Abstract: The present invention relates generally to body tissue fixation systems, including body tissue fixation hardware comprising biocompatible, bioabsorbable plates, with an osteropromoting coating layer on at least one surface of said plates, and methods of using those system and hardware.

Abstract: A suture anchor has a deformable portion for engaging with a wall of a borehole in a first tissue member, a shaft for providing a force to the deformable portion to deform the deformable portion to cause the deformable portion to engage the wall of the borehole, a suture retaining portion in at least one of the deformable portion and the shaft for retaining two suture portions in the retaining portion with a loop formed between the two suture portions, the loop adapted to traverse a second tissue member to be attached to the first tissue member; and wherein application of the force to deform the deformable portion causes engagement of the deformable portion with the borehole to secure the suture anchor to the first tissue and clamping of at least one of the two suture portions in the suture retaining portion thereby to secure the suture forming the loop in the suture retaining portion and secure the second tissue to the suture anchor.

Abstract: A device for inserting a stent in a body cavity, particularly useful for inserting a stent into a human male urethra to treat prostatic hyperplasia, whereby such device has an elongated member for removably receiving a stent and means capable of protruding from the member to either locate an obstruction, such as the sphincter muscle, in the body cavity or to prevent the stent from sliding off of the member, or both.

Abstract: A fastener system and procedure to secure a member in a medium. The system includes a tool to deliver both the member and a flowable, curable polymer onto, into or through the medium. The flowable polymer is injected into, through or around the member. As the flowable polymer cures, it acts as either a solid filler or as an adhesive to provide fixation for the member, or to enhance fixation of the member.

Abstract: A sheath is sized and configured to receive an endoscope. The sheath is provided with a housing having a proximally facing opening with a U-shaped notch. The endoscope has at the proximal end a right-angle light post which and is received closely within the U-shaped notch at the proximal opening of the sheath housing. A locking mechanism is provided including a pivotable latch having a distal end configured to be received within a notch formed on the endoscope housing distal to and diametrically opposed from the light post. The latch includes a spring tending to bias the distal portion thereof into engagement with the notch in the endoscope housing. A resilient O-ring is provided at the distal end of a recess in the sheath housing. A shoulder on the distal end of the proximal portion of the endoscope compresses the O-ring when the latch is engaged.

Abstract: A guide bushing for a coring reamer having a tapered member with its largest diameter at its first end so that the guide bushing frictionally engages an internal surface of the reamer with a line contact. The guide bushing has a passage sized to slidably receive a guide pin. In use, the bushing advances in the proximal direction within the coring reamer along a guide pin while the excavated bone enters the passageway through the reamer. A storage package specifically designed for the reamer assembly is employed to remove the excavated bone from within the reamer. The package has a closed distal end and an open proximal end closeable with a cap. With the coring reamer received in cantilevered fashion through a central opening of the cap of the tube, and with an adapter that couples the coring reamer to a handpiece installed, a wrench is placed over the adapter and turned while the user grips peripheral surfaces of the cap to prevent rotation of the coring reamer.

Abstract: A guide bushing for a coring reamer having a tapered member with its largest diameter at its first end so that the guide bushing frictionally engages an internal surface of the reamer with a line contact. The guide bushing has a passage sized to slidably receive a guide pin. In use, the bushing advances in the proximal direction within the coring reamer along a guide pin while the excavated bone enters the passageway through the reamer. A storage package specifically designed for the reamer assembly is employed to remove the excavated bone from within the reamer. The package has a closed distal end and an open proximal end closeable with a cap. With the coring reamer received in cantilevered fashion through a central opening of the cap of the tube, and with an adapter that couples the coring reamer to a handpiece installed, a wrench is placed over the adapter and turned while the user grips peripheral surfaces of the cap to prevent rotation of the coring reamer.

Abstract: A suture anchor has a deformable portion for engaging with a wall of a borehole in a first tissue member, a shaft for providing a force to the deformable portion to deform the deformable portion to cause the deformable portion to engage the wall of the borehole, a suture retaining portion in at least one of the deformable portion and the shaft for retaining two suture portions in the retaining portion with a loop formed between the two suture portions, the loop adapted to traverse a second tissue member to be attached to the first tissue member; and wherein application of the force to deform the deformable portion causes engagement of the deformable portion with the borehole to secure the suture anchor to the first tissue and clamping of at least one of the two suture portions in the suture retaining portion thereby to secure the suture forming the loop in the suture retaining portion and secure the second tissue to the suture anchor.

Abstract: An end-cutting arthroscopic shaver blade having a tubular inner member rotatable within a tubular outer member. The distal ends of each of the tubular members are provided with at least two notches each of which has longitudinally extending sides provided with cutting edges. In one of the embodiments the outer tubular member is provided with an arcuate extension in order to guide tissue toward the notches.

Abstract: A video camera head configured for use with an endoscope and having a conductive inner chamber for shielding the imager and imager electronics from electro-magnetic interference is described in which the inner chamber is substantially isolated from contact by a human or conductive fluid through a sealed outer non-conductive housing. Another aspect of the invention involves hermetically sealing the inner chamber, thus facilitating the use of steam autoclave sterilization, including flash sterilization, to sterilize the camera head.

Abstract: A system for inserting a cannulated tissue anchor during endoscopic surgical procedures. The system incorporates an elongated generally cylindrical tissue anchor having a plurality of barbs outwardly extending from its body and a transverse head situated at its proximal end. The head is elongated along a major axis which is misaligned relative to the rows of barbs on the body of the tissue anchor in order to enhance retention of the anchor within selected tissue. The anchor may be inserted during an endoscopic surgical procedure by a single-handed operation utilizing an instrument having a longitudinally slidable needle for guiding the anchor into place and a longitudinally slidable push rod for pushing the anchor along the needle. The system incorporates a package/loading device to facilitate the assembly of a cannulated tissue anchor with the inserter, the package/loading device being provided with a means for guiding the inserter needle through the axial bore of the tissue anchor.

