Abstract: An introducer sheath for placement into the vascular system of a human subject. The introducer sheath has a tubular shaft, a side arm, and a hemostasis valve with an integrated attachment mechanism for attaching and detaching a proximal end of the introducer sheath to and from the skin of the human subject.

Abstract: A system for the detection of compounds, including a target biological organism or component from a sample, using one or more reactant that will bind to the biological organism or compound forming a Raman active product, concentrating the Raman active product, and detecting the Raman active product using Raman light scattering.

Abstract: A system for cardiac event detection over varying time scales includes implanted electrical leads forming a portion of an implanted cardiotracker and external equipment including external alarm mechanisms and a physicians programmer. The cardiac event detection system monitors the degradation of a patient's cardiovascular condition from one or more causes. A processor computes the electrical signals of a heart signal parameter's average value over a time period for a multiplicity of heart rate ranges. The electrical signals are stored and information transmitted to external equipment.

Abstract: A system for the detection of cardiac events occurring in a human patient is provided. At least two electrodes are included in the system for obtaining an electrical signal from a patient's heart. An electrical signal processor is electrically coupled to the electrodes for processing the electrical signal and a patient alarm means is further provided and electrically coupled to the electrical signal processor. The electrical signal is acquired in the form of electrogram segments, which are categorized according to heart rate, ST segment shift and type heart rhythm (normal or abnormal). Baseline electrogram segments are tracked over time.

Abstract: A balloon disposed near a distal end of the catheter tubing and moving between deflated and inflated states, and proximal and distal stent retention bands concentrically arranged around respective proximal and distal end portions of the balloon. The proximal stent retention band has a distal end located within 2 mm of the proximal end of a stent coaxially received by the balloon and the distal stent retention band has a largest diameter within 2 mm of the distal end of the stent received by the balloon.

Abstract: A buddy wire guide wire has a wire section for guiding a catheter to a particular site in the human body. The buddy wire guide wire has a distal section with a distal end and an opposing proximal end. The wire section is attached to the proximal end of the distal section with the distal section being placed coaxially around the shaft of some existing medical device which has been inserted into the human body. The distal section permits the buddy wire to be advanced into the human body over the medical device by using the medical device as a guide.

Abstract: A system for the detection of cardiac events occurring in a human patient is provided. At least two electrodes are included in the system for obtaining an electrical signal from a patient's heart. An electrical signal processor is electrically coupled to the electrodes for processing the electrical signal and a patient alarm means is further provided and electrically coupled to the electrical signal processor. The electrical signal is acquired in the form of electrogram segments, which are categorized according to heart rate, ST segment shift and type heart rhythm (normal or abnormal). Baseline electrogram segments are tracked over time.

Abstract: A method for implanting a balloon expandable stent at a site within a passageway of a curved coronary article. The stent includes at least two longitudinally spaced apart circumferential rings. At least one longitudinally extending connector extends between adjacent rings. The connector has at least one turn back portion that can expand or contract in length while being passed through a curved passageway. The stent is disposed on a stent delivery catheter having an inflatable balloon. The stent delivery catheter and the stent is delivered through the passageway to the site of implementation with the connector member expanding or contracting in length to facilitate delivery and placement of the stent. The stent is expanded at the site of implantation by inflating the balloon to force the stent radially outward against the wall of the coronary artery.

Abstract: An interactive implantable medical device system includes an implantable medical device and a network-enabled external device capable of bi-directional communication and interaction with the implantable medical device. The external device is programmed to interact with other similarly-enabled devices. The system facilitates improved patient care by eliminating unnecessary geographic limitations on implantable medical device interrogation and programming, and by allowing patients, physicians, and other users to access medical records, history, and information and to receive status and care-related alerts and messages anywhere there is access to a communications network.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cytostatic drug attached to a sterile sheet that is designed to be placed between internal body tissues to prevent the formation of post-operative adhesions, which adhesions are really scar tissue formation. This sheet onto or into which the drug is placed may be either a permanent implant or it may be biodegradable. By impregnating an existing product such as the Johnson & Johnson SURGICEL™ absorbable hemostat gauze-like sheet with an anti-proliferative drug such as sirolimus, the biodegradable, drug impregnated mesh would act as a barrier to cell proliferation and hence be a deterrent to the formation of adhesions or scar tissue. Another embodiment of this invention is a cytostatic drug attached to a sheet that is placed at the site of an anastomosis to decrease scar tissue formation from within the vessel at the site of the anastomosis.

Abstract: A percutaneous system to open a stenosed vessel has a catheter for insertion into a vessel. An expandable filter mechanism is within a deployable sheath for expansion against a vessel wall when the sheath is displaced by a first displacement distance. A stenosis opening mechanism is within the deployable sheath and is radially expandable near the expandable filter mechanism with the stenosis opening mechanism being expandable against the stenosis when the stenosis opening mechanism is located within the vessel in longitudinal alignment with the stenosis following displacement of the sheath by a second displacement distance. Radiopaque markers align the stenosis opening mechanism with the stenosis.

