The present disclosure provides electroporation systems, methods of controlling electroporation systems to limit electroporation arcs through intracardiac catheters, and catheters for electroporation systems. One method of controlling an electroporation system including a direct current (DC) energy source, a return electrode connected to the DC energy source, and a catheter connected to the DC energy source is disclosed. The catheter has a at least one catheter electrode. The method includes positioning the return electrode near a target location within a body and positioning the catheter electrode adjacent the target location within the body. A system impedance is determined with the return electrode positioned near the target location and the catheter electrode positioned within the body. The system impedance is adjusted to a target impedance to arcing from the catheter electrode.

Systems and methods for neuromodulation therapy are disclosed herein. A method in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include, for example, intravascularly positioning a plurality of ablation electrodes within a blood vessel lumen at a treatment site. The method can include analyzing a renal neuromodulation target site of a patient to obtain patient-specific data related to the renal neuromodulation target site, and based on the patient specific data, delivering neuromodulation treatment to the patient via one or more of the ablation electrodes.

Described embodiments include an apparatus for removal of a thrombus from a body of a subject. The apparatus includes a first electrode, made of a first conductive metal, a second electrode, made of a second conductive metal that is different from the first conductive metal, and a voltage source, configured to apply a positive unipolar voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode while the first electrode is in contact with the thrombus, and while the second electrode is inside the body of the subject. Other embodiments are also described.

Systems and methods for performing and assessing neuromodulation therapy are disclosed herein. One method for assessing the efficacy of neuromodulation therapy includes positioning a neuromodulation catheter at a target site within a renal blood vessel of a human patient and delivering neuromodulation energy at the target site with the neuromodulation catheter. The method can further include obtaining a measurement related to a blood flow rate through the renal blood vessel via the neuromodulation catheter. The measurement can be compared to a baseline measurement related to the blood flow rate through the renal blood vessel to assess the efficacy of the neuromodulation therapy. In some embodiments, the baseline and post-neuromodulation measurements are obtained by injecting an indicator fluid into the renal blood vessel upstream of the target site and detecting a transient change in vessel impedance caused by the indicator fluid.

An electrode apparatus for nerve denervation or modulation in body includes a main body including a shaft; an electrode unit formed to be drawn out from one end of the shaft and configured to denervate or modulate at least some of nerves on a tube in the body; and an electrode guide deformed into a wound state to bring the electrode unit into contact with the tube in the body. The electrode guide includes a body portion which is spaced apart from the electrode unit to enclose the circumference of the tube in the wound state; and a coupling portion which is connected to the end of the body portion and to which an end of the electrode unit is fixed.

An instrument includes a probe hose in the center of which a conductor is provided for electrical supply of an electrode. Concentrically around the conductor multiple gas-guiding lumens are arranged that are isolated from one another by separation walls. The separation walls support a center section that is centrally arranged and accommodates the conductor. With this probe design particularly flexible and particularly slim probes can be created that have a particularly high dielectric strength.

Medical methods and systems are provided for effecting lung volume reduction by selectively ablating segments of lung tissue.

Methods for using a surgical device integrating a suction mechanism with a coagulation mechanism for improving lesion creation capabilities. The device comprises an elongate member having an insulative covering attached about means for coagulating soft tissue with at least one diagnostic element coupled to an energy transfer element of the device. 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 and a fluid source to passively transport fluid along the contacted soft tissue surface in order to push the maximum temperature deeper into tissue.

An apparatus (20) includes one or more longitudinal elements (28a, 28b, 30, 60) configured to pass through a sheath (22) within a body of a subject, and one or more expandable multilayered electrode elements (24) coupled to the longitudinal elements. The electrode elements are configured to advance to a thrombus in the body while collapsed inside the sheath and to expand distally to the sheath following the advance to the thrombus. Each of the electrode elements includes one or more reference electrodes (34) and one or more active electrodes (36) configured to attract the thrombus, following the expansion of the electrode elements, upon application of a voltage between the active electrodes and the reference electrodes. Other embodiments are also described.

An ablation device including an ablation applicator having a first applicator end portion, a second applicator end portion, and an elongate portion, a first catheter having a first distal end portion and a first proximate end portion, the first distal end portion being coupled to the first applicator end portion, and a second catheter having a second distal end portion and a second proximate end portion, the second distal end portion being coupled to the second applicator end portion to supply an ablation medium to the ablation applicator, the ablation applicator forms an applicator shape having an applicator size in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the first catheter, and the coupling between the first distal end portion and the first applicator end portion transfers a rotational force applied to the first proximate end portion to the ablation applicator and thereby cause the applicator size to change.