US 12,390,618 B2
Catheters with control modes for interchangeable probes
Vincent Duindam, San Francisco, CA (US); and Giuseppe Maria Prisco, Calci Pisa (IT)
Assigned to INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 13, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/927,332.
Application 16/927,332 is a continuation of application No. 16/283,039, filed on Feb. 22, 2019, granted, now 10,744,303.
Application 16/283,039 is a continuation of application No. 13/274,198, filed on Oct. 14, 2011, granted, now 10,238,837, issued on Mar. 26, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0016061 A1, Jan. 21, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61M 25/01 (2006.01); A61B 18/24 (2006.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01)
CPC A61M 25/0133 (2013.01) [A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 18/24 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2061 (2016.02); A61B 2034/301 (2016.02); A61M 25/0113 (2013.01); A61M 25/0147 (2013.01); A61M 25/0158 (2013.01); A61M 2025/0166 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical system comprising:
a catheter comprising a lumen, a distal steerable segment, and a distal tip;
a sheath disposed within the lumen of the catheter; and
a control system coupled to the catheter, wherein the control system includes:
a memory operable to store desired position coordinates; and
a plurality of modes including a stiffening mode in which the control system actively maintains the distal tip at the desired position coordinates, wherein the sheath is extendable from the distal tip of the catheter while the control system actively maintains the distal tip at the desired position coordinates in the stiffening mode.