Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.

Optomec, Inc.

James Q Feng

Jan Weber

Huisun Wang

Mark Lynn Jenson

Aiden Flanagan

Patrick A Haverkost

Liliana Atanasoska

Chris Manderfeld

Pu Zhou

James Lee Shippy, Iii

Robert Warner

Jason P Hill

Timothy J Mickley

Hancun Chen

David John Sogard

Michael J Renn

Kurt Karl Christenson

John David Hamre

Jason A Paulsen

Chad Conroy

Frank Genovese

Matthew D Cambronne

Victor Leo Schoenle

Leonard B Richardson

Yen-Lane Chen

Larry L Hum

Rajesh Radhakrishnan

Michael Arney

Jeannette C Polkinghorne

Tom Holman

Horng-Ban Lin

Steve Kangas

Tolga Tas

J Lee Shippy, Iii

Narin Anderson

Maggie Zeng

Ljiljana Liliana Atanasoska

Arienne P Simon

L Liliana Atanasoska

Tom Eidenschink

Angela Kostrewa

Liliana L Atanasoska

Robert W Warner

Lee J Iii Shippy

Methods and apparatuses for controlling aerosol streams being deposited onto a substrate via pneumatic shuttering. The aerosol stream is surrounded and focused by an annular co-flowing sheath gas in the print head of the apparatus. A boost gas flows to a vacuum pump during printing of the aerosol. A valve adds the boost gas to the sheath gas at the appropriate time, and a portion of the two gases is deflected in a direction opposite to the aerosol flow direction to at least partially prevent the aerosol from passing through the deposition nozzle. Some or all of the aerosol is combined with that portion of the boost gas and sheath gas and is exhausted from the print head. By precisely balancing the flows into and out of the print head, maintaining the flow rates of the aerosol and sheath gas approximately constant, and keeping the boost gas flowing during both printing and shuttering, the transition time between printing and partial or full shuttering of the aerosol stream is minimized. The pneumatic shuttering can be combined with a mechanical shutter for faster operation. A pre-sheath gas can be used to minimize the delay between the flow of gas in the center and the flow of gas near the sides of the print head flow channel.

Shuttering of aerosol streams

A medical balloon catheter including a catheter shaft and an inflatable balloon secured to a distal portion of the catheter shaft. One or more cutting blades are secured to the inflatable balloon by a first polymeric adhesive material forming a mounting pad encasing a base portion of the cutting blade therein, and a second polymeric adhesive material adhesively bonding the mounting pad to a surface of the balloon. The first polymeric adhesive material has a first ductility and the second polymeric adhesive material has a second ductility greater than the first ductility.

Cutting balloon catheter

A heart valve delivery system includes a low-profile catheter having an outer sheath, the outer sheath having therein a stent and a replacement heart valve. In an unemployed configuration, the stent is located distally to the replacement heart valve. Upon deployment, however, the stent and replacement heart valve are expanded and the replacement heart valve is situated within the stent.

Low profile heart valve delivery system and method

Medical balloons having one or more folds, on which are disposed protective surfaces e.g., protective lines or strips, and at least one therapeutic agent between the lines. The protective surfaces prevent, inhibit, or reduce the contact between therapeutic agent on one area, e.g., a surface area, and an opposing area or therapeutic agent on the opposing area when the balloon is folded. The protective surfaces also prevent, inhibit, or reduce loss of therapeutic agent from the balloon surface as a result of, for example, contact with a medical device during expansion or removal of a protective sheath. Also a medical device delivery system comprising a medical device surrounded by a retractable sheath, wherein protective surfaces are disposed on the sheath.

Protective surfaces for drug-coated medical devices

A medical device having a polymer-free outer surface layer comprising a crystalline drug selected from the group consisting of everolimus, tacrolimus, sirolimus, zotarolimus, biolimus, and rapamycin. The device may be produced by a method comprising the steps of providing a medical device; applying a solution of the drug to said portion of the outer surface to form a coating of amorphous drug; and vapor annealing the drug with a solvent vapor to form crystalline drug; wherein a seed layer of a crystalline form of said drug having a maximum particle size of about 10 &#x3bc;m or less is applied to at least said portion of the outer surface of the device before or after applying the drug solution, but before vapor annealing the amorphous coating.

Medical device with crystalline drug coating

Endoprostheses and methods of making endoprostheses are disclosed. For example, endoprostheses are described that include an endoprosthesis body, a biodegradable metallic tie layer, and a polymer coating about the endoprosthesis body. The biodegradable tie layer and the polymer coating can have a high peel strength from the body.

Endoprosthesis

A solventless method for forming a coating on a medical electrical lead is described. The method includes combining particles of a therapeutic agent with a polymeric material in a flowable form in the absence of a solvent to form a uniform suspension. A predetermined amount of the suspension is dispensed onto a portion of the lead and is then cured to form the therapeutic agent eluting layer. Additional layers such as a primer layer, fluoro-opaque layer and/or a topcoat layer can be formed using the solventless method. Employing a solventless method may avoid contraction of the layer being formed due to solvent evaporation during the curing process, and may facilitate greater control over the thickness of the therapeutic agent eluting coating.

Solventless method for forming a coating on a medical electrical lead body

A bioerodible conductive tissue scaffold that can provide, e.g., improved tissue growth.

Bioerodible nano-fibrous and nano-porous conductive composites

An apparatus for precision pen height control which includes a dispensing member, a fluid dispensing system, a vertical position sensing system, and a vertical position controller. The fluid dispensing system is in fluid communication with an opening in the dispensing member via a tubular member. A vertical position sensing system, which includes a diffraction grating and a sensor, is engaged to the tubular member. The sensor is positioned adjacent the diffraction grating. The diffraction grating is engaged to a vertical support, which is engaged to the tubular member. The sensor produces a vertical position signal based upon the position of the vertical support. The vertical position controller is engaged to the vertical position sensing system, and receives a control signal generated from the vertical position signal. The vertical position controller produces and applies vertical forces to the vertical support in response to the control signal.

Precision pen height control for micro-scale direct writing technology

A biomimetic electrode material including a fibrous matrix including a conductive polymer and an ion conducting polymeric material is described. The biomimetic electrode material may be used in a number of body-implantable applications including cardiac and neuro-stimulation applications. The biomimetic electrode material can be formed using electrospinning and other related processes. The biomimetic electrode may facilitate efficient charge transport from ionically conductive tissue to the electronically conductive electrode, and may induce surrounding tissue to attach or interface directly to the implanted device, increasing the biocompatibility of the device.

Fibrous electrode material

Growing community of inventors

Maple Grove, MN, United States of America

James Q Feng