An end effector assembly of a forceps includes a first jaw with a tissue sealing surface and an electrode on the sealing surface, and a second jaw with a tissue sealing surface and an electrode on the sealing surface. The first jaw and the second jaw move between an open position and a closed position. The sealing surface of at least one of the first jaw and the second jaw has a rigid medial section and flexible lateral sections.

An arthroscopic system includes a hand piece with a motor drive. an elongate shaft assembly is detachably secured to a distal end of the hand piece, and the elongate shaft assembly includes an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve rotatably mounted in the outer sleeve. The inner sleeve couples to the motor drive when the elongate shaft assembly is attached to the hand piece, and an inner distal cutting window on the inner sleeve moves in and out of alignment with an outer distal cutting window on the outer sleeve as the motor drive rotates the inner sleeve. A distal electrode is disposed on an outer surface of the outer sleeve at a location opposite to that of the outer distal cutting window, and the outer sleeve member is rotatable relative to the hand piece when the hub is secured to the hand piece such that a user can hold the hand piece in one hand and rotate the outer sleeve to selectively place the outer distal cutting window or the distal electrode in an upward orientation relative to the user while continuing to hold the hand piece in the one hand.

An endoscopic medical system can include an endoscopic end effector including three or more jaws. Each of the three or more jaws can respectively include a corresponding electromagnetic energy signal conductor. The end effector can also include two or more jaw linkages, an individual jaw linkage corresponding to a respective one of the jaws, such that at least two of the jaws are configured to move, independent of one another.

The invention relates to a medical instrument having a hollow shaft, whose proximal end can be connected to an operating unit and having a tool tip arranged at the distal end of the shaft having a tool arranged at the distal end of the tool tip, wherein the tool has two jaw parts, which can be pivoted relative to one another and wherein the jaw parts are pivoted via actuating elements, which are mounted so as to be axially displaceable in the shaft and which can be actuated on the proximal side via the operating unit and wherein the tool tip can be pivoted via a joint mechanism relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

In order to provide a medical instrument, which ensures a uniform transmission of tensile and compressive forces even via the pivot region to the tool tip, it is proposed according to the invention that the pivotable jaw parts are each coupled via an articulated drive element to the distal end of an actuating element mounted so as to be axially displaceable in the shaft such that the articulated drive element spans the region of the joint mechanism between the distal end of the shaft and the proximal end of the tool tip.

A medical device includes a pair of jaws that grips biological tissue, is coupled at first ends of the jaws, opens and closes as a result of swiveling of at least one of the jaws, and comprises a pair of gripping surfaces facing when the jaws are closed, a motor that generates a closing driving force for closing the jaws, a driving-force transmission member that connects the jaws to the motor and that is configured to transmit the closing driving force from the motor to at least one of the jaws, and a controller that is connected to the motor and that controls the motor. The controller temporally changes magnitude of the closing driving force generated by the motor so as to shift peak positions of gripping pressure for gripping the biological tissue in the pair of gripping surfaces.

A deployment mechanism for selectively deploying and retracting an energizable member and/an insulative member relative to an end effector assembly of a surgical instrument includes one or more actuators, a clutch assembly, and a drive assembly. The clutch assembly is configured to couple to the actuator(s) to provide rotational motion in the first direction in response to such rotation of the actuator(s) and to decouple from the actuator(s) in response to rotation thereof in the second direction. The drive assembly is operably coupled to the clutch assembly and is configured to convert the rotational motion provided by the clutch assembly into longitudinal motion to translate the energizable member and/or insulative member from a storage position to a deployed position and to translate the energizable member and/or the insulative member from the deployed position back to the storage position.

An interventional device for cutting tissue at a targeted cardiac valve, such as a mitral valve. The interventional device includes a catheter having a proximal end and a distal end. A cutting mechanism is positionable at the distal end, such as by routing the cutting mechanism through the catheter to position it at the distal end. The cutting mechanism includes one or more cutting elements configured for cutting valve tissue when engaged against the tissue. A handle is coupled to the proximal end of the catheter and includes one or more controls for actuating the cutting mechanism.

A tool assembly for use with an electrosurgical device for cutting tissue includes a base portion, a return lead, an electrical insulator, a center pin, and an active lead. The center pin extends from the base portion and through a lumen of the electrical insulator. The active lead is securely fixed to the base portion and extends between the base portion and a distal portion of the center pin such that a portion of the active lead extends around the distal portion of the center pin and first and second segments of the active lead are spaced apart from the return lead. Upon activation, electrosurgical energy is transmitted from the active lead through tissue to the return lead to cut tissue in contact with the active lead.

An end effector assembly of a forceps includes a first jaw with a tissue sealing surface and an electrode on the sealing surface, and a second jaw with a tissue sealing surface and an electrode on the sealing surface. The first jaw and the second jaw move between an open position and a closed position. The sealing surface of at least one of the first jaw and the second jaw has a rigid medial section and flexible lateral sections.

A tool has a handle and an elongate shaft that extends distally from the handle. A distal portion of the shaft is inserted into a subject during a surgical procedure. An optical fiber delivers laser energy to a tip at the distal portion of the shaft. The tip includes a mechanical cutting mechanism including a moving part that absorbs the laser energy, thermally conducts the absorbed energy to tissue that is disposed between the moving part and another part, and moves with respect to the other part in order to cut tissue that is disposed between the parts using a mechanical force that is lower than a mechanical force that would be required to cut the tissue in the absence of the laser energy. Other embodiments are also described.