71results about How to "Reduce postoperative pain" patented technology

A device for use as a portal in percutaneous minimally invasive surgery performed within a patient's body cavity includes a first elongated hollow tube having a length adjusted with a self-contained mechanism. The first elongated tube includes an inner hollow tube and an outer hollow tube and the inner tube is adapted to slide within the outer tube thereby providing the self-contained length adjusting mechanism. This length-adjustment feature is advantageous for percutaneous access surgery in any body cavity. Two or more elongated tubes with adjustable lengths can be placed into two or more adjacent body cavities, respectively. Paths are opened within the tissue areas between the two or more body cavities, and are used to transfer devices and tools between the adjacent body cavities. This system of two or more elongated tubes with adjustable lengths is particularly advantageous in percutaneous minimally invasive spinal surgeries, and provides the benefits of minimizing long incisions, recovery time and post-operative complications.

The present invention provides systems and methods for selectively applying electrical energy to a target location within the head and neck of a patient's body, particularly including tissue in the ear, nose and throat. The present invention applies high frequency (RF) electrical energy to one or more electrode terminals in the presence of electrically conductive fluid to remove and/or modify the structure of tissue structures. The present invention is particularly useful for treating sleep obstructive disorders, such as sleep apnea and snoring.

The present invention describes a magnetic targeting system suitable for guiding a biocompatible device to a target area within the body (in vivo) and method of using the same. The system includes a targeting member having a steering material and is attached to the biocompatible device. The system also includes at least one anchoring member constructed and arranged for the inclusion of a magnetic material effective for influencing the traversal of the steering material, in vivo. The magnetic material is configured and sized so as to positionable external of the anchoring member, in vivo. The magnetically influenced anchoring member interacts with the targeting member such that the biocompatible device is positionable relative to the target area. An extender and connector have threads indexed to a securing set screw to facilitate positioning and affixation of the biocompatible material

The present invention is directed to an implantable drug depot useful for reducing, preventing or treating post-operative pain in a patient in need of such treatment, the implantable drug depot comprising a therapeutically effective amount of clonidine or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a polymer; wherein the depot is implantable at a site beneath the skin to reduce, prevent or treat post-operative pain, and the depot is capable of releasing (i) about 5% to about 45% of the clonidine or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof relative to a total amount of the clonidine or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof loaded in the drug depot over a first period of up to 48 hours and (ii) about 55% to about 95% of the clonidine or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof relative to a total amount of the clonidine or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof loaded in the drug depot over a subsequent period of at least 3 days.

An endovascular laser treatment device for causing closure of a blood vessel uses an optical fiber adapted to be inserted into a blood vessel. An inner sleeve is arranged around a distal portion of the optical fiber core such that both distal ends of the inner sleeve and the optical fiber core form an enlarged light emitting face. The enlarged emitting face provides substantially lower power density while providing the same amount of total energy during a treatment session. An outer sleeve arranged around the inner sleeve acts as a spacer to position the light emitting face away from an inner wall of the blood vessel. The enlarged light emitting face and the outer sleeve acting as a spacer reduces the possibility of thermal run-away and device damage, and reduce the possibility of vessel perforations, leading to less bruising, post-operative pain and other clinical complications. In yet another aspect of the present invention, a spacer comprises an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve both arranged around a distal portion of the core to prevent the laser light from traveling laterally and to position the light emitting face away from an inner wall of the vessel. The inner sleeve can be a heat resistive material such as ceramic and the outer sleeve can be, for example, a metallic sleeve to provide structural integrity and strength to the distal section of the treatment device.

Aspects of the invention include minimally invasive tissue modification systems. Embodiments of the systems include a minimally invasive access device having a proximal end, a distal end and an internal passageway. Also part of the system is an elongated tissue modification device having a proximal end and a distal end. The tissue modification device is dimensioned to be slidably moved through the internal passageway of the access device. The tissue modification device includes a tissue modifier. Positioned among the distal ends of the devices are a visualization element and an illumination element. Also provided are methods of using the systems in tissue modification applications, as well as kits for practicing the methods of the invention.

A trocar-cannula complex for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures performed through a port site of a patient and in the delivery of biologically active agents to the patient includes a trocar and a cannula. The cannula includes a tubular structure with a central lumen receiving the trocar and an outer surface adapted to interface with tissue at the port site. A first delivery mechanism is associated with the cannula for delivering a first biologically active agent to a patient and a second delivery mechanism is associated with the cannula for delivery of a second biologically active agent to the patient. Various other manners of delivering the agents are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method of altering the refractive properties of the eye, the method including forming a pocket in a cornea of an eye of a patient so as to gain access to tissue bounding the pocket; after the pocket in the cornea has been formed, applying a photosensitizer inside the pocket so that the photo sensitizer permeates at least a portion of the tissue bounding the pocket, the photosensitizer facilitating cross-linking of the tissue bounding the pocket; inserting a lens implant into the pocket so as to change the refractive properties of the eye; and irradiating the cornea so as to activate cross-linkers in the portion of the tissue bounding the pocket and thereby stiffen the cornea and prevent corneal ectasia of the cornea.

The present invention relates to a method of altering the refractive properties of the eye, the method including applying a substance to a cornea of an eye, the substance configured to facilitate cross linking of the cornea, irradiating the cornea so as to activate cross linkers in the cornea, and altering the cornea so as to change the refractive properties of the eye.

The present invention is directed to an implantable drug depot useful for reducing, preventing or treating post-operative pain in a patient in need of such treatment, the implantable drug depot comprising a polymer and a therapeutically effective amount of a local anesthetic or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the drug depot is implantable at a site beneath the skin to reduce, prevent or treat post-operative pain, and the drug depot is capable of releasing (i) a bolus dose of the local anesthetic or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof at a site beneath the skin and (ii) a sustained release dose of an effective amount of the local anesthetic or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof over a period of at least 4 days.

The present invention describes a targeting system suitable for guiding a biocompatible device to a target area within the body (in vivo) and method of using the same. The system includes a targeting member that is attached to the biocompatible device and may optionally include a steering material. The system includes a passer element located at the distal end of a wand. The wand includes a trigger like member adjacent a hand grip. Actuation of the trigger like member will result in a pivotal movement of the passer element that positions the targeting member such that the connected biocompatible device is positionable relative to the target area.

Expandable absorbable implants have been developed that are suitable for breast reconstruction following mastectomy. The implants can be implanted in the vicinity of a tissue expander, for example, by suturing to the detached edge of the pectoralis major muscle to function as a pectoralis extender, and used to form a sling for a tissue expander. The implants, which permit tissue-ingrowth and slowly degrade, can be expanded in the breast using a tissue expander in order to form a pocket for a permanent breast implant. After expansion, the tissue expander can be removed and replaced with a permanent breast implant. The expandable implants help reduce patient discomfort resulting from tissue expansion, and avoid the need to use allografts or xenografts to create the pocket for the tissue expander. The expandable absorbable implant preferably comprises poly-4-hydroxybutyrate or copolymer thereof.