Endoscopes comprising a reusable hand-piece and separable disposable shaft assembly are illustrated and described. The reusable hand-piece includes a housing having an articulation control mounted thereto and an electronics module mounted thereto. The articulation control includes control knobs and concentric drive shafts for articulation. The electronics module includes a battery, a control board, and an optical and/or electrical connector. The separable disposable shaft comprises a housing having an articulation wire actuating assembly mounted thereto and an optical and/or electrical connector mounted thereto. When the housing of the hand-piece and the housing of the separable disposable shaft assembly are joined together, the articulation control engages the articulation wire actuating assembly and the optical and/or electrical connector of the reusable hand-piece engages the optical and/or electrical connector of the disposable shaft assembly.

A method for fixing one end of an actuation cable configured to allow orienting of the distal head of a medical device including providing a pivoting part provided with at least one fixing pin made of thermoplastic material for fixing a proximal end of an actuation cable, arranging, from the terminal part of the pin, a radially through recess to allow the insertion of the actuation cable, positioning the actuation cable inside the recess, letting a free end of the pin project, and heating at least the free end of the pin and applying a pressure on the pin to ensure, by welding, the fixing of the actuation cable with the pivoting part.

The disclosure relates to a handle for a medical endoscope including a casing having two opposite main faces and provided with a mechanism for controlling the bending of a distal head of the medical endoscope, this control mechanism including at least one member for actuating a pivoting part made in the form of an actuation ring having an axial ferrule having a cylindrical outer surface cooperating with an annular bearing to be guided in rotation by this annular bearing, along a transverse axis of rotation and whose rotation causes the bending of the distal head, the axial ferrule having an internal bore partly delimiting a cylindrical opening which passes right through the casing by opening out through internal bores on the two opposite main faces of the casing, the pivoting part and the annular bearing being arranged to be located outside the cylindrical opening.

A medical device including a handle including an actuation device, a sheath extending from the handle and having a longitudinal axis, the sheath defining an imaging lumen extending from the handle to a distal end of the sheath, an imaging device at a distal end of the sheath, and a piezoelectric member connected to the imaging device, where movement of the piezoelectric member moves the imaging device in a first direction relative to the longitudinal axis.

A steering system for a medical device may include a first drive member having a central longitudinal axis; a central shaft extending through the first drive member; a control knob coupled to the first drive member; a braking knob coupled to the central shaft and including a first protrusion; and a brake shoe member coupled to the central shaft between the control knob and the braking knob. The first protrusion may be positioned within a first channel of the brake shoe member; the first protrusion may be configured to engage the brake shoe member to move a first arm of the brake shoe member radially outward towards a wall of the control knob when the braking knob is rotated in a first direction; and the first arm may be configured to move away from the wall when the braking knob is rotated in a second direction.

A medical device having multiple degrees of freedom independent of each other. The medical device includes a handle, an end effector, and a tubular section extending between the handle and the end effector. The end effector is configured to be rotated about a first axis extending through the tubular section without rotating the tubular section. And, the tubular section is configured to be rotated about the first axis with the end effector.

An instrument for endoscopic applications, including a tubular member having a handling end portion having a flexible portion and actuating devices located at the other end portion, and longitudinal elements for transferring the movement of the actuating devices to the handling end portion resulting in a change of orientation thereof, whereby the handling end portion includes at least two independent flexible portions, whereby the actuating end portion has a corresponding number of actuating devices, and whereby each actuating device is connected by its own set of longitudinal elements to a part of the handling end portion for effecting a change of orientation of one of the flexible portions.

A medical system includes a medical device and an end cap. The medical device includes a handle, including an actuation device, and a shaft extending from the handle. A distal end of the shaft includes a tab, and the tab is movable based on movement of the actuation device. The end cap includes a modular camera assembly. The modular camera assembly includes a camera, a support, an arm, and a cavity. The tab is coupleable to the modular camera assembly via the cavity, and movement of the tab controls a position of the support and the camera.

An invasive interventional device or probe for use in an interventional medical procedure includes a control handle operably connected to an imaging system and an insertion tube. The body having an exterior cross-sectional shape and defining an interior with an interior cross-sectional shape. The body is formed with a pair of opposed side panels, a pair of opposed end panels joining opposite ends of the pair of side panels, a top panel disposed over and joined to the pair of side panels and the pair of end panels and a bottom panel located opposite the top panel and joined to the pair of side panels and the pair of end panels with one or more control elements disposed on the body that control the operation of the interventional device. In addition, the exterior cross-sectional shape of the body conforms to a space defined within a hand in a relaxed grip position.

In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for performing surgical procedures is disclosed including a flexible entry guide tube, and a first steering device. The flexible entry guide tube has one or more lumens extending along its length from a proximal end to substantially at or near a distal end. At least one of the one or more lumens is an instrument lumen with open ends to receive a flexible shaft of a surgical tool to perform surgery near the distal end of the flexible entry guide tube. The first steering device is insertable into the instrument lumen to shape the flexible entry guide tube as it is inserted through an opening in a body and along a path towards a surgical site. The apparatus may further include a flexible locking device to couple to the flexible entry guide tube and selectively rigidize the flexible entry guide tube to hold its shape. The flexible entry guide tube may be steered by remote control with one or more actuators.