Patent ID: 7927327

Claim:
A medical instrument comprising: a) a flexible tube having an outermost surface and a distal tube portion insertable within a patient; b) a medical end effector connected to the distal tube portion; c) a flexible medical-end-effector activation wire disposed within the tube; d) a proximal medical instrument member spaced apart from, and disposed proximal to, the medical end effector, wherein the proximal medical instrument member is attached to the tube; and e) a flexible, lengthwise-translatable first cable disposed outside of and spaced apart from the outermost surface of the tube between the proximal medical instrument member and the medical end effector, with the flexible, lengthwise-translatable first cable being substantially transversely constrained by the proximal medical instrument member, being substantially transversely unconstrained between the proximal medical instrument member and the medical end effector, and having a distal cable portion attached to the medical end effector, wherein lengthwise translation of the first cable articulates the medical end effector with respect to the proximal medical instrument member.