An endovascular apparatus for crossing through an obstruction in a blood vessel comprises: an elongate endovascular element such as a wire; an ultrasonic transducer, mechanically coupled to the endovascular element for ultrasonically exciting a distal tip portion thereof to facilitate the crossing through the obstruction, and one or more damping features, mechanically coupled to the endovascular element to attenuate lateral displacement of the endovascular element at positions away from the distal tip portion.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic waveguide coupled to the ultrasonic transducer and extending therefrom. The ultrasonic waveguide includes a proximal body portion coupled to and extending distally from the ultrasonic transducer and defining a longitudinal axis. The ultrasonic waveguide further includes a distal body portion defining a blade, and a plurality of spheres of material arranged in a series. The plurality of spheres of material extend between and interconnect the proximal body portion and the distal body portion. At least one sphere of material of the plurality of spheres of material is configured to articulate relative to at least one other sphere of material of the plurality of spheres of material to thereby articulate the distal body portion from an aligned orientation on the longitudinal axis to an articulated orientation angled off the longitudinal axis.

A wire connector assembly for an ultrasonic therapy catheter system including an ultrasound generator is presented. The wire connector assembly includes a sonic connector that is configured to couple to the ultrasound generator and receive ultrasonic energy therefrom. The sonic connector includes a body having a passageway that extends therethrough, and the passageway includes a tapered surface. The wire connector assembly further includes a wire that engages the tapered surface and extends outwardly from the passageway. The wire is configured to receive ultrasonic energy from the sonic connector.

An ultrasonic treatment device includes a connecting unit. The connecting unit including a first engagement portion which engages with a first screw portion and a second engagement portion which engages with a second screw portion, the connecting unit connecting a probe and a vibration generating unit to transmit the ultrasonic vibrations to the probe by rotation relative to the vibration generating unit and a treatment unit in a first direction around a longitudinal axis, and disconnecting the probe and the vibration generating unit from each other by rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

An elongate endovascular element for crossing through an obstruction in a blood vessel comprises: a proximal section; a distal tip section of smaller diameter than the proximal section; and a distally-tapering intermediate section extending between the proximal and distal tip sections; wherein the tapered intermediate section has a length that is substantially λ/2 or a multiple of λ/2 , where λ is a wavelength of a driving frequency that will produce longitudinal resonance in the element.

An ultrasonic horn for an ultrasonic transducer assembly of an ultrasonic surgical instrument includes a body and a nose. The body defines a tubular configuration having a hollow interior and a plurality of slots therethrough extending into the hollow interior. The nose extends distally from the body. The body defines a proximal connector configured to enable the body to be secured to a piezoelectric stack and the nose defines a distal connector configured to enable the nose to be engaged with a waveguide for transmission of ultrasonic energy produced by the piezoelectric stack to the waveguide.

Various embodiments are directed to surgical instruments for use in handheld applications or with robotic surgical systems. The surgical instruments may comprise an end effector to treat tissue and a shaft extending proximally from the end effector along a longitudinal axis. Some embodiments may be usable with an instrument mounting portion of a robotic surgical instrument. For example, the shaft may extend proximally to the instrument mounting portion.

An apparatus, system and method for re-canalization or opening a passage through an occlusion in a blood vessel is disclosed. The apparatus and method, which are appropriate for both cardiovascular as well as peripheral vessels, use hydraulic pressure to drive a vibratable member, and the system includes a control unit to permit the frequency or amplitude of oscillation of the vibratable member to be adjusted to suit the morphology or hardness of the target occlusion. Also disclosed is a method for adjusting the force of vibration.

A device for acoustic calculi fracture can include an acoustically-transmissive elongated probe body extending between a distal portion and a proximal portion and an acoustically-transmissive probe tip that can be selectively user-interchangeable with the probe body. The probe body can have a lumen longitudinally therethrough. A method of fracturing calculi can include interchanging a probe tip with a probe body by a user without requiring an additional tool and transmitting acoustic energy via the probe body and the probe tip to a calculus to at least partially fracture the calculus.

A medical system includes a sheath and an acoustic reflective element that is capable of amplifying acoustic energy. Methods of using a medical system are also provided herein.