1699 results about "Tissue damage" patented technology

A surgical staple line reinforcement is provided for use with a variety of surgical staplers to protect against tissue damage from surgical staples. The surgical staple line reinforcement is made up of a tubular structure of bio-implantable material with one or more stiffening members attached to or integrated within the tubular structure to resist, prevent or inhibit movement, rotation, or longitudinal compression of the tubular structure.

Devices, systems, and method for treating urinary incontinence generally rely on energy delivered to a patient's own pelvic support tissue to selectively contract or shrink at least a portion of that pelvic support tissue so as to reposition the bladder. The energy will preferably be applied to the endopelvic fascia and / or an arcus tendineus fascia pelvis. The invention provides a variety of devices and methods for applying gentle resistive heating of these and other tissues to cause them to contract without imposing significant injury on the surrounding tissue structures. Alternatively, heat-applying probes are configured to heat tissue structures which comprise or support a patient's urethra. By applying sufficient energy over a predetermined time, the tissue can be raised to a temperature which results in contraction without significant necrosis or other tissue damage. By selectively contracting the support tissues, the bladder neck, sphincter, and other components of the urinary tract responsible for the control of urinary flow can be reconfigured or supported in a manner which reduces urinary leakage.

A method of treating tissue damage comprises applying a negative pressure to a wound sufficient in time and magnitude to promote tissue migration and thus facilitate closure of the wound. The method is applicable to wounds, burns, infected wounds, and live tissue attachments. A wound treatment apparatus is provided in which a fluid impermeable wound cover is sealed over a wound site. A screen in the form of an open-cell foam screen or a rigid porous screen is placed beneath the wound cover over the wound. A vacuum pump supplies suction within the wound cover over the treatment site.

An instrument and method are provided for sealing and joining or hemostatically dividing tissue, which is particularly suitable for laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The instrument makes use of the controlled application of a combination of heat and pressure to seal adjacent tissues, to join adjacent tissues, or to anastomose tissues, whereby tissue is heated for an optimal time and at an optimal temperature under optimal pressure to maximize tissue seal strength while minimizing collateral tissue damage. The instrument of the present invention is lightweight and therefore portable, and is particularly useful in field conditions where a source of external power may not be readily available.

Described are devices and methods for treating degenerative, congestive heart disease and related valvular dysfunction. Percutaneous and minimally invasive surgical tensioning structures offer devices that mitigate changes in the ventricular structure (i.e., remodeling) and deterioration of global left ventricular performance related to tissue damage precipitating from ischemia, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or other abnormalities. These tensioning structures can be implanted within various major coronary blood-carrying conduit structures (arteries, veins and branching vessels), into or through myocardium, or into engagement with other anatomic structures that impact cardiac output to provide tensile support to the heart muscle wall which resists diastolic filling pressure while simultaneously providing a compressive force to the muscle wall to limit, compensate or provide therapeutic treatment for congestive heart failure and / or to reverse the remodeling that produces an enlarged heart.

An instrument and method are provided for sealing and joining or hemostatically dividing tissue, which is particularly suitable for laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The instrument makes use of the controlled application of a combination of heat and pressure to seal adjacent tissues, to join adjacent tissues, or to anastomose tissues, whereby tissue is heated for an optimal time and at an optimal temperature under optimal pressure to maximize tissue seal strength while minimizing collateral tissue damage. The instrument of the present invention is lightweight and therefore portable, and is particularly useful in field conditions where a source of external power may not be readily available.

An arthroscopic surgical temperature control system and method able to monitor and control the temperature within a surgical site during arthroscopic ablation procedures in order to prevent tissue damage is provided.

An electrically sensing and stimulating outer sheath for ensuring accurate surgical placement of a microsensor or a microstimulator near a nerve in living tissue is disclosed. The electrically sensing outer sheath may also be used to verify the function of the microstimulator or microsensor during surgical placement but before the outer sheath is removed. In the event that the microstimulator is not optimally placed near the nerve, or if the microstimulator is malfunctioning, this can be determined prior to removal of the outer sheath, thus reducing the possibility of nerve or tissue damage that might be incurred during a separate operation to remove the microstimulator.

