Abstract: A medical anchor device for implantation into a bone of a patient includes a staple having a leading, bone-boring tip for self-tapping a hole, a trailing, driven end for receiving implanting force to self-tap and implant said staple into the bone of a patient, and an attached suture thread. The staple has a longitudinal axis which passes through the tip and the driven end, the longitudinal axis changing shape upon implantation of the staple into a bone. A method of treating a patient includes ejecting and implanting the staple comprising a suture thread secured thereto into a bone by self-tapping a hole in the bone and securing the suture thread to a portion of the body's anatomy.

Abstract: A stapler device includes a manually grippable handle containing a drive and a trigger to activate the drive mechanism, a barrel fixed to the handle, a guide for holding a staple to be ejected and formed to accommodate a suture thread fixed to the staple, and an ejector driven by the drive through the barrel for ejecting a staple out through the guide into a bone to enable the suture, so anchored to the bone, to be used for various medical operations.

Abstract: A urethral magnetic valve for insertion into the urethra of a person suffering from incontinence includes a plastic tube of a diameter suitable for insertion close to the bladder. It forms a valve seat in its distal portion to be normally closed by an elongate valve member of a ferro-magnetic, non-corrosive material. The valve member has a surface corresponding to the valve seat at its proximal end, tapers towards its distal end, and is urged onto the seat by a spring attached at its distal end to the proximal valve end. The spring extends inside the tube and is fastened to the latter at its proximal end; it is so dimensioned that it will keep the valve closed at normal pressure and permit the valve member to be lifted off the seat by overpressure in the bladder. The person wishing to urinate holds a permanent or electro-magnet close to the skin over the pubic area, which attracts and tilts the ferro-magnetic valve member, thereby opening the passage through the tube and through the urethra.

Abstract: An implantable plate for joining together two pieces of a broken bone is formed to have a plurality of elongated holes for the screws that fasten the plate to the bone on both sides of the fracture. The screws are positioned at the end of the elongated hole that is farthest from the fracture. The portion of each elongated hole that is not occupied by the screw is filled with a cushion of elastic material that may be deformed elastically when the screw shank is pressed against it, thereby allowing lateral movement of the screw in the hole. When the plate is implanted in the body of a person and fastened to a fractured bone by means of screws through the elongated holes, the plate stabilizes the bone pieces but permits the screws, and hence the bone pieces, to move a short distance back and forth in the direction of the axis of the bone in order to promote healing.

Abstract: An implantable catheter system includes an elongated hollow casing which is reinforced to maintain a predetermined attitude and made of a material penetrable by a needle, and a tube extending laterally of the casing so that when the casing is implanted subcutaneously in a person, the tube may extend into the person's peritoneal cavity. The tube is coupled into the casing to enable communication therebetween. The free end of the tube includes a plurality of openings to enable the flow of fluid therethrough into or out of the tube. When the catheter system is implanted in the body of a person, fluids may be introduced into and withdrawn from the peritoneal cavity by inserting a hypodermic needle through the epidermis of a person into the casing which is implanted subcutaneously in the person. Fluid is then injected into or withdrawn from the casing to thereby respectively force fluid through the tube into the peritoneal cavity or withdraw fluid from the cavity via the tube.