Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.

University of Minnesota

Evan Mark Gustafson

Scott Richard Hopper

Scott M Hanson

Adam J Rivard

Joseph P Ricci

Chad C Whiterabbit

Darren A Janzig

Phillip C Falkner

Michael T Hegland

Arthur Guy Erdman

Dale F Seeley

Thomas I Miller

Ryan C Moore

Gerald G Lindner

Bruce A Behymer

Raymond F McMullen

Bryan L Sparrowhawk

Seth M Humphrys

Douglas Scott Cerny

David W Polly

Bret Taylor

Jeffrey R Dixon

David Nuckley

Charles Thomas Bombeck

Dennis Manes

Darrin E Dickerson

Brian Engelhardt

Timothy J Pommer

Charles Gerald Tan Ledonio

Joshua D Trevorrow

A medical lead may be fabricated using an electrode fixture ((A)-(D)) configured to facilitate circumferential and axial alignment between electrodes of the lead. In one example, a method includes positioning an electrode fixture around at least one conductor of a plurality of conductors () for a medical lead, wherein the electrode fixture at least partially retains an electrode assembly. The method also includes electrically coupling a portion of the at least one conductor with at least a portion of the electrode assembly at an attachment area defined by the electrode assembly when the electrode assembly is at least partially retained by the electrode fixture.

Structures and techniques for medical lead fabrication

Tips for use on a tunneling tool provide the ability to pull an implantable medical lead extension or catheter body through a subcutaneous tunnel. The tips may include a pin with a barb, where the barb is inserted within a compliant portion of a connector body of the lead extension or a catheter body to create an interference fit that allows the connector body or catheter body to be pulled through the tunnel. The tips may include a carrier that has a cavity for the connector body, where the tunneling is performed with the carrier present on the tunneling tool. A body is positioned within the cavity of the carrier to prevent tissue from snagging on and collecting within the carrier. The body may include a tip portion that performs the tunneling function. The carrier may also provide tunneling and/or may be attached to the tunneling tool during tunneling.

Tools and methods for implantation of implantable medical lead extensions or catheters

A fiber optic connector assembly incorporates features that improve structural rigidity and the integrity of transmitted signals. These features also facilitate a technique for reversing polarity of the connector assembly with little or no risk of twisting the optical fibers and without requiring the housing assembly to be disassembled. The connector is marked or embossed with transmit and receive connector labels that facilitate visual identification of the polarity of the connector. One side of the duplex connector can be marked with 'A' and 'B' labels corresponding to the receive and transmit connectors, respectively. The opposite side of the duplex connector can be marked with two &#x201c;A&#x201d; labels corresponding to the receive and transmit connectors, respectively. Thus, a user can readily identify whether the connector is configured for &#x201c;A-B&#x201d; polarity or &#x201c;A-A&#x201d; polarity.

Polarity identification for polarity reversing duplex unibody connectors

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for a fiber optic connector assembly configured for polarity reversal in accordance with some embodiments. An assembly may include a housing to receive a fiber optic cable, at least one back post connected with the housing, a ferrule including at least an optical fiber of the fiber optic cable, insertable into the back post, and a connector component comprising a front housing. The front housing may hold at least a portion of the ferrule and detachably couple with the back post. The back post may include a retaining element to provide rotatable coupling of the front housing relative to the ferrule, the back post and the housing. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Duplex fiber optic components suitable for polarity reversal

A dust cap for use with a fiber optic connector. The connector has a ferrule comprising an optical fiber. The ferrule has an end portion that includes an end surface of the optical fiber through which optical signals are transmitted. The dust cap includes a cover and wiping material. The cover is removably positionable over the end portion of the ferrule. The wiping material is positioned at least partially inside the cover. The wiping material may be adjacent the end surface of the optical fiber when the cover is positioned over the end portion of the ferrule. The wiping material may be wiped across the end surface of the optical fiber when the cover is positioned over the end portion of the ferrule. The wiping material may be moveable with respect to the end surface of the optical fiber and may wipe thereacross when moved.

Methods and devices for preventing contamination of fiber optic connectors

A fiber optic connector assembly incorporates features that improve structural rigidity and the integrity of transmitted signals. These features also allow the connector assembly to be accessed easily in high density connectivity environments. These features also facilitate a technique for reversing polarity of the connector assembly with little or no risk of twisting the optical fibers and without requiring the housing assembly to be disassembled. The connector assembly is constructed using a small number of parts, thereby maintaining low maintenance costs while yielding a sturdy structure. A puller can be added to the connector assembly to improve access in congested connectivity applications without increasing the size profile. Chamfered front faces afford a degree of alignment tolerance when plugging the connector assembly into an adapter. Features of the connector assembly can be implemented in both a duplexed housing version as well as a paired simplex clipped version.

Fiber optic connector

A spinal probe comprises a handle, a shaft coupled to the handle and a force sensor to detect forces applied to a tip of the shaft. A controller that executes a predictive algorithm to predict whether or not the tip of the shaft is going to breach a cortex of a pedicle based on the detected forces. The controller may be embedded within the spinal probe or external within a computer or other device coupled to the probe by a data acquisition component.

Spinal probe with tactile force feedback and pedicle breach prediction

Kits provide management of implantable lead extensions being implanted by providing a kit body with features that retain the extension in a configuration, with amounts being removed as needed during the implantation procedure. The kit can be present within a sterile field, and the kit body features may be arranged so that a length of a path that the extension forms is approximately equal to a length of the extension needed for the tunnel. The kit body may include features that allow the connectors of the extension as well as implantation tools to be retained within the kit body while being easily accessed when needed during the procedure. The kit may be coupled to the patient during the trial period, as the extension may have an implanted distal connector while having a proximal connector coupled to an external stimulator and while being retained on the kit body.

Kits and methods for implanting an implantable lead extension

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Evan Mark Gustafson