The invention provides a plantar plate repair device to facilitate the appropriate placement of sutures during a plantar plate repair. The device comprises a shaft terminating in a footprint projecting angularly from the shaft, the footprint further defining an opening through which a needle is threadable. The shaft further includes a guide slidable on the shaft to operatively damp the plantar plate between the guide and footprint. A needle receiving guide hole is provided on the guide to operatively guide a needle through the opening in the footprint to pass a length of suture from the needle through the plantar plate.

An inserter including a hollow elongated shaft extending along a central longitudinal axis and having a proximal end and a distal end with a lumen extending therethrough; a sharp point at the distal end of the hollow elongated shaft, the sharp point disposed eccentric to the longitudinal axis of the hollow elongated shaft; a handle at the proximal end of the hollow elongated shaft; and a drive shaft movably disposed within the lumen of the hollow elongated shaft.

The present disclosure describes interventional devices, systems, and methods for closing a regurgitant gap in a cardiac valve. Interventional devices are configured to be deployed between two previously placed implants or between a previously placed implant and a valve commissure. The interventional devices compress captured leaflet tissue and/or apply a tensioning force along the line of coaptation to assist in closing the gap and reducing regurgitant flow through the gap.

An apparatus includes a shaft assembly, an end effector, and a sensor. The shaft assembly defines a longitudinal axis. The end effector is positioned at a distal end of the shaft assembly. A portion of the end effector is offset from the longitudinal axis. The sensor is configured to generate a signal in response to a magnetic field. The signal is configured to indicate a position of the end effector within three-dimensional space. The sensor is coaxially positioned about the longitudinal axis.

The apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention is comprised of a flexible sheath instrument, a flexible guide instrument, and a tool. The flexible sheath instrument comprises a first instrument base removably coupleable to an instrument driver and defines a sheath instrument working lumen. The flexible guide instrument comprises a second instrument base removably coupleable to the instrument driver and is threaded through the sheath instrument working lumen. The guide instrument also defines a guide instrument working lumen. The tool is threaded through the guide instrument working lumen. For this embodiment of the apparatus, the sheath instrument and guide instrument are independently controllable relative to each other.

A device for facilitating a total laparoscopic hysterectomy includes a cervical cup adapted to abut the cervicovaginal junction. An electrocautery wire has an uninsulated portion housed in the cervical cup which includes a channel for housing and controlled releasing the uninsulated portion. An introducer is coupled to the electrocautery wire and configured to penetrate the cervicovaginal junction thereby introducing the electrocautery wire into the intra-abdominal cavity. A shaft secures the electrocautery wire and pulling the electrocautery wire causes a controlled release of the uninsulated portion along a predetermined circumferential path around the cervix along the channel. Thus, the vagina is severed from the cervix along the circumference of the cervicovaginal junction.

An anchor for securing suture to tissue, the anchor comprising: an elongated body having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end having a distal slot extending proximally into the elongated body, and the proximal end having a proximal slot extending distally into the body; the distal slot comprising a wide section and a narrow section, wherein the wide section has a width such that the suture is slidably accommodated therein and the narrow section has a width such that the suture is bound therein, and further wherein the wide section is disposed distally of the narrow section.

Provided is an apparatus for manufacturing a surgical guide that guides a cutting line formed to surround a tumor of an organ, the apparatus including: an organ modeling unit configured to model a 3-dimensional (3D) image of the organ, based on an image of a patient captured by an external imaging apparatus; a cutting line determining unit configured to determine, in the 3D image of the organ, the cutting line to correspond to a location of the tumor and an entry angle of a surgical instrument to the cutting line; and a guide manufacturing unit configured to manufacture a surgical guide that guides the surgical instrument to the cutting line in a slanting manner corresponding to the entry angle, based on the 3D image of the organ.

Apparatus (220/20) and methods are described including a transluminal ablation catheter (40) that includes at least one ultrasound transducer (50/52/150). The at least one ultrasound transducer is inserted into a chamber (190) of a subject's heart and is configured (a) to ablate tissue of the subject by applying ultrasound energy to the tissue, and (b) to image tissue of the subject by applying non-ablating ultrasound energy to the tissue. An expandable cage (30/301) is disposed around the at least one ultrasound transducer. The at least one ultrasound transducer is configured to rotate and axially translate back and forth within the expandable cage, such as to generate a three-dimensional image of the tissue. Other applications are also described.

The present disclosure provides a tissue debridement device and describes an example treatment for ANP using the tissue debridement device. The tissue debridement device has a sheath, a distal tip, and a plurality of rotating tines coupled to the distal tip and the sheath. The distal tip can be adjusted to be closer or further from the sheath to change a diameter of the rotating tines, thereby changing a cutting diameter of the tissue debridement device.