276880 results about "Biomedical engineering" patented technology

An electrosurgical medical device and method for creating thermal welds in engaged tissue that carries the electrosurgical components in a disposable cartridge. The instrument also can carry a blade member in a disposable cartridge, thus making the instrument system inexpensive to use. In another embodiment, the electrical leads of the cartridge have a surface coating of a thermochromic material to provide the physician with a visual indicator of operational parameters when applying energy to tissue.

A surgical stapler anvil provides an expanded leg-receiving target area for a staple forming pocket in a compact staggered array by narrowing the lateral width of the leg-clinching portion of a laterally adjacent pocket. Advantageously, the lateral spacing between adjacent rows of staple forming pockets can remain small, while the leg-receiving target area for laterally adjacent rows of pockets is significantly expanded. The staple forming pockets include two mirror image leg-forming cups. The cups are longitudinally aligned with their respective ascending leg clinching portions adjoining in the center of the pocket. Laterally spaced guide surfaces extend upwardly and outwardly from the clinching surface at the bottom of the cup to define an expanded leg-receiving target area at the distal ends of the pocket. Substantially planar laterally outward portions of the guide surface intersect with the guide surface of a laterally adjacent pocket to form a non-linear ridge.

An electrosurgical medical device and method for creating thermal welds in engaged tissue. In one embodiment, at least one jaw of the instrument defines a tissue engagement plane carrying a conductive-resistive matrix of a conductively-doped non-conductive elastomer. The engagement surface portions thus can be described as a positive temperature coefficient material that has a unique selected decreased electrical conductance at each selected increased temperature thereof over a targeted treatment range. The conductive-resistive matrix can be engineered to bracket a targeted thermal treatment range, for example about 60° C. to 80° C., at which tissue welding can be accomplished. In one mode of operation, the engagement plane will automatically modulate and spatially localize ohmic heating within the engaged tissue from Rf energy application—across micron-scale portions of the engagement surface.

An electrosurgical bipolar forceps for sealing is disclosed. The forceps includes one or more shaft members having an end effector assembly disposed at the distal end. The end effector assembly includes two jaw members movable from a first position to a closed position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue at constant pressure. Each of the jaw members includes an electrically conductive sealing plate connected to a first energy source which communicates electrosurgical energy through the tissue held therebetween. The electrosurgical energy is communicated at constant voltage. The electrically conductive sealing plates are operably connected to sensor circuitry which is configured to measure initial tissue impedance and transmit an initial impedance value to a controller. The controller determines the constant pressure and the constant voltage to be applied to the tissue based on the initial impedance value.

A piece of buttress material and an end-effector of a surgical instrument including features which can aid a surgeon in properly and quickly attaching the piece of buttress material to the end-effector. In various embodiments, a piece of buttress material can include retention features which can be engaged with portions of an end-effector to releasably retain the piece of buttress material to at least a portion of the end-effector. Similarly, an end-effector can include features configured to engage portions of a piece of buttress material to releasably retain the piece of buttress material to the end-effector. In at least one embodiment, more than one piece of buttress material can be releasably retained to an end-effector.

Surgical tissue fasteners and related deployment systems and methods are disclosed. A tissue fastener used to join multiple tissue layers includes a first member, a second member, and a connecting member connecting the first and second members. In some embodiments, the first and second members are configured to expand from a delivered state to a deployed state in which the fastener secures the tissue layers together. Other tissue fastener embodiments include means for applying a substantially constant force on the tissue layers and/or means for adjusting a length of the connecting member between the first and second members.

According to the invention, a finger-operated switch for activating and operating an ultrasonic surgical handpiece is provided. The power output of the surgical handpiece is responsive and proportional to the pressure applied to the finger-operated switch. The finger-operated switch includes, but not limited to, force sensitive resistors whose resistance is proportional to the force applied by the finger of the human operator of the surgical handpiece, force sensitive capacitors whose capacitance is proportional to the pressure, deflection or compression of the insulation layer between two electrodes or is proportional to the spacing between the two conductive layers, strain gauges mounted underneath or integral to the housing of the surgical handpiece such that the pressure applied thereto results in an output change in the strain gauges, magnets or ferromagnets encased or embedded in an elastomer with a sensor inside the surgical handpiece that detects the field strength of the magnet and monitors changes relative to the force applied to the handpiece housing, and piezo film or piezo ceramic whose charge or voltage is proportional to the force applied.

A piece of buttress material and an end-effector of a surgical instrument including features which can aid a surgeon in properly and quickly attaching the piece of buttress material to the end-effector. In various embodiments, a piece of buttress material can include retention features which can be engaged with portions of an end-effector to releasably retain the piece of buttress material to at least a portion of the end-effector. Similarly, an end-effector can include features configured to engage portions of a piece of buttress material to releasably retain the piece of buttress material to the end-effector. In at least one embodiment, more than one piece of buttress material can be releasably retained to an end-effector.

A surgical stapler which includes a tool assembly having a pair of opposing tissue engaging surfaces for deforming a plurality of surgical fasteners through and fastening tissue is disclosed. The surgical stapler includes a housing having a fixed handle and a movable handle mounted to the housing and selectively movable relative to the fixed handle from a first position to a second position to actuate the clamping of tissue. The stapler further includes a drive assembly including a motor, a power source and a coupling member. The motor engages the coupling member, wherein movement of the movable handle to the second position activates the motor, which advances a firing shaft and forces a firing piston into the tool assembly to deform the surgical fasteners through and fasten tissue.

A valve prosthesis device is disclosed suitable for implantation in body ducts. The device comprises support stent, comprised of a deployable construction adapted to be initially crimped in a narrow configuration suitable for catheterization through the body duct to a target location and adapted to be deployed by exerting substantially radial forces from within by means of a deployment device to a deployed state in the target location, the support stent provided with a plurality of longitudinally rigid support beams of fixed length; valve assembly comprising a flexible conduit having an inlet end and an outlet, made of pliant material attached to the support beams providing collapsible slack portions of the conduit at the outlet. When flow is allowed to pass through the valve prosthesis device from the inlet to the outlet the valve assembly is kept in an open position, whereas a reverse flow is prevented as the collapsible slack portions of the valve assembly collapse inwardly providing blockage to the reverse flow.

The invention relates to a deformable endoscope that has one or more light/image transmission passages and in which at least one additional instrument is provided, wherein the unit of endoscope and additional instrument has a non-round cross-section along a longitudinal section (insertion section) to be inserted into a human or animal body orifice. The light/image transmission passage or the plurality of light/image transmission passages form—in particular together with at least one work passage—a closed unit (fiberscope part) which can be separated from the additional instrument. The fiberscope part and the additional instrument can be displaced relatively relative to one another along their longitudinal directions. A holding unit is provided for the holding and/or guiding of the fiberscope part and the additional instrument relative to one another.