Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090036903 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING FASTENERS DURING VALVE REPLACEMENT - A fastener delivery tool includes a belt including pairs of features for releasably engaging tines of respective fasteners in a relaxed state defining a loop. The tool includes a loading chamber for receiving a fastener from the belt, a retaining member for limiting movement of the fastener within the loading chamber, an ejection track communicating with the loading chamber, a handle including an actuator, and a tongue and pusher member coupled to the actuator. Activation of the actuator advances the tongue to transform the fastener from the relaxed state to a U-shaped constrained state, and advances the pusher member to direct the fastener from the loading chamber down the ejection track. The tool may include a trigger for ejecting the fastener completely from the ejection track. The fastener may be used to secure a prosthetic heart valve or components thereof into surrounding tissue, e.g., within a tissue annulus. | 02-05-2009 |
20090240261 | BIOLOGICAL UNIT REMOVAL TOOLS WITH MOVABLE RETENTION MEMBER - Tools and methods of use for removing biological units from a body surface utilizing a removal tool are disclosed. The tool incorporates a retention member configured to impede movement of the biological unit in the direction of a distal end of the tool and to improve retention of the biological unit in the tool. The retention member is radially movable within the lumen of the biological unit removal tool. The distal tips of the tools are desirably configured to reduce the chance of transection of a biological unit. | 09-24-2009 |
20100010616 | ATTACHMENT DEVICE AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME - Devices for attaching a first mass and a second mass and methods of making and using the same are disclosed. The devices can be made from an resilient, elastic or deformable materials. The devices can be used to attach a heart valve ring to a biological annulus. The devices can also be used for wound closure or a variety of other procedures such as anchoring a prosthesis to surrounding tissue or another prosthesis, tissue repair, such as in the closure of congenital defects such as septal heart defects, tissue or vessel anastomosis, fixation of tissue with or without a reinforcing mesh for hernia repair, orthopedic anchoring such as in bone fusing or tendon or muscle repair, ophthalmic indications, laparoscopic or endoscopic tissue repair or placement of prostheses, or use by robotic devices for procedures such as those above performed remotely. | 01-14-2010 |
20100070029 | HEART VALVE ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS FOR USING THEM - A heart valve assembly includes a base including a multi-lobular annular shape within a plane, a valve member or other annular body including a multi-lobular shape complementary to the shape of the base, and cooperating connectors on the base and the annular body for connecting the annular body to the base. The base includes an anchoring ring, and a flexible cuff for attaching the base to a biological annulus. The base and the annular body include guides for aligning their multi-lobular shapes, e.g., visual, tactile, or other markers, or tethers that extend from the base that are slidable through the annular body. During use, the base is attached to a biological annulus, the annular body is directed adjacent the annulus, oriented such that the multi-lobular shape of the annular body valve member is aligned with the base, and the annular body is attached to the base. | 03-18-2010 |
20100082042 | BIOLOGICAL UNIT REMOVAL TOOL WITH OCCLUDING MEMBER - Tools and methods are provided for removing biological units from a body surface utilizing a removal tool. The tools incorporate occluding members to help retain the biological unit in the removal tool and assist in severing the biological unit from the surrounding connective tissue. The occluding member may be located at a distal end of the tool and close in an iris configuration over the distal tool tip or the occluding member may constrict along the tool midsection. The occluding member may be an elastomeric sleeve or it could comprise filaments that are arranged to constrict upon being twisted or rotated. The tools are especially useful for removing follicular units from a body surface in a hair transplantation process, and especially in the context of a robotic system. | 04-01-2010 |
