Abstract: In one embodiment, a medical instrument tracking system includes a medical instrument including a handle and different interchangeable heads for insertion into the handle having a handle position-tracking transducer disposed thereon, different respective ones of the interchangeable heads having differently positioned respective head position-tracking transducers disposed thereon so as when the different respective ones of the heads are inserted into the handle, the different respective head position-tracking transducers define different respective positions relative to the handle position-tracking transducer, and processing circuitry to receive signals generated by the handle position-tracking transducer and the respective head position-tracking transducer of a respective one of the heads inserted into the handle, compute a relative position between the handle position-tracking transducer and the head position-tracking transducer of the inserted interchangeable head, and identify which interchangeable head is

Abstract: A phacoemulsification system includes a phacoemulsification probe and one or more signal generators. The phacoemulsification probe includes (i) a piezoelectric actuator, (ii) a segmented electrode, including multiple electrode segments attached to respective angular sections of a face of the piezoelectric actuator, (iii) a common ground electrode attached to the piezoelectric actuator, and (iv) a needle configured to be inserted into a lens capsule of an eye and to be vibrated by the piezoelectric actuator. The one or more signal generators are configured to vibrate the piezoelectric actuator by applying multiple drive signals between the multiple respective electrode segments and the common ground electrode.

Abstract: A medical apparatus includes a probe configured for insertion into a body of a patient. The probe includes electrodes configured to contact tissue of a region within the body. The apparatus further includes a display screen a position-tracking system, and a processor. The processor is configured to acquire electrophysiological signals from the electrodes, to extract electrophysiological parameters from the signals, to compute a measure of consistency of the electrophysiological parameters at each of the locations with respect to a weighted median of the parameters extracted at neighboring locations, and to render to the display screen a map of the tissue while overlaying on the map a visual indication of the extracted electrophysiological parameters for which the measure of consistency satisfied a predefined consistency criterion, and automatically omitting from the map the electrophysiological parameters for which the measure of consistency did not satisfy the criterion.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a sheath and an ablation catheter disposed within the sheath. The sheath is configured to be inserted into a cavity of a patient's head. The ablation catheter extends along a longitudinal axis and includes at least one expandable ablation member configured to selectively radially expand outwardly from a non-expanded state to an expanded state for selectively ablating tissue within the patient's head. The ablation catheter is selectively translatable relative to the sheath between a proximal retracted position and a distal extended position. In the retracted position, the at least one expandable ablation member is housed within the sheath to thereby prevent the at least one expandable ablation member from radially expanding outwardly. In the extended position, the at least one expandable ablation member is exposed from the sheath to thereby permit the at least one expandable ablation member to radially expand outwardly for contacting tissue.

Abstract: A phacoemulsification apparatus includes an ultrasound transmitter, an irrigation-aspiration tool, a robotic arm, and a processor. The ultrasound transmitter is configured to generate and focus an ultrasound beam into a lens capsule of an eye of a patient, to emulsify a lens of the eye. The irrigation-aspiration tool having a distal end including an outlet of an irrigation channel for flowing irrigation fluid into the lens capsule, and an inlet of an aspiration channel for removing material from the lens capsule. The robotic arm is configured to move the distal end of the irrigation-aspiration tool inside the lens capsule. The processor is configured to control the ultrasound transmitter to irradiate one or more target locations in the eye capsule with the focused ultrasound beam, and control the robotic arm to move the distal end of the irrigation-aspiration tool in coordination with the target locations irradiated by the ultrasound transmitter.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for finding local activation times of intracardiac electrogram (IEGM) signals, includes receiving, from electro-physiological laboratory sub-systems, first IEGM signals and corresponding local activation time annotations of the first IEGM signals manually annotated by respective annotation personnel, training an artificial neural network to find local activation times of IEGM signals responsively to the first IEGM signals and the corresponding local activation time annotations, receiving a second IEGM signal, and applying the trained artificial neural network to the received second IEGM signal to provide an indication of a local activation time of the received second IEGM signal.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a phacoemulsification system includes a phacoemulsification probe configured to be inserted into an eye, an ophthalmic curette, including a handle, a tube having a proximal end connected to a distal end of the handle, and having a distal tip configured to be inserted into the eye, an irrigation channel extending from the proximal end to the distal tip of the tube, and a pressure sensor disposed at the distal tip of the tube, and configured to be inserted into the eye and provide a signal responsively to intraocular pressure inside the eye, and comprising a sensing surface, and an irrigation-aspiration sub-system coupled with the irrigation channel and configured to convey irrigation fluid along the irrigation channel, and wherein the irrigation channel is shaped, and positioned with respect to the pressure sensor, to direct a flow of the irrigation fluid over the sensing surface of the pressure sensor.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a medical system includes a medical instrument includes an elongated shaft having a distal end, at least one cutting element disposed at a distal end of the shaft, a position-tracking transducer disposed at the distal end of the shaft, and electrically insulated from the shaft and the at least one cutting element, and at least one metal coagulation electrode disposed at least partially over the position-tracking transducer, which electrically isolates the at least one metal coagulation electrode from the shaft, a signal generator coupled to apply an electrical current to the at least one metal coagulation electrode, and processing circuitry configured to receive signals generated by the position-tracking transducer, and track a location of the distal end responsively to the received signals.