Described are devices and methods for treating degenerative, congestive heart disease and related valvular dysfunction. Percutaneous and minimally invasive surgical tensioning structures offer devices that mitigate changes in the ventricular structure (i.e., remodeling) and deterioration of global left ventricular performance related to tissue damage precipitating from ischemia, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or other abnormalities. These tensioning structures can be implanted within various major coronary blood-carrying conduit structures (arteries, veins and branching vessels), into or through myocardium, or into engagement with other anatomic structures that impact cardiac output to provide tensile support to the heart muscle wall which resists diastolic filling pressure while simultaneously providing a compressive force to the muscle wall to limit, compensate or provide therapeutic treatment for congestive heart failure and / or to reverse the remodeling that produces an enlarged heart.

In vivo methods are provided for using an electric field to delivery therapeutic or immunizing treatment to a subject by applying non-invasive, user-friendly electrodes to the surface of the skin. Thus, therapeutic or immunizing agents can be delivered into cells of skin for local and systemic treatments or for immunization with optimal gene expression and minimal tissue damage. In particular, therapeutic agents include naked or formulated nucleic acid, polypeptides and chemotherapeutic agents.

An electrosurgical system and method for ablating, resecting, or cutting body structures, with minimal or no damage to tissue adjacent to the treatment site. The system includes an electrosurgical probe having a shaft with a shaft distal end bifurcated to provide first and second arms. First and second electrode supports are disposed on the first and second arms, respectively. At least one active electrode, in the form of a loop or partial loop, is arranged between the first and second electrode supports. A return electrode, also in the form of a loop or partial loop, is arranged between the first and second electrode supports distal to the active electrode. The active and return electrodes are configured to promote substantially high electric field intensities and associated high current densities between the active portion and the target site when a high frequency voltage is applied to the electrodes. These high current densities are sufficient to break down the tissue by processes including molecular dissociation of tissue components. In one embodiment, the high frequency voltage imparts energy to the target site to effect the vaporization and volumetric removal of a layer of tissue without causing substantial tissue damage beyond the layer of tissue ablated. In another embodiment, a fragment of target tissue is removed, with minimal or no damage to surrounding tissue, by a process including the molecular dissociation of tissue components, and the tissue fragment is retrieved for biopsy.

Devices and methods for the selective orientation of electrodes for effecting the controlled ablation, coagulation, or other modification of a target tissue in vivo with no or minimal collateral tissue damage. The subject devices are electrosurgical wands configured to only bend in a single plane. The subject methods involve use of the subject devices to prepare for the treatment of a target tissue site.

A surgical staple line reinforcement is provided for use with a variety of surgical staplers to protect against tissue damage from surgical staples. The surgical staple line reinforcement is made up of a tubular structure of bio-implantable material with one or more stiffening members attached to or integrated within the tubular structure to resist, prevent or inhibit movement, rotation, or longitudinal compression of the tubular structure.

A method and apparatus for treatment of skin or other tissue, using a source of thermal, electromagnetic radiation, electrical current, ultrasonic, mechanical or other type of energy, to cause minimally-invasive thermally-mediated effects in skin or other tissue which stimulates a wound-healing response, in conjunction with topical agents or other wound healing compositions, for application on the skin or other tissue which accelerate collagenesis, such as in response to wound healing. The dosage and time period of application of the compositions are adjusted to prevent external or surface tissue damage.

The present invention pertains to multiple piece irrigated ablation electrode assemblies wherein the irrigation channels are insulated or separated from at least one temperature sensing mechanism within the distal portion of the electrode assembly. The present invention further pertains to methods for improved assembly and accurate measurement and control of the electrode temperatures while effectively irrigating the device and target areas.

A system for determining probability of tissue damage is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of return electrodes adhered to a patient and adapted to couple to an electrosurgical generator configured to generate an electrosurgical current. The system also includes a current monitor and a switching component connected in series with each of the plurality of the return electrodes. The current monitor being configured to measure the electrosurgical current passing therethrough. The system further includes a processor coupled to each of the current monitors and the switching components. The processor is configured to determine the balance of a current load among the plurality of the return electrodes and configured to control each of the switching components to adjust the current passing through each of the return electrodes to balance the current load.

