloons, and an ablation medium that is directed at a tissue location.

A handheld dissector includes a handle including an elongated cuff disposed at a distal end thereof. The elongated cuff defines an opening extending therethrough configured to receive a tissue specimen. The elongated cuff includes a proximal end including a cavity defined therein configured to receive a crimp ring configured to support a plurality of insulative tubes along an inner peripheral surface thereof. Each tube is configured to insulate a wire disposed therein and configured to extend from a distal end thereof. The crimp ring electrically couples to each wire. The dissector also includes a distal end configured to receive a return ring. An active lead operably couples to the crimp ring and a return lead operably couples to the return ring. An activation switch selectively energizes the dissector.

A cutting guard for use with a wound retractor includes a body having a lumen including a flexible inner surface with a ground contact extending therethrough. A ground guard is included having proximal and distal openings that define a guard lumen therethrough, the ground guard encapsulating the flexible inner surface of the body lumen. A biasing element is disposed within the guard lumen and encircles the flexible inner surface and biases the flexible inner surface inwardly. A cutting electrode is disposed proximate the distal opening of the ground guard and connects to a first electrical potential and the ground guard connects to a second electrical potential. Upon externalizing of tissue through the distal opening, oversized tissue forces the flexible inner surface of the body lumen and the ground contact outwardly to engage the ground guard to complete an electrical circuit and energize the cutting electrode to excise oversized tissue.

A method and apparatus for treating tissue are disclosed, including intra-operative mapping of a probe ablation zone. The method uses a system that maps the proximal and distal margins of the probe ablation zone using tools that access the ablation target. In some embodiments, the tools comprise a bone drill, and an introducer assembly, including a cannula and a stylet. The tools have features or markings that cooperate to indicate which probe to use to achieve the desired ablation. The method further facilitates planning probe placement for delivering energy to treat (ablate) a desired ablation volume of a target tissue by using a system that maps both the target tissue and possible probe ablation zones.

An energy delivery probe and method of using the energy delivery probe to treat a patient is provided herein. The energy delivery probe has at least one probe body having a longitudinal axis and at least a first trocar and a second trocar. Each trocar comprises at least two electrodes that are electrically insulated from each other, and each electrode is independently selectively activatable. An insulative sleeve is positioned in a coaxially surrounding relationship to each of the first trocar and the second trocar. The probe also has a switching means for independently activating at least one electrode. The method involves independently and selectively activating the first and second electrodes to form an ablation zone, then repeating the ablation by delivering energy to a second set of electrodes, producing one or more overlapping ablation zone, and eliminating the need to reposition the ablation probes.

A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.