Abstract: A method includes, identifying, in a three-dimensional (3D) anatomical image of a patient organ, multiple anatomical points corresponding to respective predefined locations on a skin of the patient organ in a first coordinate system. Multiple positions in a second coordinate system, measured by a position sensor of a position-tracking system at the respective predefined locations on the skin of the patient organ, are received. At each predefined location, a distance is calculated between a respective anatomical point and closest bone tissue of the patient organ. Weights are assigned to the predefined locations based on respective distances between the anatomical points and the closest bone tissue. The first and second coordinate systems are registered, by correlating between the positions and the respective anatomical points using the assigned weights.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving first cardiac signals captured by at least one first sensing electrode in contact with tissue of a first living subject, injecting the received first cardiac signals into a length of wire, which outputs respective noise-added cardiac signals responsively to noise acquired in the wire, training an artificial neural network to remove noise from cardiac signals responsively to the received first cardiac signals and the respective noise-added cardiac signals, receiving second cardiac signals captured by at least one second sensing electrode in contact with tissue of a second living subject, and applying the trained artificial neural network to the second cardiac signals to yield noise-reduced cardiac signals.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving first intracardiac signals including first far-field components captured by at least one first sensing electrode of a first catheter, the at least one sensing electrode being in contact with tissue of a cardiac chamber of a first living subject, and at least one far-field signal captured from at least one far-field electrode inserted into the cardiac chamber and not in contact with the tissue of the cardiac chamber, training a neural network to remove far-field components from intracardiac signals responsively to the first intracardiac signals and the at least one far-field signal, receiving second intracardiac signals captured by at least one second sensing electrode of a second catheter inserted into a cardiac chamber of a second living subject, and applying the trained neural network to the second intracardiac signals to remove respective second far-field components from the second intracardiac signals.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an electrical activity measurement system includes a catheter to be inserted into a body part and including at least one electrode, signal processing circuitry coupled to receive an intracardiac electrogram (IEGM) signal from the at least one electrode and process the IEGM signal for output to a recording apparatus via a cable, which picks up surrounding electrical noise, and feedback circuitry configured to receive at least some of the electrical noise picked up by the cable, and provide a feedback signal indicative of the received electrical noise to the signal processing circuitry, which is configured to compensate at least partially for the electrical noise, which is not yet in the IEGM signal but will be added to the IEGM signal in the cable, responsively to the feedback signal to produce a noise-compensated IEGM signal for output to the recording apparatus via the cable.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a shaft assembly and an electrode assembly at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The electrode assembly includes a first conductive segment extending along a first angular range at the distal end of the shaft assembly. The first conductive segment is operable to apply RF energy to tissue at a first polarity. The electrode assembly further includes a second conductive segment angularly spaced apart from the first conductive segment. The second conductive segment extends along a second angular range at the distal end of the shaft assembly. The second conductive segment is operable to apply RF energy to tissue at a second polarity such that the first and second conductive segments are operable to apply bipolar RF energy to tissue.

