Heinz Kurz Gmbh Medizintechnik

Heinz Kurz

Uwe Steinhardt

Thomas Lenarz

Walter Gamer

Axel Lang

Jack M Kartush

Daniel Felix Awengen

Daniel F àWengen

Walter Heckmann

Daniel F &agrave; Wengen

Seilesh Babu

Georg Schmid

Thomas Prof Dr Dr Lenarz

Thomas Prof Dr Med Lenarz

Daniel Felix àWengen

Dr Albrecht Eiber

A passive ossicular prosthesis has a sound-conducting prosthesis body with a first coupling element for mechanical connection to the incus, malleus, or an actuator end piece of an active hearing aid at one end. The bight is made of a strip-shaped metallic material, partially open toward the outside via a gap-type opening and is intraoperatively crimped in the middle ear for permanent attachment. There is a second coupling element at the other end of the prosthesis body for connection to a further component of the ossicular chain or directly to the inner ear. The bight includes elongated perforations with longitudinal axes extending, in the implanted state, along a curved trajectory at a right angle or slant relative to an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis (a) of the enclosed object to reduce spring action and stiffness and markedly reduce the force to be applied for the crimping.

Ossicular prosthesis having a longitudinally perforated bight

A medical cutting device for producing thin cartilage disks has a device body with a first holding device with a first working section having a first recess disposed on a top side of the device body such that the first recess is entirely or partially enclosed by a first delimiting ridge and, a connecting section that is directly, rigidly adjoined by the first working section and a cover with a counterpart section to the connecting section that is directly, rigidly adjoined by a first pressure section, which comprises a central, first pressure plate that is resiliently held in the first pressure section and, in an operating state for producing thin cartilage disks, is disposed opposite the first recess, which is entirely or partially enclosed by the first delimiting ridge.

Disposable cartilage cutter

An ossicular prosthesis formed as a sound-conducting, elongated prosthesis body has a first coupling element designed as a tympanic membrane top plate or a clip or a connecting piece to an actuator end piece of an active hearing implant and a second coupling element provided with an access opening into a receiving space designed as a bell or a clip for a mechanical connection of the prosthesis to the head of the stapes. The second coupling element has a backing section on an inner surface of the receiving space as an axial extension of the prosthesis body. The backing section protrudes from the prosthesis body into the receiving space. In an implanted state, the backing section bears against a head of the stapes and prevents a formation of a hollow space between the stapes and an inner surface of the receiving space in an axial extension of the elongated prosthesis body. As a result, additional degrees of freedom are obtained for individualized adaptation to anatomical circumstances of a specific patient in terms of shape, size and position of the patient's stapes bone.

Ossicle prosthesis comprising a built-up attaching element

A total prosthesis for the middle ear, with a prosthesis body, with a first coupling element for connection of the prosthesis to the tympanic membrane or for coupling to the manubrium, and with a second coupling element for connection to the footplate of the stirrup, which second coupling element has a receiving part, connected rigidly to the prosthesis body, and has an insert part with a plug element that can be inserted coaxially, and with a shoe that is connected rigidly to the plug element and that bears on the footplate of the stirrup, is characterized in that the receiving part has an elongate cavity as a receiving opening with a cylindrical bore which extends axially and encloses the full circumference of the plug element and whose inside diameter is greater than the maximum transverse extent of the plug element, which elongate cavity is closed at the end away from the insert part and acts as an end abutment for the plug element, and in that the second coupling element extends axially by at most a third of the axial length of the prosthesis body. In this way, it is easy to produce a desired defined length of the prosthesis, which also remains fixed after surgery, and it is also possible, during surgery, to react to the specific individual situation of the stirrup bone.

Modular total prosthesis for the middle ear

A passive ossicular prosthesis includes a first and second fastening element for connection to the tympanic membrane. A connecting element connects the fastening elements in a sound-conducting manner. The connecting element includes a receiving part and an insertion part. The insertion part is inserted into a receiving opening of the receiving part. The receiving part encloses an end section of the insertion part in the manner of a clamp by way of two opposing, parallel legs disposed parallel to a shank axis of the connecting element. The legs have catch devices that fix the enclosed end section discrete spatial positions relative to the shank axis.

Variable-length passive ossicular prosthesis

An ossicle prosthesis has, at on one end, a first fastening element for connection to the tympanic membrane or a component of the ossicular chain, on the other end, a second fastening element for connection to a further component of the ossicular chain, or directly to the inner ear, and a connecting element that connects the two fastening elements in a sound-conducting manner, and it also includes an elongated applicator for transferring the ossicle prosthesis from a sterile packaging to the surgical site and for insertion into the middle ear or the auditory meatus, with a free end extending away from the prosthesis and used for handling purposes, and with an engagement part which is initially fastened to the prosthesis in a non-positive or form-fit manner, or via a material bridge which may be broken off or sheared off, and which may be detached and removed together with the applicator once the prosthesis has been inserted into the ear. This prosthesis may be removed from the sterile packaging and immediately inserted directly into the auditory meatus of the patient, or inserted into the middle ear in a standardized manner, without the use of additional tools, while ensuring that handling during surgery is optimal and tailored to the geometry of the prosthesis and ruling out the possibility of damage occurring via the gripping and transfer of the prosthesis.

