Other

Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.

Indigo Medical, Inc.

Julianne M Siegel

Ronald John Kolata

Scott A Nield

Paul G Ritchie

Jeffrey S Swayze

Thomas W Huitema

Steven G Hall

Wendy A Kerr

Martin A Reynolds

Martin J Reynolds

An apparatus comprises a surgical instrument having a cutter and a stapler. The cutter is operable to sever a portion of tissue. The apparatus further comprises a plurality of staples where the stapler is operable to introduce the plurality of staples into tissue to form a staple line. The apparatus further comprises a reinforcement clip. The reinforcement clip is operable to be in selective communication with the staple line. The reinforcement clip comprises a crown, a leg portion, and a teeth portion. In some versions, the leg portion has a width operable to cover the area defined by the staple line. In some versions, the teeth portion is configured to anchor into tissue.

Surgical instrument with staple reinforcement clip

A method of controllably heating the annulus of an intervertebral disc is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of forming an access channel through the annulus of an intervertebral disc while avoiding the nucleus of the intervertebral disc, inserting a light-emitting diffuser into the annulus, and activating the light-emitting diffuser to emit diffuse light while maintaining the light-emitting diffuser within the access channel to raise the temperature of the annulus to a value sufficient to cause a change in the characteristics of the annulus.

Method of treating intervertebral discs by inserting a diffuser directly into the annulus

A method of controllably heating the annulus of an intervertebral disc is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of forming an access channel through the annulus, inserting a light source into the intervertebral disc, activating the light source to emit diffuse light, optically measuring the temperature of tissue near the light source, and modifying the intensity of the light emitted from the source according to the measured temperature.

Method of treating intervertebral discs using optical energy and optical temperature feedback

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Julianne M Siegel