Patents Examined by William H. Matthews
  • Catheter-based annuloplasty using ventricularly positioned catheter
    Patent number: 8202315
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a minimally invasive method of performing annuloplasty. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for performing annuloplasty includes accessing a left ventricle of a heart to provide a discrete plication element to the left ventricle, and engaging the plication element to tissue near a mitral valve of the heart. Engaging the plication element includes causing the plication element to gather a portion of the tissue to create a plication. In one embodiment, accessing the left ventricle of the heart to provide the plication element includes accessing the left ventricle of the heart using a catheter arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Mitralign, Inc.
    Inventors: Edwin Hlavka, Jonathan Podmore, Paul A. Spence
  • Composite scaffolds and methods using same for generating complex tissue grafts
    Patent number: 8197553
    Abstract: A composite scaffold for engineering a heterogeneous tissue is provided. The composite scaffold includes: (a) a first scaffold being capable of supporting formation of a first tissue type thereupon; and (b) a second scaffold being capable of supporting formation of a second tissue type thereupon; wherein the first scaffold and the second scaffold are arranged with respect to each other such that when the first scaffold supports the first tissue type and the second scaffold supports the second tissue type, a distance between any cell of the second tissue type and the first tissue type does not exceed 200 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
    Inventors: Dan Gazit, Abraham J. Domb, Gadi Turgeman, Gadi Pelled, Tony Azzam
  • Removable stent-graft
    Patent number: 8197529
    Abstract: A removable device such as a stent-graft, intended for applications where it may be desirable to remove the device at some time following implantation. The stent-graft of the present invention includes a helically-wound stent component provided with a covering of graft material. It is removable by gripping an end of the helically-wound stent component with a retrieval device and applying tension to the stent component in the direction in which it is intended to be withdrawn from the site of implantation. The use of such a retrieval device allows the stent-graft to be removed remotely, such as via a catheter inserted into the body at a different location from the implantation site. The design of the stent-graft is such that the stent component is extended axially while the adjacent portion of the graft separates between windings of the stent component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward H. Cully, Erin B. Hutchinson, Michael J. Vonesh, Woodrow W. Watson
  • Valve device with inflatable chamber
    Patent number: 8197534
    Abstract: Prosthetic valve devices for implantation in body vessels are provided. The prosthetic valve device includes at least one flexible member that permits fluid flow in a first direction and substantially prevents fluid flow in a second. The valve device also includes an inflatable chamber at least partially attached to the flexible member. The inflatable chamber is adapted to receive inflating media and is adapted to contact the body vessel. A delivery system is also provided that includes a valve device and a delivery apparatus. The delivery apparatus includes a member adapted for filling the chamber of the valve device with inflating media. A related method of making the valve device is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Thomas A. Osborne, Jacob A. Flagle, John A. Brumleve
  • Endoluminal stent
    Patent number: 8192482
    Abstract: A stent is provided comprising a plurality of hoops aligned along a common axis, wherein each of the hoops is oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stent. Each of the hoops includes a plurality of elongate elements joined to one another and forming apices that point in a direction along the axis of the stent. The stent also comprises means for securing an apex of one hoop to a juxtaposed apex of a neighboring hoop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Scimed Life Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: George Goicoechea, John Hudson, Andrew H. Cragg, Claude Mialhe, Michael D. Dake
  • Implantable prosthesis
    Patent number: 8182545
    Abstract: An implantable prosthesis and a method of repairing an anatomical defect, such as a tissue or muscle wall defect, by promoting tissue growth thereto, while limiting the incidence of postoperative adhesions between a portion of the prosthesis and tissue or organs. The prosthesis is formed of a biologically compatible, flexible layer of repair fabric suitable for reinforcing tissue or muscle and closing anatomical defects, and a barrier layer for physically isolating at least a portion of one side of the fabric from areas likely to form adhesions. A peripheral barrier extends about at least a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the repair fabric to inhibit adhesions between the outer peripheral edge and adjacent tissue and organs. The repair fabric may include an outer margin that has been melted and resolidified to render the outer peripheral edge substantially impervious to tissue ingrowth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis Cherok, Roger E. Darois, Ronald L. Greene, Thomas J. Capuzziello, James D. Mello
  • Medical implant
    Patent number: 8182543
    Abstract: A medical implant is disclosed, said implant having a flexible hollow body (1) which can be implanted inside the stomach (8) of a patient and which has a first tube-like end section (2) and a second tube-like end section (3), wherein the first tube-like end section (2) is dimensioned such that it can be fitted into the esophagus (7) of the patient, and the second tube-like end section (3) is dimensioned such that it can be connected to the small intestine loop (9) of the patent in a sealing manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Inventor: Marc O. Schurr