20110004094 | Bioabsorbable Target for Diagnostic or Therapeutic Procedure - An implantable device has a body that is substantially rigid and has an imageable shape. The body is further bioabsorbable and may contain permanent metallic elements to aid in its imaging. When the device is implanted in a resected cavity in soft tissue, it can cause the cavity to conform substantially to a known imageable shape. The implantable device is further imageable due to its attenuation properties being different from those of soft tissue such that the boundaries of the tissue corresponding to the predetermined shape can be determined. | 01-06-2011 |
20110282438 | Valve Introducers And Methods For Making And Using Them - A valve introducer is provided for delivering a valve prosthesis into a biological annulus. During use, a gasket member is introduced into the biological annulus, and secured relative to the biological annulus. A distal end of a valve introducer is introduced into a passage communicating with the biological annulus, and disposed adjacent the gasket member. A valve prosthesis is advanced through the valve introducer towards the gasket member, and secured to the gasket member. In one embodiment, the valve introducer and valve prosthesis have corresponding shapes, requiring the valve prosthesis to be oriented to properly align the valve prosthesis before advancing the valve prosthesis into the valve introducer. Optionally, the valve introducer is manipulated (e.g., by pivoting at a pivot point) to reduce a profile of the distal end before introduction into the passage, which may facilitate introducing the valve introducer through the passage, e.g., past the sino-tubular junction. | 11-17-2011 |
20120016221 | IMAGE STABILIZATION TECHNIQUES AND METHODS - Direct optical imaging of anatomical features and structures from within a biological organ in a dynamic environment (where the tissue being imaged is in motion due to cardiac rhythms, respiration, etc) presents certain image stability issues due (and/or related) to the motion of the target structure and may limit the ability of the user to visually interpret the image for the purposes of diagnostics and therapeutics. Systems and mechanisms for the purpose of actively stabilizing the image or for compiling and re-displaying the image information in a manner that is more suitable to interpretation by the user are disclosed. | 01-19-2012 |
20120059366 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ABLATION EFFICACY - Apparatus and methods for ablation efficacy are described herein where a hood having a deployable elongated feature can extend beyond a distal face of the hood. The elongated feature can channel the energy to the deeper regions within the tissue (such as trabeculated regions or other tissue structures) such that the energy can be delivered to the target tissue despite small or large irregularities in the target tissue surface (or region) and/or changes in the relative distances between the hood and the target tissue. | 03-08-2012 |
20120179192 | EMBOLIZATION DEVICE AND A METHOD OF USING THE SAME - Space-occupying devices for treating voids within the body are disclosed. The devices can have multiple elements connected to a flexible leader. The devices can be coated by a binding agent. The devices can also be fillable. Methods of making and using the devices are also disclosed. | 07-12-2012 |
20120265217 | BIOLOGICAL UNIT REMOVAL TOOLS WITH MOVABLE RETENTION MEMBER - Tools and methods of use for removing biological units from a body surface utilizing a removal tool are disclosed. The tool incorporates a retention member configured to impede movement of the biological unit in the direction of a distal end of the tool and to improve retention of the biological unit in the tool. The retention member is radially movable within the lumen of the biological unit removal tool. The distal tips of the tools are desirably configured to reduce the chance of transection of a biological unit. | 10-18-2012 |
20120303108 | EMBOLIZATION DEVICE AND A METHOD OF USING THE SAME - Non-expandable space-occupying devices for treating voids within the body are disclosed. The devices can have multiple non-expandable space-occupying elements connected to a flexible leader. Methods of making and using the devices are also disclosed. | 11-29-2012 |
20130060320 | INTRAVASCULAR IMPLANTS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME - An intravascular implant and methods of using the implant within the vasculature of the body, for example near a vascular aneurysm, are disclosed. The method of attaching a second implant, such as a vascular graft, to the intravascular implant is also disclosed. The implant can be made from an anchor, a connector and a seal. | 03-07-2013 |
