Endoevolution, LLC

Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.

Covidien Ag

Cytyc Corporation

Suturtek Incorporated

Douglas M Macarthur

John C Meade

Gerald I Brecher

Stephen M Blinn

Brian R Edwards

Christopher Saulnier

Albert N Solbjor

John F Vacha

Simon M Furnish

Todd A Hall

Ben Morris

Robert Sakal

Meghan Brennan

Christopher Tocci

Christian A Moses

Christopher Sauliner

Albert Solbjor

A tissue closure device includes a pusher assembly having a drive arm extending from a drive shaft and a needle driver at a distal end of the drive arm, wherein the needle driver is capable of releasably engaging and rotating a suturing needle having a pointed end and a blunt end about a rotational axis and a cartridge having a protective housing and the suturing needle, the cartridge extending from a distal end of a cartridge holder assembly and releasably attached to the cartridge holder assembly. A pointed end of the suturing needle may be positioned within the protective housing before and after a complete rotation of the suturing needle about the rotational axis. A removable electronic module may be provided controlled by an actuator that mechanically engages the drive shaft to rotate the drive shaft and the needle driver, thereby rotating the suturing needle about the rotational axis.

Systems and methods for tissue closure

The disclosed technology is directed to a RF power generator and feedback control system used to regulate the electrical power delivered to a cutting filament (i.e., a cutting electrode) of an electrosurgical instrument. The electrosurgical instrument uses the delivered energy to form a cutting arc for ablating a tissue mass to access a target tissue therein. The instrument forms a basket-like receptacle around the target tissue to excise the target tissue from the ablated tissue mass. As the instrument forms the receptacle, the length of exposed filament ablating the tissue changes. To this end, the RF power generator described herein is configured to vary the total power delivered during the deployment of the instrument based on a measurement of output power derived from a differential phase angle between a current sense output and a voltage sense output, in some embodiments, to maintain a uniform power density along the length of exposed filament.

Electrosurgical generator and methods

Apparatus and method for tissue closure

An electrosurgical apparatus and method for cutting and resecting a tissue volume is described. The apparatus includes one or more electrosurgical filaments and capture components deployable by forward extension at or near a forward tip of an elongated shaft of the apparatus to form an elliptical path that defines, with the other capture components, a spheroidal receptacle configured to surround a tissue volume for resection. The elliptical path is formable by a first extension followed by a second extension, said first extension having a first axial component and a radial expansion component, and said second extension having a second axial component and a radial contraction component, where at least one of the capture components is of varying stiffness.

Electrosurgical method and apparatus with varying stiffness capture components

A tissue closure device includes a pusher assembly having a drive arm extending from a drive shaft and a drive mechanism at a distal end of the drive arm, wherein the drive mechanism is capable of releasably engaging and rotating a suturing needle having a pointed end and a blunt end about a rotational axis and a cartridge having a protective housing and the suturing needle, the cartridge extending from a distal end of a cartridge holder assembly and releasably attached to the cartridge holder assembly. A pointed end of the suturing needle may be positioned within the protective housing before and after a complete rotation of the suturing needle about the rotational axis. A removable electronic module may be provided controlled by an actuator that mechanically engages the drive shaft to rotate the drive shaft and the drive mechanism, thereby rotating the suturing needle about the rotational axis.

Suturing needle

Apparatus and method for sternotomy closure

A medical instrument including a ductal access device comprising a low profile, ergonomic manifold hub usable to introduce fluids into a breast duct and collect ductal fluid samples including ductal epithelial cells and clumps of ductal epithelial cells from within a breast duct. The ductal access device also comprises an elongated access catheter having a distal end, one lumen and dimensions which permit introduction of the distal end through a ductal orifice so that a distal end of the catheter may be positioned distal to the ductal sphincter of a human breast. The medical instrument may also include and activate valve and a Nitinol introducer.

Ductal lavage microcatheter with user activated valve and Nitinol introducer

Growing community of inventors

Acton, MA, United States of America

Douglas M Macarthur