Patents Examined by Tan-Uyen (Jackie) T. Ho
  • Patent number: 7645288
    Abstract: A surgical instrument comprises a handle connected to a shaft and a pair of inflatable members. The shaft includes conduits for communicating a pressurized medium to the inflatable members and an insufflation tube. The handle includes a port for communicating a pressurized medium to the conduits and a port for communicating a pressurized medium to the insufflation tube. After an anastomotic ring has been deployed, the shaft may be positioned such that an inflatable member is positioned within each of the lumens joined by the anastomosis, such that an inflatable member is located on each side of the anastomosis. The inflatable members may be inflated to provide a seal in each of the lumens. With each of the lumens sealed by the inflatable members, the anastomosis site may be insufflated through the insufflation tube to leak or pressure test the anastomosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert H. McKenna, Mark S. Ortiz, David B. Griffith, Robert J. Simms
  • Patent number: 7115141
    Abstract: A device is disclosed for assisting surgical operations inside a vessel, particularly for the minimally invasive explantation and implantation of cardiac valves, comprising an operating structure adapted to be implanted within the vessel, that is adapted to be fixedly and detachably joined to the inner wall of the vessel and is provided with at least one connector and/or support structure for a further instrument required for the surgical operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignees: Universitatsklinikum Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat
    Inventors: Wolfgang Menz, Andreas Schoth
  • Patent number: 7037330
    Abstract: A stent designed for catheter delivery to a target neurovascular site via a tortuous path, in a contracted state, and deployment at the target site, in an expanded state, is disclosed. The stent includes a plurality of expandable tubular members, where member is composed of a continuous wire element forming a plurality of wave segments, and segment contains a pair of opposite looped peaks having a wave shape such that the distance between adjacent sides of a wave, on proceeding from a peak toward opposite peaks, increases monotonically with an inflection point therebetween. The expandable tubular members are joined through adjacent peaks by axial connectors Radial expansion of the stent from a contracted to expanded state is accommodated by movement of adjacent wave-segment peaks away from one another, without significant change in the axial dimension of the stent. Also disclosed are a system incorporating the stent, and a method of treating a neurovascular abnormality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: SciMed Life Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Rivelli, Jr., Alec Piplani, Sean Donahue, Alexander Leynov
  • Patent number: 6723117
    Abstract: A device is disclosed for assisting surgical operations inside a vessel, particularly for the minimally invasive explantation and implantation of cardiac valves, comprising an operating structure adapted to be implanted within the vessel, that is adapted to be fixedly and detachably joined to the inner wall of the vessel and is provided with at least one connector and/or support structure for a further instrument required for the surgical operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignees: Universitatsklinikum Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat
    Inventors: Wolfgang Menz, Andreas Schoth
  • Patent number: 6685726
    Abstract: A method of anastomosing two hollow bodily organs using a bioadhesive. The method involves apposing apertures in the organs to be joined and applying the bloadhesive, thereby joining the apertures in the organs and allowing movement of fluid or semi-solid material from one of the two organs to the second organ. A device for anastomosing two hollow organs. The device has two inflatable balloons, one of which is placed into the lumen of each of the two organs to be joined. Inflation of the balloons holds the apertures together while the bioadhesives is applied. The device allows for endoscopic anastomosis of blood vessels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Cryolife, Inc.
    Inventors: Kirby S. Black, Steve Gundry, Ümit Yüksel
  • Patent number: 6679903
    Abstract: The endoluminal device delivery assembly and method for release and deployment of an endoluminal therapeutic device at a desired location for treatment within the vasculature of a patient utilizes an elongated flexible tubular catheter with a tubular distal tip formed of a yieldable material mounted to the distal end of the catheter for releasably holding the proximal end of the endoluminal device. The endoluminal device can be dislodged from the tubular distal tip by a pusher member or pressurized fluid to expel the endoluminal device through at the desired location for treatment within the vasculature of a patient. A flexible coil can be mounted to the distal end of the elongated pusher member to provide for improved tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Micrus Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel R. Kurz
  • Patent number: 6569191
    Abstract: The invention comprises a bioabsorbable radially self-expanding stent with one or more supplemental apparatus or methods for achieving the desired final resting diameter of the stent by imparting memory into the bioabsorbable material components. The inventive apparatus and methods include increasing the radial expansion force of the stent through the use of a balloon within the stent delivery apparatus, substituting within the stent body one or more particularly rigid threads relative to the other threads, forming one or more of the helical threads of two side-by-side threads with one of the threads comprised of standard material and the other comprised of a more rigid material, attaching one or more bands to the stent body, and weaving circular or oval bands into the threads forming the wall of the stent shaped and positioned to resist axially elongation of the stent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Bionx Implants, Inc.
    Inventor: James T. Hogan