Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Altera Group, LLC
  • Patent number: 6743239
    Abstract: An improved device for performing medical procedures, preferably minimally invasive medical procedures, includes a shaft with a proximal and distal end and a bendable tip extending from the distal end of the shaft. In some preferred embodiments, a fastener applicator extends from the bendable tip. In other preferred embodiments, a malleable section is located between the bendable tip and the shaft. The bendable tip can include a plurality of articulating segments. The improved directional device can be used to repair native valves in a patient, especially heart valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen T. Kuehn, Karen P. Montpetit