Apnicure, Inc.

St Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc

Epicor Medical, Inc.

Somnics, Inc.

John Edwards Crowe

Jonathan L Podmore

Matthias Vaska

Scott Clinton Anderson

Gerard Champsaur

Roxanne L Richman

Sean Christopher Daniel

John W Sliwa, Jr

Nicholas R Vitale

Gary Henry Miller

Timothy Edward Ciciarelli

Benjamin D Pless

David A Gallup

Jack E Ulstad, Jr

Casey Tansey

Stephen A Morse

Michael C Holzbaur

Drew Hoffman

John William Sliwa

Kenneth Lawrence Mejia

Hanson S Gifford, Iii

Stephen A Boyd

Thomas Blake Eby

Jennifer Teng

James L Cox

John P Goetz

Andrew M Radin

Drew Hoffmann

Peter Goetz

Jack Sliwa

Michael R Holzbaur

Chris Bagley

Michael C Hozbaur

Derek Hillstrom

Vera S Boudtchenka

Steve Schellenberg

An oral device for temporary placement in a patient's oral cavity includes upper and lower jaw braces and a tongue-engaging member. The upper and lower jaw braces are connected so that the lower jaw brace is advanced in an anterior direction relative to the upper jaw brace when the upper and lower jaw braces are closed together. A partial vacuum is drawn in the oral cavity and the vacuum and lower jaw displacement together control the position of the tongue in order to clear the patient's airway to reduce sleep apnea or treat other conditions.

Oral device for mandibular advancement and medial tongue constraint

Systems for maintaining a vacuum in a patient's oral cavity comprises an oral device, a vacuum control system, and an assembly including first and second tubes for connecting the vacuum control system to the oral device. The oral device has an internal plenum, and a vacuum is drawn in the plenum by a vacuum pump connected by a first tube of the tubular assembly. The vacuum is maintained by an air source which is connected to the plenum by the second tube of the tubular assembly. By maintaining a constant circulating air bleed through the oral device and the connecting tubes, saliva may be removed from the system and collected in a saliva trap located before the vacuum pump.

Saliva management system with continuous flow through oral device

A saliva collector comprises a reservoir, a bubble barrier, and a membrane, where the bubble barrier and membrane are arranged in tandem on a flow path from an inlet to an outlet on the reservoir. Air aspirated from a patient's oral cavity enters the reservoir through the inlet, passes through the bubble barrier to remove foam and bubbles, passes through the membrane to remove entrained liquid saliva, and passes out through the outlet.

Apparatus and methods for reducing foaming during saliva collection

An oral device for improving airway patency includes a tongue constraint and a negative pressure source. The tongue constraint engages the patient's tongue to maintain a clear region below the palate in an oral cavity and allow an anterior portion of the tongue to rise. By applying a negative pressure in the clear region, an airway behind the soft palate or tongue of the patient can be maintained. The tongue constraint is usually connected to an anchor. The anchor may be held between the patient's teeth or may engage the inferior surface of the palate. Another oral device for improving airway patency includes a lateral tongue structure and a negative pressure source.

Methods and systems for improving airway patency

A method of manufacturing an ultrasound transducer is provided. The ultrasound transducer is activated and the activity across the transducer is measured to determine whether the activity at any area does not meet an acceptance criteria. The transducer is then modified so that the area meets the acceptance criteria. The transducer may be modified with a laser which removes material from the area which does not meet the acceptance criteria.

Methods for manufacturing high intensity ultrasound transducers

An oral device for temporary placement in a patient's oral cavity includes a base, a tongue-engaging member and a tongue pocket. Partial vacuums are separately drawn through the tongue-engaging member and the tongue pocket in order to advance and control the position of the tongue in order to clear the patient's airway to reduce sleep apnea or treat other conditions.

Oral device for anterior advancement and medial constraint of the tongue

An ablating device has a cover which holds an interface material such as a gel. The cover contains the interface material during initial placement of the device. The ablating device may also have a removable tip or a membrane filled with fluid. In still another aspect, the ablating device may be submerged in liquid during operation.

Methods and devices for ablation

An oral device for improving airway patency includes a base adapted to be held between a patient's upper and lower teeth and a tongue-engaging member. The tongue-engaging member engages the tongue and displaces the tongue anteriorly when the base is held between the patient's teeth. A vacuum is applied through the base and the tongue-engaging member in order to draw the soft palate against a posterior region of the tongue in order to stabilize the soft palate and open or clear the patient's airway.

Airway device with tongue-engaging member

An oral device for improving airway patency includes a tongue constraint and a negative pressure source. The tongue constraint engages the patient's tongue to maintain a clear region below the palate in an oral cavity. By applying a negative pressure in the clear region, an airway behind the soft palate or tongue of the patient can be maintained. The tongue constraint is usually connected to an anchor. The anchor may be held between the patient's teeth or may engage the inferior surface of the palate. Another oral device for improving airway patency includes a lateral tongue structure and a negative pressure source.

Medical devices using fluid or cooling fluids having one or more bimaterial valves positioned at each point of flow control to control the flow of a fluid in response to temperature changes. In particular, devices for ablating tissue having multiple ablation elements or cells include one or more bimaterial valves positioned within or near the ablation cells. The bimaterial valves respond to temperature changes by adjusting the flow rate of a fluid through the valve.

Medical device having a bimaterial valve

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

John Edwards Crowe