2539 results about "Organ of Corti" patented technology

A system for tissue approximation and fixation is described herein. A device is advanced in a minimally invasive manner within a patient's body to create one or several divisions or plications within a hollow body organ. The system comprises a stapler assembly having a tissue acquisition member and a tissue fixation member. The stapler assembly approximates tissue from within the hollow body organ with the acquisition member and then affixes the approximated tissue with the fixation member. In one method, the system can be used as a secondary procedure to reduce the size of a stoma within the hollow body organ.

A system for tissue approximation and fixation is described herein. The devices are advanced in a minimally invasive manner within a patient's body to create one or several divisions or plications within a hollow body organ. The system comprises a tissue acquisition and folding device and a tissue stapling or fixation device, each of which is used together as a system. The acquisition device is used to approximate tissue regions from within the hollow body organ and the stapling device is advanced through a main lumen defined through the acquisition device and is used to affix the approximated tissue. The stapling device is keyed to maintain its rotational orientation relative to the acquisition device as well as to provide the user positional information of the stapling device. The acquisition device is also configured to provide lateral stability to the stapling device prior to the stapling device being clamped onto tissue.

A device and method for remodeling or partitioning a body cavity, hollow organ or tissue tract includes graspers operable to engage two or more sections of tissue within a body cavity and to draw the engaged tissue between a first and second members of a tissue remodeling tool. The two or more pinches of tissue are held in complete or partial alignment with one another as staples or other fasteners are driven through the pinches, thus forming a four-layer tissue plication. Over time, adhesions formed between the opposed serosal layers create strong bonds that can facilitate retention of the plication over extended durations, despite the forces imparted on them by stomach movement. A cut or cut-out may be formed in the plication during or separate from the stapling step to promote edge-to-edge healing effects that will enhance tissue knitting / adhesion.

Apparatus for intratubular intussusception and anastomosis of a hollow organ portion including a cylindrical enclosure, coaxial intratubular intussusception device, for intussusception and clamping means. The apparatus also includes an intratubular anastomosis apparatus for joining organ portions after intussusception thereof with an anastomosis ring and crimping support element. The ring is formed of a shape memory alloy wire, for crimping adjacent organ portions against the crimping support element so as to cause anastomosis therebetween. The ring assumes a plastic or malleable state, at a lower temperature and an elastic state at a higher temperature. The apparatus further includes the crimping support element for intratubular insertion so as to provide a support for crimping the organ portions against the support element. The apparatus additionally includes a surgical excising means, for excising an intussuscepted organ portion, after crimping adjacent intussuscepted organ walls against the crimping support element with the anastomosis ring.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a catheter suitable for use in performing a procedure within a vessel, lumen or organ of a living having a distal end which is steerable, such as upon the application of compression. The catheter may be of the over the wire type, or alternatively may be a rapid exchange catheter. The catheter may provide for a rotating element which may be used to open a clogged vessel, or alternatively to provide information about adjacent tissues, such as may be generated by imaging or guiding arrangements using tissue detection systems known in the art, e.g., ultrasound, optical coherence reflectometry, etc. For rapid exchange catheters having a rotating element, there is provided an offset drive assembly to allow the rotary force to be directed from alongside the guidewire to a location coaxial to and over the guidewire.

This invention provides a system and method that allows a therapeutic device, such as an atrial fibrillation microwave ablation catheter or ablation tip to be guided to a remote location within a body cavity and then accurately immobilized on the tissue, including that of a moving organ, such as the heart. In various embodiments, the system and method also enables accurate movement and steering along the tissue, while in engagement therewith. Such movement and engagement entails the use of vacuum or microneedle structures on at least two interconnected and articulated immobilizers that selectively engage to and release from the tissue to allow a crawling or traversing walking across the organ as the therapeutic catheter / tool tip applies treatment (AGE devices). In further embodiments that lack a movement capability (AID devices), the immobilizers allow a predetermined position for the introduced device to be maintained against the tissue while a treatment is applied to the location adjacent thereto. In the exemplary AID devices, variety of steering mechanisms and mechanisms for exposing and anchoring a catheter against the underlying tissue can be employed. In the exemplary AGE devices, a variety of articulation and steering mechanisms, including those based upon pneumatic / hydraulic bellows, lead screws and electromagnetic actuators can be employed.

The invention is a stapler device comprising an anvil and staple cartridge located in the distal tip of an endoscopic device. The staple cartridge is comprised of a fixed proximal portion and a moveable distal portion, which slides into said fixed portion. Means are provided for moving the anvil back and forth, such that the anvil pushes against the distal face of the staple cartridge thereby pushing the moveable portion of the staple cartridge into the fixed portion and causing the staples to be ejected from said staple cartridge passively without said staples moving. The stapler of the invention has two embodiments, a side fastening embodiment and a front fastening embodiment. The endoscopic device that comprises the stapler can be used to perform many different stapling tasks, e.g. closure of a hole in the wall of an internal organ.

An apparatus for performing endoluminal anastomosis of an organ comprises an operative head including an endoscope receiving lumen for slidably receiving a flexible endoscope therein, the operative head including an annular tissue receiving space extending around a circumference of a distal end thereof and a stapling mechanism for firing staples around an entire circumference of the tissue receiving space and a tissue gripping mechanism for drawing into the tissue receiving space a portion of tissue extending around an entire circumference of the organ.

