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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8172747 | Balloon visualization for traversing a tissue wall Systems and methods for controllably traversing a tissue wall. In one embodiment, a distal end of a catheter is positioned and/or repositioned utilizing direct visualization out the distal end of the catheter, as facilitated by an imaging element disposed within the... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8160690 | System and method for determining electrode-tissue contact based on amplitude modulation of sensed signal Methods and systems for monitoring contact between a medical probe and tissue are provided. A medical probe is introduced into a patient adjacent the tissue. An electrical parameter, e.g., electrical admittance, is measured between a first electrode located on the m... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8146874 | Mounting support assembly for suspending a medical instrument driver above an operating table An adapter plate assembly which provides a convenient interface between a mounting support assembly for suspending an instrument driver robotic instrument system above a operating table. The adapter plate securely mounts to the operating table, and may be adjustable... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8114097 | Flexible instrument A robotic medical system comprises a catheter having an elongated shaft with a plurality of flexible segments spaced apart along the catheter, and a drive unit coupled to the catheter. The catheter may have a plurality of cables respectively terminating at the flexi... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8108069 | Robotic catheter system and methods A robotic instrument system and method, comprising at least two instrument drive assemblies each detachably coupled to a respective instrument assembly. Each instrument assembly comprising an elongate, flexible guide instrument configured to be inserted into a patie... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8092397 | Apparatus for measuring distal forces on a working instrument A robotic catheter manipulator includes a guide catheter including proximal and distal ends and lumen extending there through. A flexible bellows is secured at one end to the proximal end of the guide catheter and at the other end to a seal configured to receive a w... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8083691 | Apparatus and method for sensing force A medical system comprises a medical probe including an elongated probe body, a lumen extending within the probe body, an axially flexible section, and a push-pull rod slidably disposed within the lumen. The system comprises a ditherer mechanically coupled to the ro... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8052636 | Robotic catheter system and methods 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 ... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8052621 | Method of sensing forces on a working instrument A method for estimating the force on a distal end of a working catheter includes positioning a portion of a robotically controlled guide catheter and working catheter into a body lumen wherein a distal end of the working catheter projects distally from a distal end ... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8041413 | Systems and methods for three-dimensional ultrasound mapping An automated medical system comprises a first instrument assembly including a first ultrasound transducer having a first transducer field of view that transmits and receives ultrasound signals in imaging planes disposed circumferentially about a guide instrument, an... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8021326 | Instrument driver for robotic catheter system A robotic medical system comprises an operator control station having a master input device, a catheter instrument, and an instrument driver in communication with the operator control station. The catheter instrument includes an elongate flexible catheter member, a ... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8007511 | Surgical instrument design A surgical instrument system having an instrument member or shaft with a distal portion positionable through an incision of a patient to an internal site and for operation by a surgeon from outside the patient. A tool is carried at the distal end of the instrument s... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8005537 | Robotically controlled intravascular tissue injection system A robotic catheter system includes a controller including a master input device and instrument driver in communication with the controller. An elongate flexible guide instrument is operatively coupled to the instrument driver. A fluid injection needle may be advance... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7976539 | System and method for denaturing and fixing collagenous tissue A method for modifying a geometry of a collagenous tissue mass includes heating the collagenous tissue mass to a temperature sufficient to cause denaturation, and introducing a biocompatible fixative, such as genepin, into the collagenous tissue mass. ... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7974681 | Robotic catheter system A robotic catheter system includes a controller with a master input device, and an instrument driver in communication with the controller, the instrument driver configured for independently controlling each of number of desired motions of a flexible, elongate guide ... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7972298 | Robotic catheter system A robotic catheter system includes a controller with a master input device. An instrument driver is in communication with the controller and has a guide instrument interface including a plurality of guide instrument drive elements responsive to control signals gener... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7963288 | Robotic catheter system A robotic catheter system includes a controller with a master input device. An instrument driver is in communication with the controller and has a guide instrument interface including a plurality of guide instrument drive elements responsive to control signals gener... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7959557 | Robotic medical instrument system A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient comprises introducing a medical instrument into a patient (e.g., percutaneously), conveying control signals from a remote controller to a drive unit, and operating the drive unit in accordance with the control ... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7947051 | Surgical instrument coupling mechanism A medical system and surgical instrument adapter are provided. The medical system comprises a surgical instrument carrying a distal tool configured for performing a medical procedure on a patient, an adapter having a clam-shell configuration configured for removably... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7947050 | Surgical instrument coupling mechanism A medical system and an integrated drape assembly for a medical system is provided. The medical system comprises a surgical instrument that carries a distal tool configured for performing a medical procedure on a patient, a drive unit configured for controlling the ... