Other

Autogenesis Technologies, Inc.

C. R. Bard, Inc.

Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Collagenesis, Inc.

Darby & Darby

Charles D Kelman

Dale P DeVore

Dale Paul DeVore

Roman Perez-Soler

Bradford C Stahl

Robert S Dorfman

Ralph C Marcove

Diana S Langley

Philip R Casson

The present invention is directed towards a surgical system and method of use for treating and removing unwanted tissue, preferably from an organ or other internal part of a patient. The system includes a cryosurgical component for first freezing the unwanted living tissue by forming an ice mass which completely encompasses the unwanted living tissue and means for treating the cryogenically-treated tissue and then removing the tissue while it remains in a frozen state. In one embodiment, an ultrasonic device is used to ultrasonically vibrate the cryogenically-treated tissue to break apart the frozen tissue and the frozen broken-up pieces of tissue are removed using a technique, such as an aspiration process.

Cryogenic surgical system and method of use in removal of tissue

A supplemental lens assembly for attachment to the position fixation means of a primary intraocular lens to change its optical characteristics. The assembly comprises a supplemental lens body with at least one connecting member extending from it and adapted for attachment to the position fixation means of the primary lens.

Clip-on optic assembly

A snowboard with a single lateral edge modified and/or a device for modifying a single lateral edge of a snowboard for the purpose of making the snowboard easier to control while learning to traverse snow covered slopes on the snowboard. A single edge of the snowboard is modified such that at least a portion of the edge is provided with a structure having a rounded profile of substantially larger radius of curvature than would result from merely rounding the sharp corners of the edge of the snowboard. The structure is positioned so that an arcuate surface is directed outwardly and downwardly from the edge. The structure of substantially larger radius of curvature can be provided in the form of permanent integrally formed swellings of portions of the snowboard edge, or could be provided by one or more removable members attached to the snowboard edge. The removable members are provided with a clearance which engages the edge, and fasteners to mount the member to the edge. Alternatively, the structure may embrace the edge of the snowboard with a friction fit sufficient to keep it mounted on the board in use. The surface of the structure preferably has a low coefficient of friction so that it slides easily in snow.

Attachment for a snowboard for learning snowboard skiing

A device for systematically placing a golf ball on a tee and driving the tee into the ground, to thereby tee-up the golf ball, includes a base with a hopper for holding a supply of tees, and an elongate housing movably fitted to the base. A ball silo within the housing holds a supply of golf balls in a vertical array along a longitudinal axis. While maintaining the base on the ground and applying a downward force on a handle at the top of the housing, the housing is moved relative to the base through a selected range of downward movement, defining a stroke. The stroke movement drives a feed assembly and a pick-up arm to deliver a tee into a loaded position in axial alignment with the longitudinal axis below a lowermost ball in the silo. Thereafter, a timing assembly releases the lowermost ball onto the tee and continued downward movement through the stroke exerts pressure on the top of the ball, thereby driving the tee into the ground. An adjustment member on the housing enables selective adjustment of the stroke distance to thereby control the depth to which the tee is driven into the ground, and thus the height at which the ball is supported above the ground surface. Upon release of the downward force on the handle, springs urge the housing upwardly through a return movement to the first position as the timing assembly drops the remaining balls in the silo one lowered position so that a next successive lowermost ball is held in position to be dropped on a tee during the next downward stroke.

Golf ball tee-up device

An improved method and apparatus for treating herniated discs involving the preliminary intra annular ultrasonic softening of the herniated disc portions to be removed with a discectomy instrument that suctions and cuts the softened portions of the herniated disc. An ultrasonic probe is inserted into the central region of the disc to soften the desired region. A discectomy instrument is subsequently inserted into the softened portion of the disc and tissue is removed by suctioning the softened tissue portion into the tip of the instrument needle and severing the suctioned portion of the disc within the tip of the needle. The cut material is then aspirated.

Intra annular ultrasound disc apparatus and method

Collagen-based compositions as adhesives and sealants for medical use and preparation thereof are described. Prior to polymerization, soluble or partially fibrillar collagen monomers in solution are chemically modified with an acylating agent, sulfonating agent or a combination of the foregoing. The collagen compositions prepared accordingly can be used as medical adhesives for bonding soft tissues or be made in to a sealant film for a variety of medical uses such as wound closures and tendon wraps for preventing adhesion formation following surgery.

Method for sealing tissues with collagen-based sealants

A two piece anterior chamber artificial intraocular lens for treating high myopia conditions by implantation in an eye after extracapsular removal of the natural eye lens is disclosed. The two-piece assembly is inserted through a minimum size incision in the eye. The lens includes a lens body or optic and a separate ring-shaped tension frame therefor containing light masking means for inhibiting light rays directed toward the outer edge portions of the lens body from being scattered thereby toward the retina after the assembled lens has been inserted into the eye. The lens body or optic is generally circular and conveniently made of shape retaining plastic. The optic is generally smaller than the diameter of a pupil dilated for night vision, and is surrounded by a snugly fitting annular opaque or semi-opaque ring or frame having a C-shaped cross section and a peripherally extending fin of the same material. The fin is preferably formed of flexible material which is bent during insertion to allow insertion of the two-piece assembly through a minimal size corneal incision. The lens is also provided with position fixation means, such as haptics, which are integrally formed with the lens body and extend outward in the generally horizontal plane of the lens body for seating the lens in the eye. The ring-shaped frame is preferably mated with the lens during manufacturing.

