Epicor Medical, Inc.

Epicor, Inc.

St Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc

Abbott Laboratories Corporation

Jack E Ulstad, Jr

Scott Clinton Anderson

Matthias Vaska

David A Gallup

Roxanne L Richman

Benjamin D Pless

Jonathan L Podmore

John Edwards Crowe

Timothy Edward Ciciarelli

Banjamin Pless

William M Ambrisco

Lauretta A Iwamasa

The invention provides apparatus and methods for mapping conduction pathways and creating lesions in the heart wall for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The apparatus may include at least one epicardial ablation probe having a plurality of electrodes for creating a lesion. The apparatus and method facilitate the formation of a lesion which electrically isolates the pulmonary veins from the surrounding myocardium.

Apparatus and method for diagnosis and therapy of electrophysiological disease

A control system alters one or more characteristics of an ablating element to ablate tissue. In one aspect, the control system delivers energy nearer to the surface of the tissue by changing the frequency or power. In another aspect, the ablating element delivers focused ultrasound which is focused in at least one dimension. The ablating device may also have a number of ablating elements with different characteristics such as focal length. The invention provides an ablation apparatus and methods for ablating tissue wherein the ablation apparatus may have ablating elements that are moveable relative to the tissue to be ablated without the need to relocate the apparatus as a whole.

Apparatus and method for ablating tissue

A control system alters one or more characteristics of an ablating element to ablate tissue. In one aspect, the control system delivers energy nearer to the surface of the tissue by changing the frequency or power. In another aspect, the ablating element delivers focused ultrasound which is focused in at least one dimension. The ablating device may also have a number of ablating elements with different characteristics such as focal length.

Method of ablating tissue around the pulmonary veins

Method of ablating tissue from an epicardial location

A dripless cannula system usable with a syringe or other fluid container in a fluid sampling procedure and operable to minimize retention of residual fluids at a sampling site following the sampling procedure. In the preferred embodiment, a vacuum chamber operatively connected to a blunt cannula of the dripless cannula system is operative upon withdrawal of the cannula from the sampling site to draw residual fluids at the site into the vacuum chamber for subsequent disposal. The dripless cannula system of the present invention is a simple, effective apparatus for minimizing the presence of residual fluids at a sampling site following a sampling procedure.

Dripless cannula system usable with a sampling container for fluid

Growing community of inventors

Boulder Creek, CA, United States of America

Jack E Ulstad, Jr