Described herein is a system for intravascular drug delivery system, which includes a reservoir implantable a blood vessel, an intravascular pump fluidly coupled to the reservoir and an anchor expandable into contact with a wall of the blood vessel to retain the system within the vasculature. Delivery conduits may be extend from the reservoir and are positionable at select locations within the vasculature for target drug delivery to select organs or tissues.

Devices and methods for tissue acquisition and fixation, or gastroplasty, are described. Generally, the devices of the system may be advanced in a minimally invasive manner within a patient's body to create one or more plications within the hollow body organ. A tissue treatment device attached to a distal end of a flexible elongated member and has a cartridge member opposite an anvil member. The cartridge member and the anvil member are movable between a closed position and an open position, and a moveable barrier is disposed between the cartridge and anvil members to help acquire a dual fold of tissue. The tissue treatment device can be repositioned to form multiple plications within the organ.

A device and method for selectively engaging or penetrating a layer of a luminal organ wall where the luminal organ wall has a plurality of layers including an outermost layer and an innermost layer adjacent to the lumen of the organ. The device and method select one of the plurality of layers of the organ wall other than the innermost layer and deploy from within the lumen of the organ a tissue device through the innermost layer to a specific depth to engage or penetrate the selected one of the plurality of layers. The device and method may be employed to create luminal pouches or restrictive outlets. In a stomach organ, the device and methods may be employed to treat obesity by forming a gastric pouch with or without a restrictive outlet.

An apparatus for ablating tissue, the apparatus having first and second opposing jaws operative to compress tissue to be allayed therebetween, the first jaw having a first ablation surface directing ablative energy into the tissue and the second jaw having a second ablation surface reflecting incident ablative energy into the tissue. The ablative energy may be ultrasonic, microwave, cryoablation, radio-frequency, photodynamic, laser, and cautery energy. The instrument may also have a pointed tip for piercing tissue, allowing the instrument to clamp the tissue wall of a hollow organ before ablation. Alternately, the instrument may clamp two or more tissue layers of a hollow organ without piercing prior to clamping an ablation.

At least one of a plurality of disorders of a patient characterized at least in part by vagal activity innervating at least one of a plurality of organs of the patient is treated by a method that includes positioning a neurostimulator carrier around a body organ of the patient where the organ is innervated by at least a vagal trunk. An electrode is disposed on the carrier and positioned at the vagal trunk. An electrical signal is applied to the electrode to modulate vagal activity by an amount selected to treat the disorder. The signal may be a blocking or a stimulation signal.

Devices and methods for tissue acquisition and fixation, or gastroplasty, are described. Generally, the devices of the system may be advanced in a minimally invasive manner within a patient's body, e.g., transorally, endoscopically, percutaneously, etc., to create one or several divisions or plications within the hollow body organ. Such divisions or plications can form restrictive barriers within a organ, or can be placed to form a pouch, or gastric lumen, smaller than the remaining stomach volume to essentially act as the active stomach such as the pouch resulting from a surgical Roux-En-Y gastric bypass procedure. Moreover, the system is configured such that once acquisition of the tissue by the gastroplasty device is accomplished, any manipulation of the acquired tissue is unnecessary as the device is able to automatically configure the acquired tissue into a desired configuration.

Organs and other tissue structures are isolated and perfused with a therapeutic agent. Isolation is effected by endovascularly positioning catheters having occlusion balloons within the arteries or other blood vessels which supply blood to the organ. Similarly, blood flow from the organ back to the patient's circulatory system is blocked by endovascularly positioning one or more catheters carrying occlusion members within the veins or other blood vessels leading from the organ. The therapeutic agent may then be perfused through the organ in either an antegrade or retrograde fashion using the endovascularly positioned catheters while maintaining isolation.

Devices, systems and methods are provided for tissue approximation and repair at treatment sites. In particular, fixation devices are provided comprising a pair of elements each having a first end, a free end opposite the first end, and an engagement surface therebetween for engaging the tissue, the first ends being moveable between an open position wherein the free ends are spaced apart and a closed position wherein the free ends are closer together with the engagement surfaces generally facing each other. The fixation devices also include a locking mechanism coupled to the elements for locking the elements in place. The devices, systems and methods of the invention will find use in a variety of therapeutic procedures, including endovascular, minimally-invasive, and open surgical procedures, and can be used in various anatomical regions, including the abdomen, thorax, cardiovascular system, heart, intestinal tract, stomach, urinary tract, bladder, lung, and other organs, vessels, and tissues. The invention is particularly useful in those procedures requiring minimally-invasive or endovascular access to remote tissue locations, where the instruments utilized must negotiate long, narrow, and tortuous pathways to the treatment site.

Intra-gastric fastening devices are disclosed herein. Expandable devices that are inserted into the stomach of the patient are maintained within by anchoring or otherwise fixing the expandable devices to the stomach walls. Such expandable devices, like inflatable balloons, have tethering regions for attachment to the one or more fasteners which can be configured to extend at least partially through one or several folds of the patient's stomach wall. The fasteners are thus affixed to the stomach walls by deploying the fasteners and manipulating the tissue walls entirely from the inside of the organ. Such fasteners can be formed in a variety of configurations, e.g., helical, elongate, ring, clamp, and they can be configured to be non-piercing. Alternatively, sutures can be used to wrap around or through a tissue fold for tethering the expandable devices. Non-piercing biased clamps can also be used to tether the device within the stomach.