Patents Assigned to United States Surgical Corporation
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Patent number: 6339130Abstract: Star polymers of soft segment forming monomers are useful in forming surgical devices. The star polymers can be endcapped with isocyanate, mixed with a filler and/or cross-linked. The polymer compositions are useful, for example, as fiber coatings, surgical adhesives or bone putty, or tissue growth substrate.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 1999Date of Patent: January 15, 2002Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Steven L. Bennett, Kevin Connolly, Elliott Gruskin, Ying Jiang
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Patent number: 6330965Abstract: A surgical stapling device particularly suited for endoscopic procedures is described. The device can be used with both articulating and non-articulating disposable loading units and has a sensing mechanism for sensing the type of disposable loading unit secured to the device.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2000Date of Patent: December 18, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Keith L. Milliman, Frank J. Viola, Joseph Orban, III, Randolph F. Lehn
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Patent number: 6319266Abstract: A trocar system including a cannula and an obturator assembly being at least partially insertable through the cannula. The obturator assembly including a housing, a penetrating tip disposed at a distal end, an elongated shield including a guard extending from a shaft are movable relative to the penetrating tip, and a latch mechanism disposed generally within the housing. The latch mechanism facilitates changing the configuration of the obturator assembly between a fixed-shield orientation, wherein at least a portion of the guard is maintained to extend at least partially distal of the penetrating tip to prevent puncturing of tissue by the penetrating tip, to a non-fixed shield orientation whereby upon application of force to the distal end of the obturator assembly, the guard and penetrating tip are permitted to move relative one another to facilitate puncturing of tissue by the penetrating tip.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2000Date of Patent: November 20, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Gene Stellon, David C. Racenet, Ralph A. Stearns, Adam Lehman
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Patent number: 6315788Abstract: Composite materials have a core portion formed from a polyalkylene oxide initiated block copolymer having one of the blocks made from hard phase forming monomers and another of the blocks made from random copolymers of soft phase forming monomers and at least one shell portion formed from a block copolymer having one of the blocks made from hard phase forming monomers and another of the blocks made from random copolymers of soft phase forming monomers joined to the core portion. Hard phase forming monomers include glycolide and lactide while soft phase forming monomers include 1,4 dioxane-2-one, 1,3 dioxane-2-one and caprolactone. In a preferred embodiment, the core portion is coextruded with the shell portion to form a composite filament or sheet. The composite materials may be used as sutures or formed into medical devices or surgical articles for implantation within a living organism.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 1998Date of Patent: November 13, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventor: Mark S. Roby
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Patent number: 6306085Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a frame structure defining proximal and distal portions. The proximal portion has an articulating arm for repositionably mounting to a base and the distal portion supporting a stabilizing member. An attachment mounts on the stabilizing member, the attachment being configured and dimensioned such that upon contact with the heart the engaged heart tissue bulges outward. A method of surgery using the attachment includes providing a frame structure defining proximal and distal portions, the proximal portion being repositionably mountable to a base, supporting an attachment on the stabilizng member and engaging heart tissue with the attachment such that the tissue bulges outward to better present the tissue for surgery.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 1999Date of Patent: October 23, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventor: David Farascioni
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Publication number: 20010030219Abstract: An endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes a frame portion, an elongated portion extending from the frame portion, and an articulating fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end of the elongated portion. The fastener applying assembly includes a base portion, a staple cartridge housing, and an anvil member which has a forming surface thereon against which surgical fasteners are driven as they are ejected from the cartridge housing. A first mechanism is provided for effectuating the rotation of the fastener applying assembly about an axis defined by the body portion, a second mechanism is provided for effectuating the articulation of the fastener applying assembly, and a third mechanism is provided for independently rotating the cartridge housing and anvil member relative to a longitudinal axis defined by the base position to increase the range of operability of the apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2001Publication date: October 18, 2001Applicant: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: David T. Green, Keith Ratcliff, Keith Milliman, Henry R. Sienkiewicz, Mitchell J. Palmer, Graham W. Bryan
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Publication number: 20010029384Abstract: A surgical instrument for performing an anastomosis includes a housing having a proximal end and a distal end; a shaft extending from the housing distal end; and a disposable loading unit configured and dimensioned to retain a plurality of surgical fasteners, the disposable loading unit extending from the shaft and forming a juncture with the shaft, the disposable loading unit including: i) opposed split-sections pivotably connected to facilitate movement of the opposed split-sections between open and closed configurations, the opposed split sections being movable through a firing stroke from a first position to a second position and back to the first position to form a plurality of surgical fasteners; and ii) a pivot lockout member including a latch portion which extends between the opposed split-sections, the latch portion including a contact surface which interacts with a corresponding surface formed on at least one of the opposed split-sections to retain the opposed split-sections in the closed configuratType: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2001Publication date: October 11, 2001Applicant: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: David A. Nicholas, Robert C. Smith, Scott E. Manzo