Abstract: A surgical imaging system, including a first imaging device configured to generate a real-time visual image of a first field of view of a patient, and a second imaging device configured to generate a real-time thermal image of the first field of view. The system also includes a retaining structure, configured to be positioned in proximity to an eye of an operator, and a semitransparent screen configured to be mounted on the structure. The system additionally includes a processor configured to receive the images, and upon receiving an indication from the operator, to present, on the screen, the real-time visual image, or the real-time thermal image or the real-time thermal image overlaid on the real-time visual image, focused to a point in proximity to a near point of the eye while the operator can view, through the screen, a second field of view different from the first field of view.

Abstract: A system includes a display and a processor. The processor is configured to (a) receive multiple electrophysiological (EP) signals acquired by multiple electrodes of a multi-electrode catheter that are in contact with tissue of a cardiac chamber, (b) reject one or more of the EP signals using a set of rejection criteria, and further process the EP signals that are not rejected, and (c) visualize to a user, on the display, (i) a current setting of the rejection criteria, and (ii) a rejection effectiveness of each of the rejection criteria at the current setting.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, from a probe that includes electrodes and is positioned inside a cavity in an organ of a patient, (i) proximity signals indicative of proximity of the electrodes to a wall of the cavity, and (ii) position signals indicative of positions of the electrodes within the cavity. Based on the proximity signals and the position signals, at least a portion of a volume of the cavity is represented by a sphere model including multiple spheres. A direction is identified along which one or more spheres are larger than one or more surrounding spheres by at least a given factor. Based on the indicated direction, a location of an opening in the wall of the cavity is estimated and presented to a user.

Abstract: A system includes a first optical assembly (OA), a second OA and a processor. The first OA and second OA each coupled with a first and second microscope eyepiece, respectively. Each first and second OAs including a light source, configured to direct an emitted light beam (ELB) through the microscope toward an organ, and an image sensor, configured to sense a reflected light beam (RLB), which is reflected from the organ through the microscope, and to produce a signal indicative of the RLB. The processor is configured to control the first and second OAs to alternately direct the ELB and sense the RLB at first and second time intervals, and alternately display on a first display, during the first time intervals, images based on the signal from the first OA, and display on a second display, during the second time intervals, images based on the signal from the second OA.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an automated probe system includes a probe configured to be reversibly inserted into a live body part, a robotic arm attached to the probe and configured to manipulate the probe, a first sensor configured to track movement of the probe during an insertion and a reinsertion of the probe in the live body part, a second sensor configured to track movement of the live body part, and a controller configured to calculate an insertion path of the probe in the live body part based on the tracked movement of the probe during the insertion, and calculate a reinsertion path of the probe based on the calculated insertion path while compensating for the tracked movement of the live body part, and send control commands to the robotic arm to reinsert the probe in the live body part according to the calculated reinsertion path.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems for medical procedures are disclosed herein. For example, a plurality of analog sensor signals and an analog reference signal are received by an analog-to-digital converter to produce respective digitized versions of the analog sensor signals. The respective digitized versions of the analog sensor signals are digital filtered to produce respective filtered digitized versions of the analog sensor signals. The filtered digitized versions of the analog sensor signals are output to a visualization system to provide real time display thereof. The filtered digitized versions of the analog sensor signals are communicated to a digital-to-analog converter to produce an analog version of the filtered digitized versions of the analog sensor signals. The analog version of the filtered digitized versions of the analog sensor signals along with the analog reference signal are output to a recordation system to provide supplemental processing and storage thereof.

Abstract: An ophthalmology apparatus includes a shaft for insertion into an eye, a convex mirror and a camera, and a magnetic orientation sensor. The convex mirror and the camera are coupled at a distal end of the shaft, with the convex mirror located distally to the camera and having an optical path to image onto the camera a region of the eye. The magnetic orientation sensor is coupled to the shaft and configured to measure a roll angle of the shaft.