36 results about "Nitinol SE" patented technology

A bone anchor that uses temperature transition of a shape memory material to expand the anchor within a bone. Thermal transformation of the metallic crystal state (and hence the stress / strain properties) of shape memory alloy (e.g., Nitinol, NiTi) expands engagement elements within the bone to fix the bone anchor in place. Various self-locking assemblies for attached suture material to the bone anchor are also disclosed.

A fatigue-resistant Nitinol instrument has a working portion in the deformed monoclinic martensitic state and an austenite finish temperature in the range of 40° to 60° C. Because the operating environment of the instrument is about 37° C., the working portion remains in the monoclinic martensitic state during its use. The relatively high austenite finish temperature and fatigue resistance is achieved by subjecting the nickel-titanium alloy to a final thermal heat treat in a temperature range of about 410° to 440° C. while the nickel-titanium alloy is under constant strain of about 3 to 15 kg. Further, the high austenite finish temperature is achieved without subjecting the alloy to thermal cycling to produce shape memory. Additionally, there are no intermediate processing steps occurring between obtaining a finished diameter of the wire or blank through cold working and the final thermal heat treat under constant strain.

The present disclosure describes tissue gripping devices, systems, and methods for gripping mitral valve tissue during treatment of a mitral valve and while a tissue fixation device is implanted in the mitral valve. The tissue gripping device includes a flexible member and one or more tissue gripping members coupled to one or more arms of the flexible member. The flexible member is formed from a shape-memory material, such as nitinol, and the tissue gripping member(s) are formed from a material that is more rigid than the shape-memory material. The tissue gripping member(s) are attached to theflexible member by threading or looping suture lines around and / or through the tissue gripping member(s) and the flexible member and / or by applying a cover material to the tissue gripping device to hold the tissue gripping member(s) against the flexible member.

A controllable shape memory alloy (SMA) hinge apparatus comprises multiple SMA elements to effect a first angle of rotation and a second angle of rotation between a first object and a second object. In one example, respective SMA elements are independently activated by Joule heating to rotate the first object and / or the second object. SMA elements undergo a three-dimensional transformation (e.g., bending or torsion), and a pair of elements may undergo antagonistic transformations so as to provide for a multiple-use bidirectional non-continuous rotary actuator. SMA elements may be trained to achieve different angles of rotations between the objects (e.g., zero degrees and 90 degrees). SMA elements may be nitinol, and may be formed as wires, rectangular sheets, or coils. In some examples, the first object may be a spacecraft (e.g., a satellite) and the second object may be a deployable structure (e.g., a robotic appendage, a deployable solar panel, a deployable aperture, a deployable mirror, a deployable radiator, and at least one actuator to steer an antenna dish).

Described herein is a simplified placement system and method for a tissue graft anchor by which a surgeon may introduce one or more sutures into a hole in a boney tissue, apply a precise amount of tension to the sutures to advance a soft tissue graft to a desired location, and then advance the anchor into the bone, preferably while maintaining the requisite pre-determined suture tension and without introducing spin to the suture. Particularly preferred embodiments allow for the placement of small diameter knotless anchors. For example, the implant placement system may include a cannulated tensioning device having disposed therein an elongate member of a suitably elastic metallic or polymeric material, such as nitinol, that includes at its distal end a loop of material suitable for suture retention. The implant placement system may further include high tensile strength knotless anchors provided with internal drive features that coordinate with torque-transmitting features unique to the driver devices of the present invention.

The present disclosure relates to core-wire joints for micro-fabricated medical devices, such as guidewires. A hybrid guidewire device includes a core (102) having a joint (105) between a proximal section (110) and a distal section (112) of the core and a tube structure (104) surrounding the joint. The proximal section of the core is made of or includes stainless steel and the distal section is made of or includes a superelastic material such as nitinol. Further, the terminal, distal portion of the proximal section of the core includes serrations (116), and a terminal, proximal portion of the distal section of the core includes complementary serrations (118) sized and shaped to interlock with serrations (116). The distal end of the proximal section mechanically interlocks with a proximal end the distal section to form the joint.