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Patent number: 6287499Abstract: A method for making bioabsorbable block copolymer includes extruding a mixture of first polymeric component particles with second polymeric component particles under conditions sufficient to cause transesterification. The resulting block copolymer filaments can be used to form surgical sutures.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 1999Date of Patent: September 11, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Mark S. Roby, Jerry Ying Jonn
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Patent number: 6280407Abstract: An ultrasonic dissection and coagulation system for surgical use is provided. The system includes an ultrasonic instrument, a control module, and a pedal actuator. The ultrasonic actuator has a housing and an elongated body portion extending from the housing. An ultrasonic transducer supported within the housing is operatively connected to a cutting blade by a vibration coupler. The vibration coupler conducts high frequency vibration from the ultrasonic transducer to the cutting blade. The cutting blade has a cutting surface which is angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body portion and, thus, with respect to the axis of vibration. A clamp member having a tissue contact surface is positioned adjacent to the blade member and is movable from an open position in which the tissue contact surface is spaced form the cutting surface to a clamped position in which the tissue contact surface is in close juxtaposed alignment with the cutting surface to clamp tissue therebetween.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2000Date of Patent: August 28, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Ronald Manna, Scott Isola, H. Jonathan Tovey, Dominick L. Mastri, Corbett W. Stone, Ernie Aranyi
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Patent number: 6277927Abstract: Block copolymers wherein the first block contains from about 20 to about 80 mole percent of repeating units derived from lactide randomly combined with from about 20 to 80 mole percent of repeating units derived from glycolide and the second block contains repeating units derived from lactide and repeating units derived from other bioabsorbable monomeric units, such as glycolide, the second block containing a higher proportion of repeating units derived from lactide than the first block, with units derived from lactide constituting from about 40 to about 90 mole percent of the entire block copolymer are useful in forming surgical articles, including sutures.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 1998Date of Patent: August 21, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Mark S. Roby, Ying Jiang
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Publication number: 20010014801Abstract: Disposable loading units (DLUs) configured for mounting to a robotic arm for performing at least one surgical task are presented. Each DLU includes an attachment platform having at least one connector for engaging at least one connector on a distal end of the robotic arm for connecting the DLU to the robotic arm, a head portion connected to the attachment platform at one end and configured for housing an electro-mechanical actuation assembly therein, and at least one surgical tool member extending from the head portion and operatively associated with the electro-mechanical actuation assembly for controlling the operation and movement of the at least one surgical tool member. The at least one surgical tool member may include a cutting assembly, an aortic hole punch assembly, a lasing assembly, a coring assembly, or a vascular suturing assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2001Publication date: August 16, 2001Applicant: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: H. Jonathan Tovey, Keith Ratcliff, Kenneth E. Toso, Peter W.J. Hinchliffe
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Patent number: 6264605Abstract: A mounting assembly for mounting a surgical instrument to a base, which facilitates positioning a surgical instrument relative to the surgical site so that only the minimum portion of the instrument is positioned in the free space available around the surgical site. A surgical instrument is also provided which includes a handle, a tool member, and a segmented flexible articulating arm which operatively connects the handle and the tool member. Also provided is an instrumentation kit having a surgical instrument which includes an end effector connecting assembly disposed at the distal end portion of an articulating arm to facilitate the removal or attachment of and end effector from the distal end of the articulating arm. The surgical instrumentation kit also includes a number of interchangeable surgical tool end effectors each having a uniform connector portion for interchangeable engagement with the end effector connecting assembly of the surgical instrument.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2000Date of Patent: July 24, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Paul Scirica, Cathy Aranyi
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Patent number: 6260699Abstract: Synthetic absorbable sutures are filled with a stabilizing agent, preferably a mixture of glycerol and calcium lactate, and inserted into a retainer having a narrow convoluted passageway. The retainer is inserted into an open foil pouch with a package stabilizing element such as a paper sheet filled with stabilizing agent. The package containing the suture, retainer and package stabilizing element is sterilized, aerated, equilibrated to a relatively high moisture level, and sealed. Long lengths of suture and doubled-over and tripled-over suture may be withdrawn from the retainer with low force without damaging the suture. Bends and kinks in the suture are prevented so as to provide a synthetic absorbable suture having highly desirable out of package hand and feel. The suture an removed from the package exhibits improved tissue drag characteristics.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: July 17, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Donald S. Kaplan, Matthew E. Hermes, Ross R. Muth, David L. Brown, Henry A. Holzwarth
