TISSUE TYPE DETECTING MEDICAL DEVICES

In various embodiments, a medical device comprises a trocar including an awl and a cannula; two or more electrodes disposed on a distal portion of the trocar; an impedance bridge coupled to the two or more electrodes; and a processor coupled to the impedance bridge. In various embodiments, a computer-implemented method for evaluating tissue of a patient comprises recording, at one or more frequencies, one or more impedance measurements, wherein each impedance measurement is associated with two or more electrodes disposed on a distal portion of a trocar; comparing the one or more impedance measurements to one or more characteristic impedances associated with one or more tissue types; and determining, based on the one or more impedance measurements and the one or more characteristic impedances, one or more tissue types at a location associated with the distal portion of the trocar.