Abstract: The recovery of an intact volume of tissue proceeds with a delivery cannula distal end positioned in confronting adjacency with the volume of tissue to be recovered. A tissue cutting and capture assembly formed of a plurality of metal leafs is deployed from the distal end of the delivery cannula. The tips of these leafs carry a pursing cable assembly, which is resistively heated by the passage of electrical current through the cable, attaining temperature level sufficient to thermally cut around and circumscribe the tissue volume. These pursing cables are tensioned to complete the envelopment of the tissue volumes by drawing the leaf tips together. An essential attribute of the disclosed apparatus is the confinement of the path of electrical conduction of constant current required to achieve tissue cutting to only those portions of the deploying and retracting resistively heated portion of the electrically conductive cutting and pursing cable that are in direct contact with tissue.

Abstract: The disclosure provides wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device that incorporates a non-invasive sensor based on optical and/or electrical signals transmitted into and received from human tissue containing blood vessels, and that transcutaneously quantifies the wearer's heart rate. The heart-rate quantification enables the detection of the absence of any heart beat by the wearable detection and alerting device indicative of the occurrence of a cardiac arrest, wherein the heart is no longer achieving effective blood circulation in the individual wearing the device. The display on the wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device may include the elapsed time since the time of detection of a heart rate that is below a predetermine lower limit value, i.e., the detected occurrence of a cardiac arrest event.

Abstract: The recovery of an intact volume of tissue proceeds with a delivery cannula distal end positioned in confronting adjacency with the volume of tissue to be recovered. A tissue cutting and capture assembly formed of a plurality of metal leafs is deployed from the distal end of the delivery cannula. The tips of these leafs carry a pursing cable assembly, which is electrically excited to electrosurgically cut around and circumscribe the tissue volume. These pursing cables are tensioned to complete the envelopment of the tissue volumes by drawing the leaf tips together. An essential attribute of the disclosed apparatus is the confinement of the path of electrical conduction of constant current required to achieve tissue cutting to only those portions of the deploying and retracting resistively heated portion of the cutting and pursing cable that are in direct contact with tissue.

Abstract: The recovery of an intact volume of tissue proceeds with a delivery cannula distal end positioned in confronting adjacency with the volume of tissue to be recovered. A tissue cutting and capture assembly formed of a plurality of metal leafs is deployed from the distal end of the delivery cannula. The tips of these leafs carry a pursing cable assembly, which is electrically excited to electrosurgically cut around and circumscribe the tissue volume. These pursing cables are tensioned to complete the envelopment of the tissue volumes by drawing the leaf tips together. An essential attribute of the disclosed apparatus is the confinement of the path of electrical conduction of constant current required to achieve tissue cutting to only those portions of the deploying and retracting resistively heated portion of the electrically conductive cutting and pursing cable that are in direct contact with tissue.

Abstract: The disclosure provides wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device that incorporates a non-invasive sensor based on optical and/or electrical signals transmitted into and received from human tissue containing blood vessels, and that transcutaneously quantifies the wearer's heart rate. The heart-rate quantification enables the detection of the absence of any heart beat by the wearable detection and alerting device indicative of the occurrence of a cardiac arrest, wherein the heart is no longer achieving effective blood circulation in the individual wearing the device. The display on the wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device may include the elapsed time since the time of detection of a heart rate that is below a predetermine lower limit value, i.e., the detected occurrence of a cardiac arrest event.

Abstract: The disclosure provides wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device that incorporates a non-invasive sensor based on optical and/or electrical signals transmitted into and received from human tissue containing blood vessels, and that transcutaneously quantifies the wearer's heart rate. The heart-rate quantification enables the detection of the absence of any heart beat by the wearable detection and alerting device indicative of the occurrence of a cardiac arrest, wherein the heart is no longer achieving effective blood circulation in the individual wearing the device. The display on the wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device may include the elapsed time since the time of detection of a heart rate that is below a predetermine lower limit value, i.e., the detected occurrence of a cardiac arrest event.

Abstract: The recovery of an intact volume of tissue proceeds with a delivery cannula distal end positioned in confronting adjacency with the volume of tissue to be recovered. A tissue cutting and capture assembly formed of a plurality of metal leafs is deployed from the distal end of the delivery cannula. The tips of these leafs carry a pursing cable assembly, which is electrically excited to electrosurgically cut around and circumscribe the tissue volume. These pursing cables are tensioned to complete the envelopment of the tissue volumes by drawing the leaf tips together. An essential attribute of the disclosed apparatus is the confinement of the path of electrical conduction of constant current required to achieve tissue cutting to only those portions of the deploying and retracting resistively heated portion of the electrically conductive cutting and pursing cable that are in direct contact with tissue.

