Abstract: A device-implemented method is disclosed for early detection and monitoring of congestive heart failure in a patient. Ongoing measurements of impedance of a portion of the patient's body generally occupied by the lungs are performed by an implanted device, and, when the impedance measurements are determined by internal circuit components of the device to exceed a predetermined threshold value indicative of a need for immediate attention to a condition of congestive heart failure, a patient and/or physician alert is emitted by the device. An implant site at the left lower anterior lateral hemithorax is preferred.

Abstract: A method of identifying a patient at increased risk for myocardial infarction utilizes detection of a site or sites of pathologic vascular function in the coronary circulation of the patient. In the method, microbubbles are formed, each consisting of an encapsulated biocompatible gas characterized by rapid dissolution in blood, and the microbubbles are labeled with a prescribed antibody. These microbubbles are then injected into the patient's circulation to allow them to preferentially attach to a site of antigens specific to the pathologic vascular function in the coronary circulation. Ultrasonic energy is applied to the patient's coronary circulation at a level sufficient to burst the microbubbles that are preferentially attached to the targeted site and allow the encapsulated gas to escape from the burst microbubbles for absorption by the blood. Location of the targeted site is identified by detecting a signal representing reflectance of ultrasonic energy from the site.

Abstract: A process is described for cellular repair of failing tissue of an organ if a patient's body. In the process, a catheter is positioned to provide an entry point for stem cell injection at the proximal end of the central lumen of the catheter external to the body and an exit point from the central lumen at the distal end proximate the site of the failing tissue. Stem cells are then injected through the catheter to invade the failing tissue at the site, while local forces at the site are quelled from disrupting migration of the stem cells into the failing tissue, to enhance the concentration of the stem cells and the pressure arising from the injection at the site and thereby overcome any barrier between the site of the injection and the failing tissue. Preferably, autologous adult stem cells are used in the procedure.

Abstract: A stent is adapted to be implanted in a side branch at a bifurcation from a main blood vessel in a patient's body, wherein the bifurcation from the main vessel is skewed, the stent having open ends, of which one is angled at a skew to the longitudinal axis of the stent to match the angulation of the side branch, whereby to afford substantially complete coverage of the inner wall of the side branch at the bifurcation, when the stent is implanted. The angle of the skew is about 45°, which gives the stent a short side and a long side connected together in a plane along the wall of the stent at that end end; and the other end of the stent is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the stent. At least one of the short side and the long side has a viewable marker to facilitate proper orientation of the stent during implant thereof. A drug-eluting coating is provided on the surface of the stent to inhibit restenosis of the side branch when the stent is implanted therein.

Abstract: A stent is adapted to be implanted in a duct of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the implant site, and to allow viewing body tissue and fluids by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) energy applied external to the body. The stent constitutes a metal scaffold. An electrical circuit resonant at the resonance frequency of the MRI energy is fabricated integral with the scaffold structure of the stent to promote viewing body properties within the lumen of the stent.

Abstract: An implanted device-implemented method of detecting and monitoring congestive heart failure in a patient includes performing ongoing measurements of changes in local impedance of a portion of the patient's body between at least two electrodes on the exterior of the implanted device, the changes representing ventilation of the patient, and including measuring the patient's respiratory rate and respiratory amplitude. A body-implantable device is adapted to detect and monitor congestive heart failure in a patient, and includes a circuit module coupled to plural surface electrodes of the device arranged and adapted, when the device is implanted, for contacting tissue in a portion of the patient's body generally occupied by the lungs, to monitor changes in local impedance of said body portion, and to detect the patient's EKG.

Abstract: A catheter having a distal end for insertion into a lumen of a patient's body includes a deployable semi-permeable membrane for trapping debris dislodged by a stent while allowing perfusion of body fluid through the membrane, mounted distally on said catheter; a stent mounted proximally of the membrane on the catheter; and a deployment system on the catheter for deploying the membrane in advance of deploying the stent. The deployment system is common to both the membrane and the stent. It includes a respective deployment balloon for each of the membrane and the stent. Deployment of the membrane in advance of the stent is controlled by differences in pressure-diameter characteristics of the respective deployment balloons. The deployable semi-permeable membrane is a selectively controllable collapsible mechanism.

Abstract: A method of repairing tissue of an organ in a patient's body includes co-culturing pluripotential stem cells obtained from the patient's body with cells obtained from a site other than the patient's body (i.e., non body cells) and having specific functions of the tissue to be repaired for mimicking by the stem cells and creating a specific microenvironment, maintaining the culture for a period of time sufficient for modification of the stem cells by acquisition of the specific functions of the non body cells; segregating the modified stem cells from the non body cells, and implanting only the modified stem cells to and at a site of the tissue to be repaired.

Abstract: A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted to be implanted in a vessel, duct or tract of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the site of the implant. The sidewall of the open-ended tubular structure of the stent is a base layer of a metal biologically compatible with blood and tissue of the human body. An intermediate metal particle layer of substantially greater radiopacity overlies the base layer, with particles bonded to the base layer and to each other to leave interstices therebetween as a repository for retaining and dispensing drugs or other agents for time release therefrom after the stent is implanted, to assist the stent in maintaining the lumen open. The particles are composed primarily of a noble metal—an alloy of platinum-iridium. The sidewall has holes extending therethrough, and the particle layer resides along the outward facing and inward facing surfaces, and the edges of the through holes and open ends of the sidewall.