  • Methods for treating airways
    Patent number: 8181656
    Abstract: This relates to treating an asthmatic lung and more particularly, relates to advancing a treatment device into the lung and treating the lung with the device. This also includes additional steps of treating the airway wall, applying energy or heat to the airway wall in an asthmatic lung.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Asthmatx, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Danek, Michael Biggs, Bryan E. Loomas, Michael D. Laufer, Gary S. Kaplan, Kelly M. Shriner
  • Artificial heart
    Patent number: 8177838
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an artificial heart implant comprising a blood pump with a pump drive, a controller for controlling and regulating the pump drive, and an electrode that is connected to the controller and is used for detecting electrical quantities on the patient's heart. The controller controls the pump drive in accordance with the signals detected by the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Bernhard Vodermayer, Thomas Schmid
  • Artificial heart
    Patent number: 8167937
    Abstract: A heart pump including a casing internally defining a substantially spherical cavity (10) housing: a rotating shutter (12) secured to the cavity (10) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis; an oscillating shutter (14) secured to the rotating shutter (12) and rotatable relative to the latter about a rotation axis transverse to the rotation axis of the rotating shutter relative to the casing; a guide ring (18) secured to the oscillating shutter (14) such that the latter can rotate relative to the ring. The guide ring is arranged to move within a seal formed in the substantially spherical cavity (10) while lying in a substantially slanting plane relative to the rotation axis of the rotating shutter (12) and thereby making the rotating shutter rotate. This allows constructing an artificial heart of very small size that can be driven either by a motor member or by an induced muscle contraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Genomnia S.r.l.
    Inventors: Aldo Cerruti, Romano Frederick Murri, Marzia Murri
  • System and methods for improved access to vertebral bodies for kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, vertebral body biopsy or screw placement
    Patent number: 8167884
    Abstract: A method for providing access to the interior of a pedicle for a desired transpedicular procedure including the step of positioning a cannula through a drilled opening in the posterior cortex of the pedicle, the cannula having an inner section positioned in the opening and an enlarged outer section extending from the cortex. The outer section having a longitudinal slot which enables an instrument that is straight or angled to be inserted through the slot and into the pedicle for a surgical procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Leucadia 6, LLC
    Inventor: Hector O. Pacheco
  • Aspheric toric intraocular lens
    Patent number: 8167940
    Abstract: An aspheric toric intraocular lens (IOL) having toricity and asphericity in a single lens. The toricity and asphericity may be provided on separate surfaces, such as an anterior surface and a posterior surface, or the toricity and asphericity may be combined onto a single surface. The edge thickness may be varied sinusoidal to maintain equal edge thickness at 45 degree meridian.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: Xin Hong, James Hoffman, Jihong Xie, Michael Hamlin
  • Replica eye
    Patent number: 8157861
    Abstract: A replica eye includes an eyeball with a light-transmitting area for transmitting light, a resilient film, a driving member, and a transmission mechanism. The resilient film includes a pupil portion and an iris portion surrounding the pupil portion. The pupil portion is in a first color. The iris portion is in a second color other than the first color. The driving member has a shaft. The driving member provides rotating forces to the shaft. The transmission mechanism comprises a rotor fastened on the shaft of the driving member, and a plurality of flexible members in radial arrangement. A first end of each flexible member away from the rotor is fastened on an outer edge of the resilient film. When the driving member rotates the transmission mechanism, centrifugal forces are imparted on the plurality of flexible members, the plurality of flexible members stretches the pupil portion and the iris portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Xiao-Guang Su
  • Injector for intraocular lens system
    Patent number: 8142498
    Abstract: Disclosed is an injector which comprises an injector housing having a longitudinal axis and an injection probe disposed along the longitudinal axis. The injector further comprises an intraocular lens disposed in the housing. The intraocular lens comprises first and second interconnected viewing elements, and the optical axes of the first and second viewing elements are substantially aligned. The optical axes are substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The injector further comprises a lens carrier which engages one of the viewing elements. The viewing elements are moveable in response to longitudinal movement of the lens carrier relative to the injector housing. The longitudinal movement causes both (i) the optical axes to be displaced relative to each other and (ii) the viewing elements to be disposed substantially on the longitudinal axis of the injector housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Visiogen, Inc.
