Patent ID: 11883003
Assignee: GYRUS ACMI, INC. D/B/A OLYMPUS SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIES AMERICA
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus comprising:
an elongate imaging instrument including a head comprising an imaging sensor and an insertion device configured to deliver a sheath to a target tissue location within a patient, wherein the sheath is extendable out of the insertion device along an extension axis, and wherein the imaging sensor is positioned relative to the extension axis to enable imaging of a tissue sampling instrument delivered through the sheath;
a sheath tip forming a distal end of the sheath that defines therein a lumen configured to convey the tissue sampling instrument, the sheath tip having a cylindrical body extending between a base end and a contact end configured to contact a tissue surface, wherein the cylindrical body of the sheath tip includes a common outer diameter with the sheath and has a first column strength between the base end and the contact end along an axis of the sheath tip that is less than a second column strength of the sheath such that the cylindrical body of the sheath tip is configured to be deformable upon contact with the tissue surface between the contact end and the base end of the sheath tip.