High myopia anterior chamber lens with anti-glare mask

The present invention relates to a method of treating a patient with visco-surgery, particularly ocular visco-surgery, utilizing a collagen-based viscoelastic solution having a reversibly high viscosity. The invention also relates to collagen-based viscoelastic solutions which further include mucopolysaccarides or growth factors.

Collagen-based viscoelastic solution for visco-surgery

An eyeglass lens selection system for untrained persons includes a carrier that is slidably mounted in a viewer module. An eye chart faces the viewer module and an elongated arm connects the chart to the viewer module and lens carrier. The carrier is an elongated strip having a plurality of lenses along its length, each of the lenses has a different refractive power. The lenses are molded of polymethyl methacrylate in a one-piece lens/carrier assembly. In use, a prospective purchaser of eyeglasses looks with one eye at the eye chart through an opening in the viewer module and through a single lens on the carrier. The carrier is slidingly moved through the viewer module so that each lens, in turn, is used in viewing the eye chart until a clear image on the chart is obtained. The procedure is repeated for the other eye. The lenses that provide the clear images are identified from indicia on the carrier and eyeglasses are assembled from kits containing a large number of lenses in different optical strengths, and a selection of eyeglass frames that can accommodate the selected lenses.

Lens selection system

The present invention provides a biologically compatible collagenous reaction product comprising ethylenically unsaturated monomerically substituted collagen, the monomeric substituents being essentially free of nitrogen, e.g., methyacrylate, styrene, polyvinyl, ethylene. The collagenous reaction product can be polymerized, e.g., by exposure to UV irradiation, chemical agents or atmospheric oxygen, and molded to form useful medical implant articles. Methods of preparation are also provided.

Biologically compatible collagenous reaction product and articles useful

Injectable collagen-based compositions can be used in methods to fill a lens capsular sac, following lens extraction procedures, to form a new intraocular lens. Purified soluble or partially fibrillar collagen may be modified with acylating agents, sulfonating agents or combinations thereof to form a clear, transparent collagen composition having indices of refraction between about 1.2 to 1.6. The modified collagen may injected into a lens capsular sac to form an intraocular lens (IOL) in situ. The IOL is clear, transparent, resistant to epithelialization and is capable of accommodation. The collagen-based IOL produced by the method of the present invention may remain in its original viscous liquid state or may be polymerized into a soft gel. The collagen-based IOL may be used to replace diseased or natural lens to treat cataracts, presbyopia, myopia and hyperopia.

Method of making intraocular lenses with injectable collagen-based

A detachable eyeglass assembly for a visored headgear includes a clip for removable attachment to the visor. The clip is adopted to extend from one side edge to the other side edge of the visor perpendicular to the wearer's frontal line of vision, and the visor is gripped or frictionally retained at it opposite side edges by the clip. An eyeglass member having a transparent portion connects to the clip by pivot means so as to be able to tilt up out of the user's line of vision. The length of the clips between the ends that grasp the side edges of the visor, is adjustable whereby the distance between the sunglass member and the user's eyes is selectable. The detachable sunglass assembly is useable on a variety of visored headgear.

Detachable eyeglass assembly for visored headgear

An improved tip for use with a device for disintegrating tissue located in a predominantly liquid environment. The tip is connected to an oscillation generator, which results in ultrasonic oscillating movement along the tip axis. When placed within the posterior capsule of an eye, the tip causes the tissue of the natural lens in close proximity to disintegrate. The tip has an elongated curved portion having a convex front surface, a concave rear surface and a rear-facing end surface. The elongated curve of the tip and the rear facing end surface allow easy access to all areas of the capsular bag, some of which were relatively unreachable with known ultrasonic tips.

Elongated curved cavitation-generating tip for disintegrating tissue

The present invention relates to a method for bonding soft tissues. The method comprises the steps of (a) applying a polymerizable collagen composition onto at least portion of a surface of at least one of a first tissue and a second tissue, (b) exposing the polymerizable collagen composition to an initiator so as to initiate polymerization of the polymerizable collagen composition and (c) contacting the first tissue and the second tissue so that the exposed polymerizable collagen composition forms a bond between the first tissue and the second tissue.

Method for bonding soft tissue with collagen-based adhesives and sealants

Production of a chemically modified, crosslinkable, telopeptide-containing, naturally crosslinked, solubilized collagen from tissue obtained from a sole human donor, for implanting in the same donor, by chemically modifying the tissue, e.g. by acylation and/or esterification, to form an autoimplantable, crosslinkable, telopeptide-containing, naturally crosslinked, collagen product, as a completely solubilized collagen solution, optionally of high index of refraction for correcting sight or as a partially solubilized collagen suspension; and use of the product for altering the condition of in situ tissue of the same human donor by autoimplantation, such as by crosslinking the product to form an implant device, by placing an effective amount of the product at the tissue site and crosslinking the product in situ, or by partially crosslinking the product and placing an effective amount thereof at the tissue site and optionally further crosslinking the product in situ.

Growing community of inventors

Floral Park, NY, United States of America

Charles D Kelman