Abstract: The present invention is a hybrid stent design using half-slot circumferential sets of strut members with short (<1.5 mm) slot length that has minimal fish scaling and excellent stent retention and flexibility. These half-slot circumferential sets of strut members are connected one to the other with helical connectors similar to those of the Palmaz stent. One important difference in the design of the stent of the present invention is that the helical connectors are attached to every other crown (rather than connected to every crown) to further improve stent flexibility. By appropriately varying the strut width of both the connected and unconnected curved crowns to be greater at the center than at their ends, an increased radial strength can be provided for a given maximum strain that is imparted to the stent when it is expanded to its maximum diameter.

Abstract: The present invention envisions an improved flexible connecting link used in conjunction with in-phase and half-phase circumferential sets of strut members. By increasing the total length and diagonality of the undulating connecting links, the present invention is a stent that provides increased flexibility during delivery and enhanced conformability to the shape of a curved artery when the stent is deployed into a curved vessel such as a tortuous coronary artery.

Abstract: An integrated catheter system for performing angiography on a human patient, the integrated catheter system consisting of an angiographic catheter onto which a thin-walled sheath is co-axially mounted. The angiographic catheter having an essentially straight and elongated proximal section in the form of a cylindrical shaft that is surrounded for less than one-half of its length by the thin-walled sheath that has an outer diameter that is less than 0.25 mm greater than the outside diameter of the angiography catheter. The strength to prevent buckling of the thin-walled sheath being provided by the shaft of the angiographic catheter. The integrated catheter system also being ideal for the placement of stents using small diameter stent delivery systems such as the stent-on-a-wire system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for the detection of cardiac events (a guardian system) that includes an implanted device called a cardiosaver, a physician's programmer and an external alarm system. The system is designed to provide early detection of cardiac events such as acute myocardial infarction or exercise induced myocardial ischemia caused by an increased heart rate or exertion. The system can also alert the patient with a less urgent alarm if a heart arrhythmia is detected. Using one or more detection algorithms, the cardiosaver can detect a change in the patient's electrogram that is indicative of a cardiac event within five minutes after it occurs and then automatically warn the patient that the event is occurring. To provide this warning, the guardian system includes an internal alarm sub-system (internal alarm means) within the cardiosaver and/or an external alarm system (external alarm means).

Abstract: A medical alarm communications system comprises a pager like device to be kept near a patient. The pager like device communicates medical alerts regarding the patient to a remote central station, which can provide therapeutic and/or diagnostic assistance by communicating to the pager like device. When the pager like device determines that an alert should be sent to the central station, it attempts to establish communication with the central station according to a primary communication protocol. If this attempt is unsuccessful according to some predetermined criteria (e.g. too much time has elapsed before communication is established), then the pager like device generates a message to the patient indicative of the failure, and The attempts to establish communication with the central station according to a secondary communication protocol.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for the detection of cardiac events (a guardian system) that includes an implanted device called a cardiosaver, a physician's programmer and an external alarm system. The system is designed to provide early detection of cardiac events such as acute myocardial infarction or exercise induced myocardial ischemia caused by an increased heart rate or exertion. The system can also alert the patient with a less urgent alarm if a heart arrhythmia is detected. Using one or more detection algorithms, the cardiosaver can detect a change in the patient's electrogram that is indicative of a cardiac event within five minutes after it occurs and then automatically warn the patient that the event is occurring. To provide this warning, the guardian system includes an internal alarm sub-system (internal alarm means) within the cardiosaver and/or an external alarm system (external alarm means).

Abstract: Disclosed is a “tracker system” that includes implanted electrical leads which are part of an implanted cardiotracker plus external equipment that includes external alarm means and a physician's programmer. The tracker system is designed to monitor the degradation of a patient's cardiovascular condition from one or more causes. These causes include the rejection of a transplanted heart and/or the progression of a stenosis in a coronary artery. As one or more stenoses in a coronary artery become progressively more narrow thereby causing reduced blood flow to the heart muscle coronary circulation, the tracker system can alert the patient by either or both internal and/or external alarm means to take the appropriate medical action. The physician's programmer can be used to display histograms of key heart signal parameters that are indicative of the patient's cardiovascular condition.

Abstract: A stent delivery catheter including a catheter tubing defining a lumen therethrough, a balloon disposed near a distal end of the catheter tubing and moving between deflated and inflated states, and proximal and distal balloon control bands concentrically arranged around respective proximal and distal end portions of the balloon. The proximal balloon control band has a proximal end located proximally of a proximal end of the balloon and a distal end located adjacent a proximal end of a received unexpanded stent. The distal balloon control band has a proximal end located adjacent a distal end of the received unexpanded stent and a distal end located distally of a distal end of the balloon. The balloon control bands each have a diametric cross-section larger than the balloon in an uninflated state and the unexpanded stent received over the balloon to impede axial movement of the unexpanded stent off of the balloon.

Abstract: A medical alarm communications system comprises a pager like device to be kept near a patient. The pager like device communicates medical alerts regarding the patient to a remote central station, which can provide therapeutic and/or diagnostic assistance by communicating to the pager like device. When the pager like device determines that an alert should be sent to the central station, it attempts to establish communication with the central station according to a primary communication protocol. If this attempt is unsuccessful according to some predetermined criteria (e.g. too much time has elapsed before communication is established), then the pager like device generates a message to the patient indicative of the failure, and The attempts to establish communication with the central station according to a secondary communication protocol.