Patents by Inventor Kirsten L. Valley
Kirsten L. Valley has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 6913600Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for temporarily inducing cardioplegic arrest in the heart of a patient and for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass in order to facilitate surgical procedures on the heart and its related blood vessels. Specifically, a catheter based system is provided for isolating the heart and coronary blood vessels of a patient from the remainder of the arterial system and for infusing a cardioplegic agent into the patient's coronary arteries to induce cardioplegic arrest in the heart. The system includes an endoaortic partitioning catheter having an expandable balloon at its distal end which is expanded within the ascending aorta to occlude the aortic lumen between the coronary ostia and the brachiocephalic artery. Means for centering the catheter tip within the ascending aorta include specially curved shaft configurations, eccentric or shaped occlusion balloons and a steerable catheter tip, which may be used separately or in combination.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 1998Date of Patent: July 5, 2005Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: Kirsten L. Valley, David W. Snow, Timothy C. Corvi, Brian S. Donlon, Stephen W. Boyd, Sylvia W. Fan, Alex T. Roth, William S. Peters, Richard J. Mueller, Jr., Hanson S. Gifford, III
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Patent number: 6579259Abstract: A venting catheter, system and method are provided for withdrawing blood and other fluids from a patient's heart to facilitate decompressing the heart during cardioplegic arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass, without the need for a thoracotomy and without puncturing the aorta, pulmonary artery, or heart itself. The venting catheter is configured to be introduced into a peripheral vein and intraluminally advanced through the right side of the heart and into the pulmonary artery. The venting catheter includes a lumen configured to withdraw blood at a rate of at least about 50 ml/min at a pressure of no less than about −350 mmHg. A flow-directing means is provided to facilitate guiding the catheter into the pulmonary artery by being carried by blood flow through the heart. The cardiac venting system may include, in addition to the cardiac venting catheter, a cardiopulmonary bypass system to maintain circulation of oxygenated blood, and means for arresting the patient's heart.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 1999Date of Patent: June 17, 2003Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: John H. Stevens, Jeffrey W. Krier, Kirsten L. Valley, Philip C. Evard
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Publication number: 20030040736Abstract: A venting catheter, system and method are provided for withdrawing blood and other fluids from a patient's heart to facilitate decompressing the heart during cardioplegic arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass, without the need for a thoracotomy and without puncturing the aorta, pulmonary artery, or heart itself . The venting catheter is configured to be introduced into a peripheral vein and intraluminally advanced through the right side of the heart and into the pulmonary artery. The venting catheter includes a lumen configured to withdraw blood at a rate of at least about 50 ml/min at a pressure of no less than about −350 mmHg. A flow-directing means is provided to facilitate guiding the catheter into the pulmonary artery by being carried by blood flow through the heart. The cardiac venting system may include, in addition to the cardiac venting catheter, a cardiopulmonary bypass system to maintain circulation of oxygenated blood, and means for arresting the patient's heart.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 1999Publication date: February 27, 2003Inventors: JOHN H. STEVENS, JEFFREY W. KRIER, KIRSTEN L. VALLEY, PHILIP C. EVARD
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Publication number: 20010016725Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for temporarily inducing cardioplegic arrest in the heart of a patient and for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass in order to facilitate surgical procedures on the heart and its related blood vessels. Specifically, a catheter based system is provided for isolating the heart and coronary blood vessels of a patient from the remainder of the arterial system and for infusing a cardioplegic agent into the patient's coronary arteries to induce cardioplegic arrest in the heart. The system includes an endoaortic partitioning catheter having an expandable balloon at its distal end which is expanded within the ascending aorta to occlude the aortic lumen between the coronary ostia and the brachiocephalic artery. Means for centering the catheter tip within the ascending aorta include specially curved shaft configurations, eccentric or shaped occlusion balloons and a steerable catheter tip, which may be used separately or in combination.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 1998Publication date: August 23, 2001Inventors: KIRSTEN L. VALLEY, DAVID W. SNOW, TIMOTHY C. CORVI, BRIAN S. DONLON, STEPHEN W. BOYD, SYLVIA W. FAN, ALEX T. ROTH, WILLIAM S. PETERS, RICHARD J. MUELLER JR., HANSON S. GIFFORD III
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Patent number: 6251093Abstract: Pressure is measured on both sides of an occluding member for determining when pressure forces the occluding member may cause migration of the occluding member. An alarm indicates when the pressure force on the balloon exceed a predetermined threshold. In another aspect of the invention, a pressure monitor determines when a rate of pressure increase with respect to the fluid volume in the balloon reaches a predetermined threshold when inflating the occluding member. A predetermined amount of fluid is then added to the occluding member so that the balloon is not under inflated or over inflated.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 1998Date of Patent: June 26, 2001Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: Kirsten L. Valley, David W. Snow, Sylvia W. Fan, Richard L. Mueller, Jr.