An electrosurgical system and method for ablating, resecting, or cutting body structures, with minimal or no damage to tissue adjacent to the treatment site. The system includes an electrosurgical probe having a shaft with a shaft distal end bifurcated to provide first and second arms. First and second electrode supports are disposed on the first and second arms, respectively. At least one active electrode, in the form of a loop or partial loop, is arranged between the first and second electrode supports. A return electrode, also in the form of a loop or partial loop, is arranged between the first and second electrode supports distal to the active electrode. The active and return electrodes are configured to promote substantially high electric field intensities and associated high current densities between the active portion and the target site when a high frequency voltage is applied to the electrodes. These high current densities are sufficient to break down the tissue by processes including molecular dissociation of tissue components. In one embodiment, the high frequency voltage imparts energy to the target site to effect the vaporization and volumetric removal of a layer of tissue without causing substantial tissue damage beyond the layer of tissue ablated. In another embodiment, a fragment of target tissue is removed, with minimal or no damage to surrounding tissue, by a process including the molecular dissociation of tissue components, and the tissue fragment is retrieved for biopsy.

A method of treating tissue damage comprises applying a negative pressure to a wound sufficient in time and magnitude to promote tissue migration and thus facilitate closure of the wound. The method is applicable to wounds, burns, infected wounds, and live tissue attachments. A wound treatment apparatus is provided in which a fluid impermeable wound cover is sealed over a wound site. A screen in the form of an open-cell foam screen or a rigid porous screen is placed beneath the wound cover over the wound. A vacuum pump supplies suction within the wound cover over the treatment site.

An array of ring electrodes or a wire electrode is mounted about the outside surface of the distal end of the ablation catheter. Substantially all of the outer surface of each ring or wire electrode is covered by an electrically insulating coating. The insulating surface coating on each ring defines a contoured opening in the insulating surface coating that exposes the conductive band or wire beneath. An array of contoured openings are formed along a wire electrode. The insulating coating mitigates potential edge effects that create hot spots and can result in unwanted tissue damage during an ablation procedure.

The present invention relates to injectable compositions comprising biocompatible, hydrophilic, non-toxic and substantially spherical microspheres associated with stem cells useful for tissue construction and generation. The invention also relates to methods of tissue construction and generation, for the treatment of various tissue damage and defects, using the injectable compositions.

An occlusion device comprises a first disk shaped portion made of shape memory material, and a second disk shaped portion made of shape memory material, the second disk shaped portion being connected to the first disk shaped portion, wherein at least one of the disk shaped portions has an edge portion that is arranged to have a bulbous profile.

Provided herein is a placental product comprising an immunocompatible amniotic membrane. Such placental products can be cryopreserved and contain viable therapeutic cells after thawing. The placental product of the present invention is useful in treating a patient with a tissue injury (e.g. wound or burn) by applying the placental product to the injury. Similar application is useful with ligament and tendon repair and for engraftment procedures such as bone engraftment.

Provided are implantable or surface mounted biomedical devices and related methods for interfacing with a target tissue. The devices have a substrate and device component supported by the substrate. The components of the device are specially configured and packaged to be ultra-thin and mechanically compliant. In particular, device thicknesses are less than 1 mm and have lateral dimensions between about 1 μm and 10 mm, depending on the application. Delivery substrates may be incorporated to assist with device implantation and handling. The devices can be shaped to provide injection in a minimally invasive manner, thereby avoiding unnecessary tissue damage and providing a platform for long-term implantation for interfacing with biological tissue.

The invention provides a variety of surgical instruments for forming a liquid jet, which are useful for performing a wide variety of surgical procedures. In some embodiments, the invention provides surgical liquid jet instruments having a pressure tube and an evacuation tube, where the pressure tube includes at least one nozzle for forming a liquid jet and where the evacuation tube includes a jet-receiving opening for receiving the liquid jet when the instrument is in operation. In some embodiments, the surgical liquid jet instrument is constructed to minimize damage to the tissue surrounding the tissue that is desired to be removed. In some embodiments, the outer surface of the distal tip of the evacuation tube wall and / or the pressure tube wall is blunted to minimize tissue damage. The invention also provides surgical methods utilizing the inventive surgical liquid jet instruments for cutting or ablating a selected tissue within portions of a patient's spine, such as within the intervertebral disc.

Methods and devices are disclosed for controlled mediation and / or improvement of inflammation, inflammation associated with pain, and pain by delivering non-ablative thermal tissue damage to portions of a region of tissue including a volume of inflamed tissue, thereby activating the immune systems pain relief response to the tissue damage.