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Patent number: 6250532Abstract: An endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes a frame portion, an elongated portion extending from the frame portion, and an articulating fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end of the elongated portion. The fastener applying assembly includes a base portion, a staple cartridge housing, and an anvil member which has a forming surface thereon against which surgical fasteners are driven as they are ejected from the cartridge housing. A first mechanism is provided for effectuating the rotation of the fastener applying assembly about an axis defined by the body portion, a second mechanism is provided for effectuating the articulation of the fastener applying assembly, and a third mechanism is provided for independently rotating the cartridge housing and anvil member relative to a longitudinal axis defined by the base position to increase the range of operability of the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2000Date of Patent: June 26, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: David T. Green, Keith Ratcliff, Keith Milliman, Henry R. Sienkiewicz, Mitchell J. Palmer, Graham W. Bryan
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Patent number: 6242741Abstract: A radiation detection apparatus includes a hand-held probe with a switch assembly removably mounted thereon. The switch assembly having first and second switches, one to initiate transmission of electrical signals representing scintillations detected over a set time period to a remotely located control unit for counting and averaging, and the other to direct the control unit to download and preferably record the counted and averaged scintillation values for further use. The switch assembly has an insulating member for electrically insulating the switches from the probe, and spaced gripping members that releasably grip the probe. A movable stand is provided preferably with a holder for holding the probe. The probe can have a protective cover thereon with a switch assembly mounted onto the probe over the cover.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 1998Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Eric Miller, Richard Scott Rader, Timothy N. Wells, Paul Stoppel
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Patent number: 6235869Abstract: Synthetic absorbable medical devices made totally or in part from a random polymer comprising glycolide, lactide, trimethylene carbonate, and caprolactone are provided. The polymer can be fabricated into a monofilament which exhibits physical characteristics equivalent to or superior than gut sutures.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 1999Date of Patent: May 22, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Mark S. Roby, Lydmilla K. Kokish, Rooma M. Mehta, Jerry Y. Jonn
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Patent number: 6231565Abstract: Disposable loading units (DLUs) configured for mounting to a robotic arm for performing at least one surgical task are presented. Each DLU includes an attachment platform having at least one connector for engaging at least one connector on a distal end of the robotic arm for connecting the DLU to the robotic arm, a head portion connected to the attachment platform at one end and configured for housing an electro-mechanical actuation assembly therein, and at least one surgical tool member extending from the head portion and operatively associated with the electro-mechanical actuation assembly for controlling the operation and movement of the at least one surgical tool member. The at least one surgical tool member may include a cutting assembly, an aortic hole punch assembly, a lasing assembly, a coring assembly, or a vascular suturing assembly.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1998Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: H. Jonathan Tovey, Keith Ratcliff, Kenneth E. Toso, Peter W. J. Hinchliffe
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Patent number: 6231578Abstract: A surgical instrument for excising includes an endoscopic portion with an ultrasonically vibratable loop. The loop is positioned around the tissue and closed, whereupon ultrasonic energy is transmitted to the loop to cut and cauterize the body tissue. The apparatus and method described herein are particularly suitable for colonoscopic polypectomy procedures.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 1999Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventor: Dipak Rajhansa
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Patent number: 6228954Abstract: Polymer blends of glycolide and/or lactide homopolymer and/or glycolide/lactide copolymer and polycaprolactone and/or polytrimethylene carbonate homopolymer or copolymers thereof and absorbable surgical devices manufactured therefrom having improved mechanical properties, such as improved impact resistance and improved cyclic flex, are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 1994Date of Patent: May 8, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Donald S. Kaplan, Matthew Hermes, Ross R. Muth, John Kennedy
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Patent number: 6224608Abstract: A tissue gripping thread configuration for securely positioning an elongated medical instrument relative to body tissue. The tissue gripping thread includes curved distal and proximal foot sections connected to a thread base, a curved distal thread surface extending from the distal foot section to a thread apex, and a proximal thread wall substantially perpendicular to the base surface extending from the proximal curved foot section to the thread apex. In the preferred embodiment the flank angle of the distal thread surface is substantially greater than the flank angle of the proximal thread wall. The preferred thread configuration reduces trauma to tissue during insertion and removal of an associated medical instrument while ensuring secure positioning of the instrument relative to tissue. Preferred thread dimensions and radii, as well as embodiments for associating the preferred thread configuration with a trocar device are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 1993Date of Patent: May 1, 2001Assignee: United States Surgical CorporationInventors: Michael Ciccolella, Paul A. Matula