Abstract: A stent for delivering a therapeutic dose of the immnuosupressant tacrolimus is disclosed.

Abstract: A device-implemented method is disclosed for early detection and monitoring of congestive heart failure in a patient. Ongoing measurements of impedance of a portion of the patient's body generally occupied by the lungs are performed by an implanted device, and, when the impedance measurements are determined by internal circuit components of the device to exceed a predetermined threshold value indicative of a need for immediate attention to a condition of congestive heart failure, a patient and/or physician alert is emitted by the device. An implant site at the left lower anterior lateral hemithorax is preferred.

Abstract: A stent for delivering a therapeutic dose of the immnuosupressant tacrolimus is disclosed.

Abstract: A method for identifying a person authorized to enter into a secured transaction, including implementing a security system to receive a coded signal that purports to identify as an authorized person the wearer of a device generating the coded signal through a transmission link constituting the body of the wearer, upon physical contact between an input terminal of the security system and the body of the wearer. After purported identification of the wearer as an authorized person for the transaction, data stored in a memory of the device is delivered to assist in processing the transaction by access through the security system. Data stemming from the transaction is retrieved for updating data stored in the memory, usable in a subsequent transaction by the wearer.

Abstract: In a process of fabricating a stent composed primarily of niobium alloyed with a trace amount of zirconium, tantalum, or titanium for hardening, the stent is annealed under vacuum in a substantially oxygen-free environment. The vacuum is preferably maintained at pressure less than 10−4 millibars, oxygen-content less than about 80 parts per million, and the annealing temperature exceeds 400° C. for at least one hour, and is preferably kept in a range from about 1100-1200° C. for several hours. This may be followed by applying a surface layer of oxide, such as iridium oxide, with a thickness of 299-300 nm to the stent.

Abstract: A stent is composed of a single homogeneous tubing of niobium with a trace of additional metal less than about 5%, preferably zirconium, for alloy formation and reinforcement. The stent surface is provided with at least a partial coating to inhibit closure of a central lumen at a site of stent implant in the body. The surface coating may be vapor deposited or plasma deposited and comprises iridium oxide, titanium nitrate, a blend of metals, or surface oxidation of the niobium. The stent may have a rough surface characteristic.

Abstract: A stent for delivering a therapeutic dose of the immnuosupressant tacrolimus is disclosed.

Abstract: An implantable medical interventional device is disclosed for treating any of multiple cardiac dysrhythmias that may be suffered by a patient in whom the device is to be implanted, by automatic selection of an appropriate therapeutic regimen from among a plurality of such regimens the device is capable of delivering according to the particular dysrhythmia being experienced by the patient at the time, through enhanced recognition and discrimination of the dysrhythmia and its probable origin. Upon recognition and discrimination of the dysrhythmia, the device applies the selected regimen to the patient's heart to treat the dysrhythmia at its source.

Abstract: A vascular or endoluminal stent has low surface friction for ease of navigating a vessel, duct or tract of a patient. The stent is configured as a tubular element of biocompatible material having a longitudinal axis, open ends and a multiplicity of openings of generally common shape and size through its wall throughout its length. The openings are bounded by a network of tangentially interconnected, continuous, predominantly longitudinally oriented curvilinear struts, without discontinuity, forming a sidewall of the tubular element. The stent is adapted to be deployed by exertion of outward radial pressure on the tubular element, and when deployed, at least a segment of each strut undergoes a transition to a predominantly transverse orientation relative to the longitudinal axis of the stent.

Abstract: A stent has a tubular metal base adapted to be expanded from a first vessel-navigable diameter to a larger second vessel-deployed diameter; a thin, continuous intermediate layer of noble metal or alloy thereof selected from a group consisting of niobium, zirconium, titanium and tantalum, overlying and tightly adherent to an exposed surface area of the tubular metal base; and a biocompatible outer layer of iridium oxide overlying and adherent to the intermediate layer. The outer layer has a relatively rough surface with interstices into which beneficial drugs or other substances or agents may be infused, with or without a biodegradable carrier, to preclude occlusion from restenosis or thrombosis during the acute stage following deployment of the stent.

Abstract: Device and method are disclosed in which leads with pacing and defibrillating electrodes are implanted into both the right and left ventricles of a patient's heart to enable simultaneous pacing of both ventricles to reduce the width of the QRS complex of the patient's cardiac activity to a more normal duration, and, when appropriate, to apply electrical shock waveforms to both ventricles simultaneously for lower energy defibrillation of the ventricles. In applying the defibrillation therapy, the defibrillating electrode in the left ventricle may be used as the anode and the defibrillating electrode in the right ventricle may be used as the cathode, or both ventricular defibrillating electrodes may be the anode and the metal case in which the shock waveform generator is implanted may be the cathode.