Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Neptune Medical Inc.

Other

Dwbh Ventures Ltd.

Taurus Impressions, Inc.

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Toolz, Ltd.

Reflexion Medical, Inc.

Select Comfort Corporation

Next Corporation

Robotoolz Limited

C/o Ernst & Young

Eugene F Duval

Thomas G Cooper

Anthony K McGrogan

Robert E Holop

Daniel H Gomez

Craig R Ramstad

Jeffrey D Brown

Matthew Reagan Williams

Todd R Solomon

Nicola Diolaiti

David Joseph Rosa

Theodore W Rogers

Bruce M Schena

Daniel Thomas Adams

Alexander Quillin Tilson

Andrew G Butler

David Q Larkin

Kent M Anderson

Paul E Lilagan

David C Shafer

Roman L Devengenzo

Barry C Kockler

Christopher Tacklind

Garrett J Gomes

Charles T Groswith, Iii

Gary C Ettinger

Roger M Gray

Robert E Smith

Gary S Guthart

Christopher J Hasser

Akhil Jiten Madhani

Raymond D Heistand, Ii

Warren K Shannon

Stephan T Hoffmann

Thomas Hsiu

William A Banks

James M Hayes

Kai Pohlhammer

Niklas J Helmick

Elias Eleftheriades

William Mitchell Scott

J Kenneth Salisbury, Jr

Harry T Whitehouse

Stephen J Morris

Adam S Wigginton

William F Carlsen, Jr

Michael A Kast

Aragon Burlingham

David P Bagshaw

Jonathan Carver

Thomas Zimmerman

William J Usitalo

Gilbert M Masters

Lance Reisman

Rick Feffer

S Christoper Anderson

Giuseppe Maria Prisco

John Ryan Steger

Gunter D Niemeyer

Craig R Gerbi

James Rolfe Yurchenco

S Christopher Anderson

Mark Christopher Scheeff

John D Stern

Don S Minami

J Kenneth Salisbury

Layton Hale

David Meer

William A Scott

Mitchell C Barham

Gregory L Richards

G&uuml;nter D Niemeyer

Bob Hager

Thoeodore W Rogers

William J Usitale

Anthony K Mcgrogan

A surgical instrument assembly comprises a guide tube and first and second instruments extended within the guide tube. The first instrument comprises a first elongated shaft coupled to a first end effector. The second instrument comprises a second elongated shaft coupled to a second end effector. The surgical instrument assembly may also comprise an imaging assembly extended distally of the guide tube. The imaging assembly comprises a distal imaging component and an elongated imaging shaft. The distal imaging component is coupled to a distal end of the elongated imaging shaft by a pivot joint. The imaging assembly has a first configuration with the elongated imaging shaft aligned with the distal imaging component when inserted through the guide tube and a second configuration with the distal imaging component pivoted out of alignment with the elongated imaging shaft when the distal imaging component is extended from the guide tube.

Side-looking minimally invasive surgery instrument assembly

Methods for preventing contamination of an endoscope may include coupling a sheath device to cover both the inside and outside of the endoscope. The sheath device may include a rigidizing flexible tubular external sheath that extends over the endoscope to form an external protective barrier, a tubular internal sheath that extends within a lumen of the endoscope that forms an internal protective barrier, and a cap sealed to both the external sheath and the internal sheath. The sheath may be rigidized to enhance insertion.

Methods of attaching a rigidizing sheath to an endoscope

A rigidizing overtube includes an elongate flexible tube, one or more mounting elements attached to the flexible tube, and a plurality of engagers connected to the one or more mounting elements. The rigidizing overtube has a flexible configuration in which the plurality of engagers are configured to move relative to other engagers to accommodate bending of the flexible tube. The rigidizing overtube also has a rigid configuration in which the plurality of engagers are fixed relative to other engagers to prevent the flexible tube from bending.

Dynamically rigidizing overtube

A drape includes a first drape portion configured to receive a manipulator arm of a surgical system and a pocket coupled to a distal portion of the first drape portion. The pocket is configured to receive a manipulator of the surgical system. The pocket includes a flexible membrane positionable between an output of the manipulator and an input of a surgical instrument mountable to the manipulator. In some embodiments, the flexible membrane is located at a distal end of the pocket. In some embodiments, the flexible membrane is configured to allow an actuating force to be transmitted from the output of the manipulator to the input of the surgical instrument. In some embodiments, the pocket provides a sterile barrier between the manipulator and the surgical instrument. In some embodiments, the drape further includes a rotatable seal configured to couple a proximal opening of the pocket to the first drape portion.

