Biosense Webster (israel) Ltd.

Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.

Biosense Webster (isreal) Ltd.

Biosense Webster, Inc.

Alon Boumendil

Vadim Gliner

Assaf Govari

Andres Claudio Altmann

Yair Palti

Remi Bettan

Ilya Sitnitsky

Moran Levi

Yaron Ephrath

Yehuda Algawi

Stanislav Katzir

In one embodiment, a phacoemulsification system includes a phacoemulsification probe configured to be inserted into an eye, and including a needle, a horn configured to support the needle, and an ultrasonic actuator connected to the horn and configured to vibrate the needle to emulsify a lens of the eye, an aspiration line partially disposed in the needle, a pumping sub-system connected to the aspiration line and configured to remove fluid and waste matter from the eye via the aspiration line, a valve disposed in the aspiration line and configured to control fluid connectivity in the aspiration line, a sensor configured to provide a signal indicative of a fluid metric in the aspiration line, and a controller configured to find an activation status of the ultrasonic actuator, and selectively control the valve responsively to the fluid metric and the activation status of the ultrasonic actuator.

Anti-vacuum surge system

In one embodiment, a medical apparatus, includes a medical instrument configured to move within a passage in a body of a patient, a position tracking system to track coordinates of the medical instrument within the body, a display screen, and a processor to register the position tracking system and a 3D computerized tomography (CT) image of at least a part of the body within a common frame of reference, find a 3D path of the medical instrument through the passage from a start point to a termination point within the common frame of reference, compute a direction to the 3D path from the medical instrument responsively to the tracked coordinates, and render and simultaneously display on the display screen respective 2D CT slices, based on the 3D CT image, including respective 2D indications of the direction to the 3D path from the instrument projected onto the respective 2D CT slices.

2D pathfinder visualization

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a medical instrument, a position tracking system to track coordinates of the instrument within a passage in a body, a processor to register the system and a 3D CT image of at least a part of the body, find a path of the instrument through the passage, compute segments of the path, compute respective locations along the path of respective virtual cameras responsively to the computed segments, select the respective virtual cameras for rendering respective virtual endoscopic images responsively to the tracked coordinates, compute respective orientations of the respective virtual cameras, and render and display the respective virtual endoscopic images, based on the 3D CT image, of the passage in the body viewed from the respective locations and orientations of the respective virtual cameras including an animated representation of the instrument positioned in the respective virtual endoscopic images in accordance with the tracked coordinates.

3D pathfinder visualization

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.

Medical instrument with coagulation

A pacing system includes a signal generator and an electromechanical switch. The signal generator is configured to generate a pacing signal. The electromechanical switch has a plurality of outputs that are configured to be coupled to a plurality of electrodes inserted into a heart of a patient, each output configured to deliver the pacing signal to a respective electrode. The electromechanical switch is configured to route the pacing signal to no more than a single selected one of the outputs at any given time, so as to pace the heart using no more than a single selected one of the electrodes.

Patient-safe electromechanical switching for pacing with a catheter having multiple electrodes

In one embodiment, a jig apparatus for bending a malleable tool includes a block having an upper surface and containing, a conical recess extending into the block through the upper surface of the block, defined by an elliptical directrix on the upper surface, an apex within the block, and generatrixes disposed about a central axis of the conical recess extending from the apex to the directrix, and an elongated cylindrical hole, which is sized to fit the malleable tool therein and has a longitudinal axis extending from the conical recess into the block at an oblique angle relative to the central axis of the conical recess, and angular markings disposed on the upper surface and around a circumference of the elliptical directrix.

Jig for straightening and bending a malleable tool

A method includes receiving analog body-surface signal from body-surface electrode, and multiple analog unipolar signals from multiple unipolar electrodes of an invasive probe. A first unipolar electrode is assigned to serve as a common electrical ground and a common timing reference for the analog unipolar signals and the analog body-surface signal. The analog unipolar signals are digitized to produce digital unipolar signals sampled relative to a digital ground. Defined are an analog bipolar signal between the first unipolar electrode and a second unipolar electrode of the probe, and digital bipolar signal formed from the first unipolar electrode and the second unipolar electrode. Ground and timing offsets between the analog bipolar signal and the digital bipolar signal are estimated, while the first unipolar electrode is connected to the digital ground. The ground offset and the timing offset are applied in measuring a third unipolar signal, sensed by a third unipolar electrode.

Extension of electrocardiography (ECG) acquisition capabilities of catheter-based cardiac system

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.

Recording apparatus and method for noise reduction

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.

Using radiofrequency (RF) transmission system to find opening in tissue wall

A medical instrument includes a shaft, one or more position sensors, a connector and interrogation circuitry. The shaft is configured for insertion into a body of a patient. The one or more position sensors are fitted at a distal end of the shaft. The connector is configured to receive a mating connector. The interrogation circuitry is configured to detect whether the mating connector is connected to the connector, and, if not connected, to prevent tracking a position of the distal end in the body using the one or more position sensors.

Position-tracking-enabling connector for an ear-nose-throat (ENT) tool

Apparatus, including a ferromagnetic sheet and at least one radiator, mounted in proximity to the ferromagnetic sheet and configured to radiate a magnetic field into a region in proximity thereto. The apparatus further includes a solid sheet of thermal insulation, mounted between the ferromagnetic sheet and the at least one radiator so as to prevent transfer of thermal energy from the at least one radiator to the ferromagnetic sheet.

Immunity from magnetic disturbance for a magnetic location tracker

An apparatus includes a relay and sampling unit, a pacing unit, a pacing detection circuit, and a processor. The relay and sampling unit receives multiple electrocardiogram (ECG) signals that are sensed by respective electrodes in a heart of a patient, and digitize a first subset of the ECG signals, and forward a second subset of the ECG signals un-digitized over analog lines. The pacing unit outputs pacing signals, which the pacing detection circuit detects and outputs a trigger in response. The processor receives the trigger and identities of ones of the electrodes via which the pacing signals are to be applied, and, in response to identifying that the electrodes, via which the pacing signals are to be applied, are currently associated with the digitized ECG signals, instructs the relay and sampling unit to switch the identified electrodes to the analog lines for transferring the pacing signals.

Growing community of inventors

Givat Nili, Israel

Alon Boumendil