An electrocautery unit for connecting to a handle of an electrocautery device, the unit comprises a body, a light unit and an electrode. The body has a body proximal end and a body distal end, and a body axis extending lengthwise along the center of the body. The body's proximal end comprises a connecting element for connecting said body to a handle having a handle axis extending lengthwise along the center of the handle, so that said body axis is coaxial with said handle axis when said body is connected to said handle. The light unit may be constructed and arranged to emit a light having a central axis coaxial with said body axis. The electrode comprises a proximate end connected to the body distal end, and an electrode tip at a distal said. When the electrode is connected to the body, the electrode lays outside of the body axis and extends into said body axis such that the electrode tip is within said body axis, wherein said light and said electrode tip are coaxial to said body axis and said handle axis.

An intraluminal microneurography probe has a probe body configured to be introduced into an artery near an organ of a body without preventing the flow of blood through the artery. An expandable sense electrode and an expandable stimulation electrode are fixed to the probe body at one end of each electrode such that movement of the other end toward the fixed end causes the sense electrode to expand from the probe body toward a wall of the artery. A ground electrode is configured to couple to the body, and a plurality of electrical connections are operable to electrically couple the electrodes to electrical circuitry. The sense electrode is operable to measure sympathetic nerve activity in response to excitation of the stimulation electrode. A radio frequency ablation element is located between the expandable sense electrode and expandable stimulation electrode, and is operable to ablate nerves proximate to the artery.

An electrode assembly for use with an electrosurgical instrument includes a base portion, a return lead adapted to be electrically coupled to a return terminal of an electrosurgical generator, an electrical insulator supported on a distal portion of the return lead, a tensioning mechanism, and an active lead adapted to be electrically coupled to an active terminal of the electrosurgical generator. The tensioning mechanism includes a slider slidably disposed in the base portion, a rotation rod threadably coupled to the slider, and a spring proximally biasing the slider. The active lead having a first end portion securely fixed to the base portion and a second end portion slidably coupled to the rotation rod of the tensioning mechanism. A portion of the active lead extends around the electrical insulator. Rotation of the rotation rod causes axial displacement of the second end portion of the active lead to tension the active lead about the electrical insulator.

Catheterization of the heart is carried out using a framework formed by a plurality of electrically conducting wire loops. The wire loops are modeled as polygons, each subdivided into a plurality of triangles. The wire loops are exposed to magnetic fluxes at respective frequencies, and signals read from the loops. Theoretical magnetic fluxes in the polygons are computed as sums of theoretical magnetic fluxes in the triangles thereof, The location and orientation of the framework in the heart is determined by relating the computed theoretical magnetic fluxes to the signals.

Disclosed herein is an electroporation system including a catheter shaft, at least one electrode coupled to the catheter shaft at a distal end thereof, and a signal generator. The signal generator is coupled in communication with the at least one electrode. The signal generator supplies a biphasic pulse to the at least one electrode, the biphasic pulse including a first phase having a first polarity, a first initial voltage amplitude, and a first pulse width. The biphasic pulse including a second phase having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity, a second initial voltage amplitude, and a second pulse width, wherein at least one of the first initial voltage amplitude or the first pulse width is different from the second initial voltage amplitude or the second pulse width, respectively. A leading edge of the second phase occurs after an interphase delay following a trailing edge of the first phase.

An electroporation device includes a shaft and a conformable electrode assembly. The shaft includes a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the conformable electrode assembly is located at the distal end of the shaft. The electrode assembly has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side includes a first non-conductive portion and a first electrode centrally located on the first side. The first non-conductive portion is defined by a first surface area and the first electrode is defined by a second surface area, wherein the first surface area is greater than the second surface area.

Flexible circuit strips of a catheter balloon may comprise a substrate and a contact electrode disposed on the substrate. A cover may be disposed over a peripheral portion of the contact electrode and an adjacent portion of the substrate The cover is intended to increase robustness of the contact electrode in response to fatigue that might arise from repeated expansion and contraction of the catheter balloon.

An apparatus includes a catheter shaft assembly and an end effector. The end effector is configured to transition between a first configuration and a second configuration. The end effector is configured to fit within an outer sheath in the first configuration. The end effector is configured to expand outwardly away from the longitudinal axis in the second configuration when exposed distally relative to the distal end of the outer sheath. The end effector includes a resilient frame assembly that is configured to resiliently bias the end effector toward the second configuration. The end effector further includes a first flex circuit assembly secured to the resilient frame assembly. The first flex circuit assembly includes a first flexible substrate and a first plurality of electrodes positioned on the first flexible substrate. The electrodes are configured to pick up electrical potentials from tissue or blood or ablate tissue.

A catheter balloon comprises an ellipsoidal membrane. A plurality of flexible circuit strips, each of which comprises a substrate and a contact electrode, are disposed about the membrane. A coating is disposed atop at least the outer surface of the membrane and may also be disposed atop a portion of each of the substrates. The coating may comprise a dielectric material, such as parylene. The coating may increase the smoothness of the balloon. When subject to internal pressures that expand the balloon, the coating may also increase the resilience of the balloon relative to a balloon that lacks the coating as determined by changes in the balloon's diameter before and after expansion.

Navigation and tissue capture systems and methods for navigation to and/or capture of selected tissue using the innate electrical activity of the selected tissue and/or other tissue are described. In the context of left atrial appendage closure, the systems and methods can be used to navigate to the left atrial appendage and capture/control the appendage while a closure instrument (suture, clip, ring) is placed over the appendage and tightened down or a closure method (ablation, cryogenic procedures, stapling, etc.) is performed to close the left atrial appendage. The use of innate electrical activity for navigating devices may be used in connection with other tissues and/or areas of the body.