Abstract: A video camera system is described which may store operating parameter information for reading by the system to provide optimum operating conditions, which may collect information reflecting system uses for later reading by the system to provide a performance history, and which is relatively small and operates with a reduced number of electrical lines to transmit electrical information.

Abstract: A system for inserting a cannulated tissue anchor during endoscopic surgical procedures. The system incorporates an elongated generally cylindrical tissue anchor having a plurality of barbs outwardly extending from its body and a transverse head situated at its proximal end. The head is elongated along a major axis which is misaligned relative to the rows of barbs on the body of the tissue anchor in order to enhance retention of the anchor within selected tissue. The anchor may be inserted during an endoscopic surgical procedure by a single-handed operation utilizing an instrument having a longitudinally slidable needle for guiding the anchor into place and a longitudinally slidable push rod for pushing the anchor along the needle. The system incorporates a package/loading device to facilitate the assembly of a cannulated tissue anchor with the inserter, the package/loading device being provided with a means for guiding the inserter needle through the axial bore of the tissue anchor.

Abstract: A system for inserting a cannulated tissue anchor during endoscopic surgical procedures. The system incorporates an elongated generally cylindrical tissue anchor having a plurality of barbs outwardly extending from its body and a transverse head situated at its proximal end. The head is elongated along a major axis which is misaligned relative to the rows of barbs on the body of the tissue anchor in order to enhance retention of the anchor within selected tissue. The anchor may be inserted during an endoscopic surgical procedure by a single-handed operation utilizing an instrument having a longitudinally slidable needle for guiding the anchor into place and a longitudinally slidable push rod for pushing the anchor along the needle. The system incorporates a package/loading device to facilitate the assembly of a cannulated tissue anchor with the inserter, the package/loading device being provided with a means for guiding the inserter needle through the axial bore of the tissue anchor.

Abstract: An auxiliary graft fixation device for use with an interference screw to secure soft tissue ligament grafts within a bone tunnel. The device is in the form of a spherical member having a throughbore which enables it to be tied to the end of a soft tissue graft. The device enables it to be pulled into the bone tunnel with the soft tissue ligament graft while enabling the graft to be secured within the bone tunnel by an interference screw and preventing the graft from sliding past the interference screw and out of the tunnel.

Abstract: A rotary shaver blade assembly having a laterally facing and end facing cutting window enabling it to resect tissue presented end-wise or at relatively small angles. The assembly is provided with a stationary elongated outer tube and a rotatable inner tube, both having laterally facing and end facing cutting windows and both having planar transverse end walls at their distal tips. The transverse end walls are abutting and are sharpened into edges by being tapered in opposite directions. The end wall of the outer tube is tapered into a concave surface to allow the inner and outer transverse edges to be situated close to target tissue. The edge on the end wall of the inner tube is transversely arcuate and has a point at each end to enable it, in cooperation with the outer edge, to resect tissue presented axially or at shallow angles to the axis of the shaver blade.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for delivery of grafts such as, for example, semitendinosus and/or gracilis tendons for reconstructive surgery. The device is a woven structure whose diameter is reduced when placed in tension. It has a tapering end and an open end. A suture is looped within the device so that the loop extends from the open end to receive the folded graft. The suture is pulled to insert the graft into the device. The graft, after folding and being pulled into the device, may have sutures extending out of one end as an optional feature to facilitate subsequent fixation. The sutures extending through the tapered end are pulled, tightening the device around the graft while pulling the device with the graft inside through the bone tunnels such as, for example, tibial and femoral tunnels. The narrow tapering end traps the graft as the device tightens around the graft for insertion into the tunnels.

Abstract: An arthroscopic or endoscopic component joining system for selectively and temporarily connecting instruments during closed surgical procedures. The system is modular and operable as a bridge system for connecting instruments to selected cannulas or as a sheath system for connecting a scope to a scope sheath. Various improvements provide for greater fluid flow through the components than is available with known systems of similar size.

Abstract: A tubing cassette and method for use in cooling a surgical handpiece. The handpiece is provided with a drive motor which is received within a cooling chamber adapted to circulate cooling fluid around the motor. The cooling chamber is accessible from the exterior of the handpiece via inflow and outflow apertures, and a disposable cassette is selectively attachable to the exterior of the handpiece so as to communicate inflow and outflow apertures of the cassette with the inflow and outflow apertures on the handpiece body. The cassette is provided with inflow and outflow ports in communication with its inflow and outflow apertures in order to direct cooling fluid into and out of the cooling chamber via tubes through which coolant fluid may be circulated with the aid of an external pump, if desired.

Abstract: An electronic autoclave cycle passively records the number of thermal cycles to which an instrument has been subjected in a steam autoclave. When a sterilization cycle has been completed, and the instrument is next energized in use, a microprocessor is employed to read the sensor and record the occurrence of a sterilization cycle. Information as to the cumulative number of cycles through which the instrument has been subjected is stored in a non-volatile memory. This data is suitably displayed on a display panel. The sensor employed uses either the Curie temperature or a temperature near but below the Curie temperature of a ferromagnetic material by first magnetizing the material and then, later, checking its flux density to determine whether a thermal cycle has occurred. In a first embodiment, a Hall effect sensor is used to directly measure the magnetic field strength of the magnetizable material.