20130166024 | Heart Valve Assemblies and methods for using them - A heart valve assembly includes a base including a multi-lobular annular shape within a plane, a valve member or other annular body including a multi-lobular shape complementary to the shape of the base, and cooperating connectors on the base and the annular body for connecting the annular body to the base. The base includes an anchoring ring, and a flexible cuff for attaching the base to a biological annulus. The base and the annular body include guides for aligning their multi-lobular shapes, e.g., visual, tactile, or other markers, or tethers that extend from the base that are slidable through the annular body. During use, the base is attached to a biological annulus, the annular body is directed adjacent the annulus, oriented such that the multi-lobular shape of the annular body valve member is aligned with the base, and the annular body is attached to the base. | 06-27-2013 |
20130237929 | SELF-CLOSING DEVICES AND METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING THEM - A self-closing device for implantation within a patient's body includes base material including an inner surface area for securing the base material to a tissue structure, and a plurality of support elements surrounding or embedded in the base material. The support elements are separable laterally within a plane of the base material to accommodate creating an opening through the base material for receiving one or more instruments through the base material, and biased to return laterally towards a relaxed state for self-closing the opening after removing the one or more instruments. The device may be provided as a patch or integrally attached to a tubular graft or in various shapes. | 09-12-2013 |
20130289389 | SURGICAL IMPLANT FOR MARKING SOFT TISSUE - An implantable tissue marker device is provided to be placed in a soft tissue site through a surgical incision. The device can include a bioabsorbable body in the form of a spiral and defining a spheroid shape for the device, the spiral having a longitudinal axis, and turns of the spiral being spaced apart from each other in a direction along the longitudinal axis. A plurality of markers can be disposed on the body, the markers being visualizable by a radiographic imaging device. The turns of the spiral are sufficiently spaced apart to form gaps that allow soft tissue to infiltrate between the turns and to allow flexibility in the device along the longitudinal axis in the manner of a spring. | 10-31-2013 |
20130289390 | SURGICAL IMPLANT FOR MARKING SOFT TISSUE - An implantable tissue marker device is provided to be placed in a soft tissue site through a surgical incision. The device can include a bioabsorbable body in the form of a spiral and defining a spheroid shape for the device, the spiral having a longitudinal axis, and turns of the spiral being spaced apart from each other in a direction along the longitudinal axis. A plurality of markers can be disposed on the body, the markers being visualizable by a radiographic imaging device. The turns of the spiral are sufficiently spaced apart to form gaps that allow soft tissue to infiltrate between the turns and to allow flexibility in the device along the longitudinal axis in the manner of a spring. | 10-31-2013 |
20140088690 | EMBOLIZATION DEVICE AND A METHOD OF USING THE SAME - Non-expandable space-occupying devices for treating voids within the body are disclosed. The devices can have multiple non-expandable space-occupying elements connected to a flexible leaden Methods of making and using the devices are also disclosed. | 03-27-2014 |
20140100652 | ATTACHMENT DEVICE AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME - Devices for attaching a first mass and a second mass and methods of making and using the same are disclosed. The devices can be made from an resilient, elastic or deformable materials. The devices can be used to attach a heart valve ring to a biological annulus. The devices can also be used for wound closure or a variety of other procedures such as anchoring a prosthesis to surrounding tissue or another prosthesis, tissue repair, such as in the closure of congenital defects such as septal heart defects, tissue or vessel anastomosis, fixation of tissue with or without a reinforcing mesh for hernia repair, orthopedic anchoring such as in bone fusing or tendon or muscle repair, ophthalmic indications, laparoscopic or endoscopic tissue repair or placement of prostheses, or use by robotic devices for procedures such as those above performed remotely. | 04-10-2014 |
20140171827 | Biological Unit Removal Tools with Movable Retention Member - Tools and methods of use for removing biological units from a body surface utilizing a removal tool are disclosed. The tool incorporates a retention member configured to impede movement of the biological unit in the direction of a distal end of the tool and to improve retention of the biological unit in the tool. The retention member is radially movable within the lumen of the biological unit removal tool. The distal tips of the tools are desirably configured to reduce the chance of transection of a biological unit. | 06-19-2014 |