    Inventor: George Tsai
  • Bone connection device
    Patent number: 8142485
    Abstract: An implantable orthopedic device having a load-bearing element, such as a bone plate, with at least one opening for a fixation element and one insert which can be inserted in an inclined opening in a receptacle in the bore. This insert has an external form that is at least partially complementary to the internal form of the receptacle and a central through-bore for receiving the body of the fixation element such as a bone screw. The insert also provides a locking system for holding the insert in the receptacle, in which the insert exhibits at least one locking mechanism with which conformal locking with the load-bearing element may be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Stryker Trauma SA
    Inventors: Volker Buhren, Christian Lutz
  • Intragastric prosthesis for the treatment of morbid obesity
    Patent number: 8142514
    Abstract: A porous weave of bioabsorbable filaments having an open mesh configuration is formed into an oblate shape having dimensions greater than the esophageal opening and gastric outlet of a stomach. The resulting prosthesis is deployed in the stomach and is of a size to be retained in the proximate portion thereof for exerting pressure on the upper fundus. The prosthesis limits the amount of food that may be held within the stomach, and exerts pressure on the fundus to create a sensation of being full, resulting in weight loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
    Inventor: Kurt Geitz
  • Presbyopia correction through negative high-order spherical aberration
    Patent number: 8142499
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for treating and/or determining appropriate prescriptions for one or both eyes of a patient are particularly well-suited for addressing presbyopia, often in combination with concurrent treatments of other vision defects. High-order spherical aberration may be imposed in one or both of a patient's eyes, often as a controlled amount of negative spherical aberration extending across a pupil. A desired presbyopia-mitigating quantity of high-order spherical aberration may be defined by one or more spherical Zernike coefficients, which may be combined with Zernike coefficients generated from a wavefront aberrometer. The resulting prescription can be imposed using refractive surgical techniques such as laser eye surgery, using intraocular lenses and other implanted structures, using contact lenses, using temporary or permanent corneal reshaping techniques, and/or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: AMO Manufacturing USA, LLC.
    Inventors: Seema Somani, Kingman Yee
  • Method of installing a transcutaneous prosthesis
    Patent number: 8137409
    Abstract: A method of installing a transcutaneous prosthesis which includes a first component, a second component adapted for location between the bone and the skin, the second component having a surface treatment for stimulation of fibroblastic cell proliferation and attachment of epithelial cells and a third component adapted for location to extend from the skin surface and the third component having an outer surface. The outer surface of the third component has a surface energy that is lower than a surface energy of at least the first component and which is low enough to deter bacterial adhesion. The method includes attaching the first component to a bone such that a transition from the second component to the third component is essentially at the surface of the skin and the third component extends from the skin surface when the first component is attached to a bone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: University College London
    Inventors: Gordon Blunn, Justin Cobb, Allen Goodship, Paul Unwin
  • Repositionable heart valve and method
    Patent number: 8133271
    Abstract: A method for percutaneously replacing a heart valve of a patient. In some embodiments the method includes the steps of percutaneously delivering a replacement valve and an expandable anchor to a vicinity of the heart valve in an unexpanded configuration; expanding the anchor to a deployed configuration in which the anchor contacts tissue at a first anchor site; repositioning the anchor to a second anchor site; and deploying the anchor at the second anchor site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Sadra Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Amr Salahieh, Brian D. Brandt, Dwight P. Morejohn, Ulrich R. Haug, Jean-Pierre Dueri, Hans F. Valencia, Robert A. Geshlider, Jeff Krolik
  • Intraocular lens system
    Patent number: 8128693
    Abstract: A two part lens system. The first part is a ring-like supporting component that is implanted in the capsular bag following cataract surgery. The first component is a non-optical component and contains a pair of haptics for fixating the first component within the capsular bag. The second component is an optical component that contains all of the corrective optical power of the lens system. The second component has a pair of tabs for locking the second component within the first component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: Son Trung Tran, David L. Jinkerson