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Publication number: 20010001812Abstract: Pressure is measured on both sides of an occluding member for determining when pressure forces on the occluding member may cause migration of the occluding member. An alarm indicates when the pressure force on the balloon exceed a predetermined threshold. In another aspect of the invention, a pressure monitor determines when a rate of pressure increase with respect to the fluid volume in the balloon reaches a predetermined threshold when inflating the occluding member. A predetermined amount of fluid is then added to the balloon so that the balloon is not under inflated or over inflated.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2001Publication date: May 24, 2001Applicant: HEARTPORT, INC.Inventors: Kirsten L. Valley, David W. Snow, Sylvia W. Fan, Richard L. Mueller
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Patent number: 5916193Abstract: A venting catheter, system and method are provided for withdrawing blood and other fluids from a patient's heart to facilitate decompressing the heart during cardioplegic arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass, without the need for a thoracotomy and without puncturing the aorta, pulmonary artery, or heart itself. The venting catheter is configured to be introduced into a peripheral vein and intralumninally advanced through the right side of the heart and into the pulmonary artery. The venting catheter includes a lumen configured to withdraw blood at a rate of at least about 50 ml/min at a pressure of no less than about -350 mmHg. A flow-directing means is provided to facilitate guiding the catheter into the pulmonary artery by being carried by blood flow through the heart. The cardiac venting system may include, in addition to the cardiac venting catheter, a cardiopulmonary bypass system to maintain circulation of oxygenated blood, and means for arresting the patient's heart.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 1996Date of Patent: June 29, 1999Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: John H. Stevens, Jeffrey W. Krier, Kirsten L. Valley, Philip C. Evard
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Patent number: 5814016Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for temporarily inducing cardioplegic arrest in the heart of a patient and for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass in order to facilitate surgical procedures on the heart and its related blood vessels. Specifically, a catheter based system is provided for isolating the heart and coronary blood vessels of a patient from the remainder of the arterial system and for infusing a cardioplegic agent into the patient's coronary arteries to induce cardioplegic arrest in the heart. The system includes an endoaortic partitioning catheter having an expandable balloon at its distal end which is expanded within the ascending aorta to occlude the aortic lumen between the coronary ostia and the brachiocephalic artery. Means for centering the catheter tip within the ascending aorta include specially curved shaft configurations, eccentric or shaped occlusion balloons and a steerable catheter tip, which may be used separately or in combination.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 1997Date of Patent: September 29, 1998Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: Kirsten L. Valley, David W. Snow, Timothy C. Corvi, Brian S. Donlon, Stephen W. Boyd, Sylvia W. Fan, Alex T. Roth, William S. Peters, Richard J. Mueller, Jr., Hanson S. Gifford, III
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Patent number: 5795325Abstract: Pressure is measured on both sides of an occluding member for determining when pressure forces on the occluding member may cause migration of the occluding member. An alarm indicates when the pressure force on the balloon exceed a predetermined threshold. In another aspect of the invention, a pressure monitor determines when a rate of pressure increase with respect to the fluid volume in the balloon reaches a predetermined threshold when inflating the occluding member. A predetermined amount of fluid is then added to the balloon so that the balloon is not under inflated or over inflated.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 1995Date of Patent: August 18, 1998Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: Kirsten L. Valley, David W. Snow, Sylvia W. Fan, Richard L. Mueller, Jr.
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Patent number: 5766151Abstract: Devices and methods are provided for temporarily inducing cardioplegic arrest in the heart of a patient and for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass in order to facilitate surgical procedures on the heart and its related blood vessels. Specifically, a catheter based system is provided for isolating the heart and coronary blood vessels of a patient from the remainder of the arterial system and for infusing a cardioplegic agent into the patient's coronary arteries to induce cardioplegic arrest in the heart. The system includes an endoaortic partitioning catheter having an expandable balloon at its distal end which is expanded within the ascending aorta to occlude the aortic lumen between the coronary ostia and the brachiocephalic artery. Means for centering the catheter tip within the ascending aorta include specially curved shaft configurations, eccentric or shaped occlusion balloons and a steerable catheter tip, which may be used separately or in combination.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: June 16, 1998Assignee: Heartport, Inc.Inventors: Kirsten L. Valley, David W. Snow, William S. Peters
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Patent number: 5469524Abstract: A hand held device having an optical fiber with a radiation emitter carried at a free end, the optical fiber being attached to a handle that includes a knob which allows movement of a flexible tubular sleeve from a position covering the fiber and emitter to a position exposing the emitter and a length of fiber adjacent to it, the sleeve also having a sharp metal cleat extending from its end, the cleat being an end of a length of wire which passes through a separate channel of the sleeve to the knob without being attached to the sleeve. An application of this device is for inserting the emitter into a mass of material in order to irradiate the material from within.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 1994Date of Patent: November 21, 1995Assignee: Indigo Medical, IncorporatedInventors: Victor C. Esch, Kirsten L. Valley
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Patent number: 5423755Abstract: A balloon dilatation catheter for the dilatation of a prostatic urethra having a reinforcing element extending through the elongated shaft of the catheter to prevent significant elongation or failure of the catheter and a traction member for assisting in the resistance to substantial tensile stresses. The balloon dilatation catheter also includes an expandable means between the balloon and catheter shaft to extend the length of the balloon when it is deflated. The extension of the deflated balloon prevents the balloon from bunching up and interfering with the withdrawal of the balloon through the working channel of the cystoscopic sheath upon the completion of the dilatation. The catheter has a marker for easy visualization so that the balloon can be positioned reliably and a tip construction so that the catheter can be advanced into the bladder safely.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 1992Date of Patent: June 13, 1995Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.Inventors: Randy J. Kesten, Kirsten L. Valley, Robert W. Reinhardt, Jeffrey W. Krier, Sam G. Payne
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Patent number: RE36473Abstract: A hand held device having an optical fiber with a radiation emitter carried at a free end, the optical fiber being attached to a handle that includes a knob which allows movement of a flexible tubular sleeve from a position covering the fiber and emitter to a position exposing the emitter and a length of fiber adjacent to it, the sleeve also having a sharp metal cleat extending from its end, the cleat being an end of a length of wire which passes through a separate channel of the sleeve to the knob without being attached to the sleeve. An application of this device is for inserting the emitter into a mass of material in order to irradiate the material from within.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 1997Date of Patent: December 28, 1999Assignee: Indigo Medical, Inc.Inventors: Victor C. Esch, Kirsten L. Valley