A fatigue-resistant Nitinol instrument has a working portion in the deformed monoclinic martensitic state and an austenite finish temperature in the range of 40° to 60° C. Because the operating environment of the instrument is about 37° C., the working portion remains in the monoclinic martensitic state during its use. The relatively high austenite finish temperature and fatigue resistance is achieved by subjecting the nickel-titanium alloy to a final thermal heat treat in a temperature range of about 410° to 440° C. while the nickel-titanium alloy is under constant strain of about 3 to 15 kg. Further, the high austenite finish temperature is achieved without subjecting the alloy to thermal cycling to produce shape memory. Additionally, there are no intermediate processing steps occurring between obtaining a finished diameter of the wire or blank through cold working and the final thermal heat treat under constant strain.

Prosthetic devices are provided that are used in end-to-side, end-to-end and side-to-side anastomosis without clamping and sutureless, without clamping and with suture, with clamping and sutureless, and / or with clamping and with suture, where the graft is inserted under the light of prosthesis or in at least one of the intraluminal portions of the prosthesis tubular member. The prosthesis can be produced in varied shapes and sizes to accommodate varied sizes and types of grafts, and also can be formed by two halves that can be joined by pressure, bolts or by a rocker portion, and can be made of any proper material for surgical use, such as titanium, stainless steel, nitinol, pyrolitic carbon, silicon, biodegradable materials, or any other biocompatible and inert materials.

The core element for a guidewire comprises a proximal stainless steel portion and a distal nitinol portion. The distal nitinol portion comprises a proximal segment of an at least partially linear elastic nitinol and a distal segment of a super elastic nitinol. The proximal end of a first spring coil contacts the super elastic nitinol with the first spring coil distal end being proximal the distal end of the distal segment of the super elastic nitinol. A second spring coil has a proximal portion that contacts the first spring coil distal end at a spring coil connection. Further, the second spring coil extends distally to an atraumatic tip. Extending radially from a longitudinal axis of the core wire, the first and second spring coils are spaced from and circumferentially unsupported by the distal nitinol core portion at the spring coil connection.

A working wire for a biological sensor is disclosed. The working wire includes a substrate comprising cobalt-chromium (Co—Cr) alloy or Nitinol alloy, a platinum layer comprising platinum on the substrate, and a membrane layer comprising a biological membrane applied over the platinum layer.

A needle and suture assembly includes a needle made of a superelastic alloy, such as Nitinol, including an elongated body having a proximal end and a distal end with a sharpened tip, a suture having a free end juxtaposed with the proximal end of the elongated body of the needle, and a connector disposed between the needle and the suture. The connector includes a first end attached to the proximal end of the elongated body of the needle and a second end attached to the free end of the suture. The connector is made of a material, such as stainless steel, having less elasticity and greater plasticity than the superelastic alloy of the needle.

A metal plate contains a shape memory alloy (e.g., a nitinol alloy) capable of exhibiting the one-way memory effect.

A machine for opening drinking straws and / or other enclosed containers using temperature changes. In the drinking straw variety, the straw is made in part or in full by Nitinol (also known as nickel titanium), Shape Memory Material, or similar such material that allows for the change in the straw's shape (known as the parent phase) in the elevated temperature of a dishwashing machine or similar machine using the Nitinol's or Shape Memory Material's reversible solid-state phase change (known as a martensitic transformation). When the straw is returned to room temperature, the straw closes to its original shape (known as its daughter phase) allowing it to be used as a standard straw. The container variety uses the same method but adapts it for container shapes. This phase change allows for lodged materials in the straw and / or container to be easily dislodged by the object opening in the dishwasher.

A guidewire made from a drawn-filled tube composite wire is described. The composite wire has a stainless steel outer sheath jacketing a nitinol core wire. The drawn-filled tube composite wire is ground at its distal end to expose the nitinol core, which has superelastic and kink resistant properties that are desirable for the distal end of a guidewire. The proximal end of the drawn-filled tube is not ground or if ground, the outer sheath of stainless steel is not removed to an extent sufficient to expose the nitinol core.

The system (10) for fixing a timepiece movement (2) to a watch case (30) element (3) comprises at least one clamp (1), in particular at least two clamps, preferably three clamps or four clamps, whichis intended to come into contact firstly with the movement and secondly with the watch case element, the at least one clamp being made of a superelastic alloy and / or of a shape memory alloy, particularly of a nickel-titanium alloy such as Nitinol.