Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Alcon Manufacturing, Ltd.

Cordis Corporation

Other

Siemens-pacesetter, Inc.

Neuro Navigational Corporation

Endovascular, Inc.

Vandolay, Inc.

Baxter International Inc.

Alcon, Inc.

Endomedix, Inc.

Dimed, Incorporated

Novartis Ag

Donald M Cohen

Glenn R Sussman

Martin J Padget

Thomas G Capetan

Derek J Daw

George M Acosta

John Aoki

George F Kick

Lance Kumm

Shea Bassett

Rith N Kimm

James R Thacker

Alan De La Rama

Mandar V Shah

Anthony A Nobles

Michael D Hooven

Uday Doshi

Kerry L Markwardt

Edmund E Spaeth

James E Barcel

Clyde D Elliott

Werner Hafelfinger

Alfredo Soria

Luiz Da Silva

Marc Lieberman

The current invention is an accommodating apparel or brace. It is intended to be convenient and comfortable. When the brace wearer is at rest, the brace exerts only modest forces against the body. When the brace wearer is active, the brace tightens and diverts load to protect the body part. The brace accommodation may include application of stronger fixation when activity begins and which persists as long as the activity does. It may also include application of forces around the body part to shift load away from the target part. The accommodation also includes relaxation of forces applied to the wearer when the wearer relaxes.

Auto-accommodating therapeutic brace

An apparatus and methods for treating lesions on skin are presented. The apparatus collects information about a lesion and can automatically determine a course of treatment for the lesion. The device can include a controller that positions the nozzle proximate to a surface region of the lesion and automatically dispenses a pulse of the cryogenic fluid from the nozzle. The controller then positions the nozzle proximate to another surface region of the lesion and automatically dispenses a pulse of the cryogenic fluid from the nozzle.

Automated cryogenic skin treatment

An improved solution for use in the removal of cataractous lenses via liquefracture is described. The liquefracture solution contains a viscosity-enhancing agent to increase the residence time of the solution in the heating chamber of the liquefracture handpiece, thereby increasing the expulsion force of the solution from the handpiece (i.e., 'pulse force'). An agent that releases gas when the liquefracture solution is heated in the handpiece may also be included in the solution, thereby also enhancing the pulse force of the solution upon expulsion from the handpiece. The solution preferably also contains a partially water-soluble agent that forms a temporarily insoluble precipitate when heated in a liquefracture handpiece. The precipitate acts as an abrasive agent when expelled with the liquefracture solution from the handpiece, thereby facilitating the cutting and disintegration of the cataractous lens material.

Solution for removing cataracts via liquefracture

A blood vessel occlusion system and method includes a handheld probe including a power source, the probe being adapted to transmit energy from the power source through a body surface and into a target blood vessel, for example a varicose vein. Further included is a manual or automatic switch mechanism adapted to enable and disable the power source in response to a predetermined level of compression applied, by means of the probe against the target blood vessel. When the blood vessel is compressed sufficiently to collapse and substantially slow or substantially prevent a flow of blood therethrough, the power source is activated and the vessel is cauterized, leaving the blood vessel in a condition that is resistant to recanalization.

Vascular occlusion systems and methods

A surgical handpiece having at least two lumens or tubes mounted to a body. At least one tube is used for aspiration and at least one other tube is used to inject heated surgical fluid for liquefying a cataractous lens. A portion of the second tube is enlarged to form a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the second tube. The pumping chamber may use a pair of electrodes.

Surgical handpiece

Pumping chamber for a liquefracture handpiece

Method of operating a liquefracture handpiece

A surgical handpiece having two coaxial tubes or channels mounted within a body. The first tube is used for aspiration and is smaller in diameter than the second tube so as to create an annular passage between the first and second tube. The annular passage communicates with a pumping chamber formed between two electrodes. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the annular passage. The distal end of the annular gap is sealed by sealing together the distal ends of the first and second tube and a plurality or orifices or ports may be formed near the seal. As the expanding gas is propelled down the annular gap, the gas/liquid stream is forced out of the distal orifices in a controlled and directed manner. The distal end of the first and second tubes may contain a bend.

Liquefracture handpiece tip

A surgical handpiece having two coaxial tubes or channels mounted within a body. The first tube is used for aspiration and is smaller in diameter than the second tube so as to great an annular passage between the first and second tube. The annular passage communicates with a pumping chamber formed between two electrodes. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the annular passage. The electrodes are insulated from each other.

A surgical handpiece and tip having two coaxial tubes or channels mounted within a body. The first tube is used for aspiration and is smaller in diameter than the second tube so as to create an annular passage between the first and second tube. The annular passage communicates with a pumping chamber formed between two electrodes. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the annular passage. The distal end of the annular gap is sealed by a nozzle at the distal ends of the first and second tube and a plurality of orifices or ports may be formed in the nozzle. As the expanding gas is propelled down the annular gap, the gas/liquid stream is forced out of the distal orifice in a controlled and directed manner.

A surgical handpiece having a tube used to inject heated surgical fluid for liquefying a cataractous lens. A portion of the tube is enlarged to form a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the second tube. The pumping chamber may use a pair of electrodes. To control the expulsion of the fluid, valves are placed on either side of the boiling chamber.

Pumping chamber for a liquefaction handpiece

A surgical handpiece having two coaxially mounted tubes or channels mounted to a body. The first tube is used for aspiration and is smaller in diameter than the second tube so as to create an annular passage between the first and second tube. The annular gap communicates with a pumping chamber formed between two electrodes. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the annular gap. The distal end of the annular gap is sealed by frictionally fitting together the distal ends of the first and second tube. One or more grooves formed in either the first or second tubes allow fluid being propelled down the annular gap to escape. A stop may be provided against which the escaping fluid impinges such as by crimping the second tube near the distal end of the second tube.

A tip for a liquefraction surgical handpiece uses at least two tubes. One tube is used for aspiration and another, smaller tube is used to inject heated surgical fluid for liquefying a cataractous lens. The distal portion of the injection tube terminates just inside of the aspiration tube so that heated fluid escaping the injection tube is reflected off of the internal wall of the aspiration tube prior to entering the eye. The internal wall is textured or roughened to further diffract the fluid stream. Such an arrangement prevents the injected fluid from directly entering the eye. The handpiece may also contain other tube, for example, for injecting relatively cool surgical fluid.

Tip for a liquefracture handpiece

A surgical handpiece having at least two lumens mounted to a body. At least one lumen is used for aspiration and at least one other lumen is used to inject heated surgical fluid for liquefying a cataractous lens. A portion of the second lumen is enlarged to form a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the second lumen. The pumping chamber may use any type of heater, such as a resistive heater or an induction heater. The handpiece may also contain other lumens for injecting relatively cool surgical fluid.

Liquefaction handpiece

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Donald M Cohen