Abstract: The disclosure provides wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device that incorporates a non-invasive sensor based on optical and/or electrical signals transmitted into and received from human tissue containing blood vessels, and that transcutaneously quantifies the wearer's heart rate. The heart-rate quantification enables the detection of the absence of any heart beat by the wearable detection and alerting device indicative of the occurrence of a cardiac arrest, wherein the heart is no longer achieving effective blood circulation in the individual wearing the device. The display on the wearable cardiac arrest detection and alerting device may include the elapsed time since the time of detection of a heart rate that is below a predetermine lower limit value, i.e., the detected occurrence of a cardiac arrest event.

Abstract: Implant apparatus and method for effecting a controlled heating of tissue within the region of dermis of skin. The heater implants are configured with a thermally insulative generally flat support functioning as a thermal barrier. One surface of this thermal barrier carries one or more polymerically encapsulated heater resistor segments with a lead assemblage exhibiting a 4-point topology. Each of the encapsulated heater segments may be thermally associated with a metal thermal spreader dimensioned in correspondence with and aligned with the heater segments. The implants are located within heating channels at the interface between skin dermis and the next adjacent subcutaneous tissue layer such that the heat spreaders are contactable with the lower region of dermis. During therapy a conformal heat sink is positioned against the skin above the implants and a slight tamponade is applied through the heat sink to assure a proper form of conduction heat transfer.

Abstract: Method, system and apparatus for carrying out accurate electrosurgical cutting. A thin resilient electrode is utilized at the forward end region of an instrument which is deployable from a longitudinally disposed slot positioned rearwardly of the tip of the instrument. Lateral sides of the slot extend between a forward location adjacent the tip and a rearward location. The electrode is deployed by urging it forwardly in compression to form an arch profile supported by the abutting slot sides adjacent the forward and rearward locations. Electrosurgically excitable with a cutting output, the electrode may carry out a cutting action both during its deployment and retraction into the noted slot. This permits a pivoting maneuver effective for circumscribing a volume of targeted tissue.

Abstract: Electrosurgical tissue specimen recovery apparatus and system employing a multi-leaf capture component configured with pursing cables which are electrosurgically excited to define a cutting leading edge. To complete a capture, the cables are loaded in tension to purse and thus converge the tips of the capture component leafs together. The forward regions of the leafs are configured with a combination of a thin flat stainless steel region over which a polymeric cable guide is positioned. The polymeric cable guide and stainless steel leaf driving combination improves frictional aspects as well as the resulting aspect ratio of a recovered tissue specimen.

Abstract: The capture component of tissue retrieval apparatus is strengthened to improve its structural integrity when utilized within very dense tissue. Eyelet structures carrying pursing cable are improved through the utilization of slightly expanded constant widths with diminished lengths to avoid fold back phenomena. The pursing cables employed with the capture component exhibit more than a 100% improvement in tensile strength at high electrosurgical cutting temperatures through the utilization of strands having about a 1.4 mil diameter formed with a type 316 stainless steel.

Abstract: A pivoting device the two electrically conductive arms (12, 14) of which are connected pivotably by a screwed joint (16) having a screw (46) and a nut (74). Surfaces (26, 28) of the arms (12, 14) which rest against one another, and also the pivoting device (16), are electrically insulated. The nut (74) has, at least in part, a noncircular, preferably elliptical, smooth circumferential surface (80). Holes (36, 38) in the two arms (12, 14) for accommodating the screwed joint (16) are designed in such a way that, in the assembled state, the screw (46) and the nut (74) are arranged in a recessed manner in the holes (36, 38). Electrically insulating material is provided at least in the region of the surface of the screw (46) and the nut (74) and/or the inner walls of both holes (36, 38) in the scissor arms (12, 14).

Abstract: A bipolar electrosurgical instrument having an improved pivot screw design is disclosed. The bipolar electrosurgical instrument has a first half which has a first pivot surface and a first bore. The first bore has a first stepped portion and an elongated portion proximate to the first pivot surface. A second half has a second pivot surface and a second bore having a second stepped portion. An insulating material is disposed on the first pivot surface and the elongated portion of the first bore. A first insert having a third bore in which the third bore has first threads is disposed in the second bore and prevented from entering the first bore by the second stepped portion. A second insert having a fourth bore is disposed in the second bore between the second stepped portion and the first insert and prevented from entering the first bore by the second stepped portion.

Abstract: A bipolar electrosurgical instrument having an improved pivot screw design is disclosed. The bipolar electrosurgical instrument has a first half which has a first pivot surface and a first bore. The first bore has a first stepped portion and an elongated portion proximate to the first pivot surface. A second half has a second pivot surface and a second bore having a second stepped portion. An insulating material is disposed on the first pivot surface and the elongated portion of the first bore. A first insert having a third bore in which the third bore has first threads is disposed in the second bore and prevented from entering the first bore by the second stepped portion. A second insert having a fourth bore is disposed in the second bore between the second stepped portion and the first insert and prevented from entering the first bore by the second stepped portion.