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7935059 | System and method for 3-D imaging A system and method for recording and depicting ultrasound images of a moving object are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, ultrasound images are acquired as the field of view of an ultrasound probe is advanced across the tissues of interest during a resting peri... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7931586 | Flexible instrument A medical instrument assembly and robotic medical system are provided. The instrument assembly comprises coaxially disposed shafts, and a mechanically drivable interface to which the proximal ends of the shafts are mounted. The drivable interface has first and secon... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7922693 | Apparatus systems and methods for flushing gas from a catheter of a robotic catheter system Apparatus, systems and methods for flushing a lumen of a catheter instrument to reduce or eliminate bubbles within the lumen. An interface valve is adapted for attachment to a proximal end of the catheter instrument and can receive a working instrument for insertion... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7918861 | Flexible instrument A medical instrument assembly and robotic medical system are provided. The medical instrument assembly comprises an outer probe having an elongated shaft, an inner probe having an elongated shaft, coaxially disposed within the outer probe shaft, and a driver interfa... | 04/05/2011 |
| 7905828 | Flexible instrument A medical instrument assembly and robotic medical system are provided. The medical instrument assembly comprises an intravascular catheter having an elongated flexible shaft, and a drivable mechanism to which the flexible catheter shaft is mounted. The drivable mech... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7901399 | Interchangeable surgical instrument A robotic medical system comprises a medical instrument assembly having a retainer, a serial array of instruments disposed in the retainer, a chamber, and an instrument driver. The robotic medical system further comprises a user interface configured for generating a... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7867241 | Flexible instrument A medical instrument assembly and robotic medical system are provided. The medical instrument comprises an outer probe having an elongated shaft, an inner probe having an elongated shaft coaxially disposed within the outer probe shaft, and actuating elements. The ro... | 01/11/2011 |
| 7854738 | Robotically controlled medical instrument A medical instrument assembly comprises an elongated shaft, a tool carried by the distal end of the elongated shaft for performing a medical procedure on a patient, a plurality of controllably bendable sections spaced along the elongated shaft and disposed proximal ... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7850642 | Methods using a robotic catheter system A methods using a robotic catheter system to perform a procedure on a patient includes generating a control signal corresponding to movement of a master input device, and moving a plurality of drive elements of an instrument driver in response to the control signal,... | 12/14/2010 |
| 7819884 | Robotically controlled medical instrument A medical instrument assembly comprises a shaft, a tool carried by the distal end of the shaft for performing a medical procedure on a patient, an end effector, a threaded housing in which the threaded distal shaft end is configured for being screwed, and a first th... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7789875 | Surgical instruments A medical system comprises a rigid support configured for being affixed relative to a patient table, a carriage assembly configured for being removably mounted to the rigid support, a surgical instrument mounted to the carriage assembly, the surgical instrument carr... | 09/07/2010 |
| 7789874 | Support assembly for robotic catheter system A support assembly for supporting a remotely controlled instrument driver in a selectable orientation relative to an operating table, the assembly comprising including a base removably attachable to the operating table, an actuator assembly coupled to the base, the ... | 09/07/2010 |
| 7775972 | Flexible instrument A medical probe and medical system are provided. The medical probe comprises an elongated shaft, a plurality of electromagnetic elements spaced along the elongated shaft, and a plurality of wires extending through the elongated shaft and configured for energizing th... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7766894 | Coaxial catheter system A robotic medical system and method of performing a medical procedure are provided. The robotic medical system comprises a user interface configured for receiving commands, an electromechanical driver configured for being coupled to outer and inner catheters having ... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7758569 | Interchangeable surgical instrument A robotic medical system comprises an instrument driver having a driver shaft, a driver cable slidably disposed through the shaft, and a driver coupling member respectively mounted to the driver cable, and an instrument having an instrument shaft, an end effector, a... | 07/20/2010 |
| 7753853 | Left atrial access apparatus and methods Left atrial access apparatus and methods are described herein. Different parameters, such as oxygen saturation difference, between the left and right atrial chambers is utilized to guide a needle or catheter into a desired position within the heart. Various sensing ... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7744622 | Surgical instrument A surgical instrument system for use in surgical procedures is disclosed. The surgical instrument system includes a guide assembly, a surgical tip assembly, and a drive unit. The guide assembly includes an elongated portion having a central axis of rotation, and a d... | 06/29/2010 |
| 7744608 | Robotically controlled medical instrument A medical instrument assembly and robotic medical system are provided. The assembly comprises a shaft, a tool carried by the distal end of the shaft for performing a medical procedure on a patient, a controllably bendable section associated with shaft and disposed p... | 06/29/2010 |
| 7727185 | Coaxial catheter system A robotic medical system comprises a user interface configured for receiving at least one command, a first drive mechanism configured for receiving the outer medical implement, a second drive mechanism configured for receiving the inner medical implement, a linear d... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7713190 | Flexible instrument A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient comprises conveying control signals from a remote controller to a drive unit, intravenously introducing the catheter into a heart of the patient (e.g., via the vena cava into the right atrium), and creating a p... | 05/11/2010 |