Passive ossicle prosthesis comprising applicator

A medical device that is composed of a sterilizable material, is used to create thin cartilage discs, and includes a device body and a cover with a plurality of holding devices, each of which includes a section that with a recess located in the top side of the device body, the recess being entirely or partially enclosed by a delimiting ridge, and being closable via a projection located on the top side of the cover, and in which the lateral delimiting ridge has a guide slot, into which a cutting blade is inserted and guided via an end face of the section and extends, at a distance that differs for each section, parallel to the bottom surface of the particular recess. It is therefore possible to create thin cartilage discs having certain, different thicknesses and a consistent level of quality, even without using the known shims.

A device for adjusting and fixing relative position between an actuator end piece of an active hearing implant and an element of the ossicular chain or a coupling part to the human inner ear has a connecting element with a first coupling element for coupling to the actuator end piece, a second coupling element, and a shaft-shaped middle part, and the first coupling element geometrically encompasses the actuator end piece with two opposing parallel arms each having a pattern element to fix the encompassed actuator end piece in selectable discrete axial positions in a direction parallel to an axis of the shaft-shaped middle part, for variable-length adaptation and fixing of the actuator end piece relative to the first coupling element in a direction transverse to the axis.

Device for variable-length fixing of the actuator end piece of an active hearing implant in the middle ear

An ossicular prosthesis has a first fastening element for connection to the tympanic membrane or a component of the ossicular chain, a second fastening element for connection to a further component of the ossicular chain, or directly to the inner ear, an elongated connecting element that connects the two fastening elements in a sound-conducting manner and includes an adjusting device for adjusting the axial length of the prosthesis and including at least two partial strands that extend symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the connecting element, are extendable and/or compressible in the axial direction, are permanently plastically deformable, and are folded into a plurality of loops transversely to the longitudinal axis before being deformed. As a result, a relatively simple design of the adjusting device considerably reduces the number of different prostheses that must be kept on hand, while ensuring that the prosthesis may be optimally adapted for a specific case.

Variable-length ossicular prosthesis

An auditory ossicle prosthesis () which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element () for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at its other end, a second securing element () for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element () that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first securing element has a radially inner coupling area () for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements () for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions () of the first securing element, is characterized in that the web elements are of such a geometric configuration, and their material so chosen, that the web elements can be easily broken off and the radially outer portions appended to them detached from the first securing element, such that the external diameter of the first securing element is reduced in this area. This means that the number of different prostheses to be kept ready during an operation can be reduced to a single standard prosthesis, without losing the possibility of optimal adaptation of the prosthesis to the specific case of use.

Auditory ossicle prosthesis with variable coupling surfaces

An auditory ossicle prosthesis () which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element () for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at the other end, a second securing element () for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element () that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first securing element has a radially inner coupling area () for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements () for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions () of the first securing element, is characterized in that the coupling area, the web elements and the radially outer portions are of such a geometric configuration, and their material so chosen, that a plastic deformation is effected by stretching or pushing together in the plane of the plate of the first securing element, by means of which plastic deformation the external diameter of the first securing element is permanently increased or reduced. This means that the number of different prostheses to be kept ready during an operation can be reduced to a single standard prosthesis, without losing the possibility of optimal adaptation of the prosthesis to the specific case of use.

An auditory ossicle prosthesis () which comprises, at one end, a plate-shaped first securing element () for bearing on the tympanic membrane or on the footplate of the stirrup, and, at its other end, a second securing element () for mechanical connection to the ossicular chain or to the inner ear, and also a connection element () that connects the two securing elements so as to conduct sound, wherein the first securing element has a radially inner coupling area () for coupling the first securing element to the connection element, and also a plurality of web elements (&#x2033;) for radial connection of the coupling area to radially outer portions (') of the first securing element, is characterized in that the coupling area and/or the web elements and/or the radially outer portions are of such a geometric configuration that they together form pieces of a jigsaw from which the first securing element can be assembled in its entirety, wherein the individual jigsaw pieces can be joined to one another or removed from one another, and wherein the first securing element is inherently mechanically stable in the state with the jigsaw pieces joined together. This means that the number of different prostheses to be kept ready during an operation can be reduced to a single standard prosthesis, without losing the possibility of optimal adaptation of the prosthesis to the specific case of use.

A device for determining the required length of a middle ear prosthesis, having a disk-shaped base part to which prosthesis mockups or prostheses of different lengths are fastened, which, after being detached from the base part, can be inserted by an applicator into the middle ear of a patient during an operation for length determination purposes, in which the base part is provided with accessories for measuring and/or shaping the middle ear prosthesis to be inserted, so that this provides the operator with an even more simplified handling of prosthesis mockups or prostheses during the operation; no additional separate parts have to be used and instead, the handling means are compactly provided on or integrated into the device itself.

Device for adjusting the length of middle ear implants

An ossicle prosthesis () includes a first securing element () and a second securing element (), the second securing element connected to a member of the ossicle chain. The ossicle chain ends at the first securing element in a ball joint, which includes two struts () solidly connected to the first securing element (). The two struts enclose a gaplike space, in which a ball () is pivotably supported in two recesses (), the ball () being part of an elongated shaft () that connects the first and second securing elements and includes many balls () adjacent to one another. The elongated shaft is displaceable through the gaplike space between the two struts and through a perforation () in the first securing element, where one of the balls snaps between the respective recesses. The gaplike space can be made narrower between the two struts () of the ball joint for fixation of the shaft () after the desired length has been adjusted.

Ossicle prosthesis

A device for determining a length of a middle ear prosthesis has a base part for mounting prosthesis models of different lengths, and an applicator with which the prosthesis models after being released from the base part, are introducible during an operation into the middle ear.

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Dusslingen, Germany

Heinz Kurz