Other

Flexmedics Corporation

James D Stice

Kenneth Allen Pettine

Chester E Sievert, Jr

Steven C Christian

An orthopedic bone probing device to locate cavities, holes, and crevices in bones. For instance, where holes are drilled in bones to accommodate fastening devices it is important to ascertain if there are any sites where the drilling penetrated the entire side wall of the bone resulting in an undesirable hole in the side wall of the bone. The device of this invention consists of a cannula containing a shaft of superelastic material that assumes a retractable position angular to the axis of the cannula upon being ejected from one end of the cannula and the other end of the cannula is retained by a plunger that limits the amount of shaft that can be ejected and necessitates the removal of the shaft if the cannula is to be removed.

Bone probe

A medical guide wire for insertion into body channels for accessing specific inner body areas without major surgery. The guide wire comprises an elongated, flexible guide having a core of a shape memory alloy, the guide utilizing the two-way memory properties of the shape memory alloy to impart tip-deflecting and rotational movement to the guide wire in response to a controlled thermal stimulus.

Flexible guide having two-way shape memory alloy

Arthroscopic instrumentation for use in arthroscopic surgery and similar procedures. The instrumentation includes a cannula having a curved lumen and an elongated, flexible normally straight shape memory alloy probe. The probe is insertable into the lumen of the cannula, which in turn can be directed to a hard to reach operative site. The cannula causes the probe to bend as it passes the curves of the cannula, but the shape memory character of the probe causes the probe to exit the distal end of the cannula in a substantially straight orientation.

ARthroscopic instrumentation and method

A plurality of collector panels are mounted so as to be rotatable in unison about their longitudinal axes. One side or face of each panel is provided with a radiation absorbing surface and the other side or face is provided with a radiation reflective surface. Each panel includes a compartmentalized plastic tray in which is encapsulated thermal storage or phase change material having an appropriate heat of fusion so that radiation striking the absorptive surface will be stored in the material for subsequent release. Owing to the rotatability of the various panels, when mounted adjacent a conventional window, they can be adjusted or tilted so as to control the temperature of a room. Flexible seals are attached to the edges of the panels so as to block the flow of air between the panels when the panels are closed, that is, with the radiation surface facing either outwardly or inwardly.

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

James D Stice