Surgical system sterile drape

A surgical system includes a surgical instrument that is sensitive to backlash that would adversely affect the transmission of controlled torque and position to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument is coupled to motors in a surgical instrument manipulator assembly via a mechanical interface. The combination of the mechanical interface and surgical instrument manipulator assembly have low backlash, e.g., less than 0.7 degrees. The backlash is controlled in the surgical instrument manipulator assembly. From the drive output disk in the surgical instrument manipulator assembly to the driven disk of the surgical instrument, the mechanical interface has zero backlash for torque levels used in surgical procedures.

Preloaded surgical instrument interface

A method of operating a manipulator arm comprising a manipulator interface configured to removably couple with and transmit actuation force to a medical instrument includes mounting a cannula to a cannula mount coupled to the manipulator arm; mounting a medical instrument to the manipulator interface; inserting a shaft of the medical instrument through an entry guide mounted to the cannula; rotating the manipulator interface and the medical instrument relative to the cannula mount; and rotating the entry guide relative to the cannula mount about a longitudinal axis of the cannula.

Surgical system entry guide

A surgical instrument assembly comprises a guide tube and a first instrument. The first instrument includes a first elongated shaft and a first proximal arm link coupled by a first shoulder joint, the first proximal arm link and a first distal arm link coupled by a first elbow joint, and the first distal arm link and a first end effector coupled by a first wrist joint. The surgical instrument assembly also comprises a second instrument that includes a second elongated shaft and a second proximal arm link coupled by a second shoulder joint, the second proximal arm link and a second distal arm link coupled by a second elbow joint, and the second distal arm link and a second end effector coupled by a second wrist joint. The surgical instrument assembly also includes an imaging assembly. The first and second end effectors are within the imaging assembly's field of view.

A surgical system comprises a base, an arm assembly operably coupled to the base, and an instrument manipulator assembly coupled to a distal link of the arm assembly. The instrument manipulator assembly comprises an instrument manipulator interface to removably couple with a medical instrument and transfer actuation forces to the medical instrument. The instrument manipulator interface comprises a mounting surface and a plurality of actuator outputs to operably engage with respectively corresponding inputs of the medical instrument. The actuator outputs extend from the mounting surface along directions substantially parallel to a shaft of the medical instrument in a mounted state of the medical instrument to the instrument manipulator interface. In the mounted state of the medical instrument, the instrument manipulator interface and medical instrument are rotatable together about a roll axis of rotation relative to the distal link of the arm assembly.

Surgical system instrument mounting

Methods for advancing a device through a gastrointestinal tract. These methods may include inserting a device into the gastrointestinal tract, advancing a first portion of the device having a first vacuum port distally through the gastrointestinal tract away from a second portion of the device having a second vacuum port, sliding the second vacuum port towards the first vacuum port while the first vacuum port is applying suction, preventing tissue from moving distally past the first vacuum port by radially expanding a blocker that is positioned proximal to the first vacuum port, activating vacuum through the second vacuum port to suction tissue of the gastrointestinal tract to the second vacuum port, and releasing vacuum on the first vacuum port and advancing the first vacuum port distally through the gastrointestinal tract a desired distance while the vacuum is activated through the second vacuum port.

Methods for advancing a device through a gastrointestinal tract

A device for distending a body lumen for enhanced visualization with a capsule endoscope includes a plurality of struts configured to extend from the capsule endoscope, a retention mechanism configured to attach the plurality of struts to the capsule endoscope, and a trigger configured to release the retention mechanism.

Device and method for enhanced visualization of the small intestine

Apparatuses and method for determining if an endoscope is contaminated may include a sheath device to cover both the inside and outside of the endoscope. The sheath device may include a flexible tubular external sheath that extends over the endoscope to form an external protective barrier, a tubular internal sheath that extends within a lumen of the endoscope that forms an internal protective barrier, and a cap sealed to both the external sheath and the internal sheath, and a proximal sealing collar that is configured to allow the space between the endoscope and the external and/or inner sheaths to be pressurized to detect leaks indicating contamination.

Apparatuses and methods for determining if an endoscope is contaminated

Described herein are multi-leaf collimators that comprise leaf drive mechanisms. The leaf drive mechanisms can be used in binary multi-leaf collimators used in emission-guided radiation therapy. One variation of a multi-leaf collimator comprises a pneumatics-based leaf drive mechanism. Another variation of a multi-leaf collimator comprises a spring-based leaf drive mechanism having a spring resonator.

High bandwidth binary multi-leaf collimator design

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Eugene F Duval