Other

Bristol-myers Squibb Compnay

Mitek Surgical Products Inc.

Bristol-myers Squibb

Zimmer Gmbh

National University of Singapore

Kwan-Ho Chan

Stephen H Hoag

Kirt L Case

Michael E Hawkins

Jeffrey B Boggs

Christopher A Finn

Scott B Miller

Gregory C Stalcup

Dennis McDevitt

Mark A Johanson

David B Willard

Vince Novak

James Cho Hong Goh

John Bonitati

Donald Yakimaki

A suture passer comprises a longitudinally extending hollow cannula having a central passage slidingly receivable of a surgical suture; a manually graspable handle connected to the hollow cannula for manipulation thereof, the handle having an upper surface; first guide means, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate a distal end of the handle for releasably, guidingly, holding the surgical suture; second guide means, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate to the first guide means, for releasably, guidingly, holding the surgical suture. The suture passer can be provided in a kit, for use in the suturing of internal tissue, along with a cannula bender, various hollow surgical needles and surgical suture material. The suture passer finds particular use in the suturing of internal tissues which are at least partially accessible through a body cavity, e.g. arthroscopic surgery.

Surgical repair kit and its method of use

A suture passer includes a longitudinally extending hollow cannula having a central passage slidingly receivable of a surgical suture; a manually graspable handle having an upper suture and being connected to the hollow cannula for manipulation thereof; a first guide connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate a proximal end of the handle for releasably, guidingly, holding the surgical suture; and a second guide connected to the upper surface of the handle, distal to the first guide, for releasably, guidingly, holding the surgical suture. The suture passer can be provided in a kit, for use in the suturing of internal tissue, along with a cannula bender, various hollow surgical needles and surgical suture material. The suture passer finds particular use in the suturing of internal tissues which are at least partially accessible through a body cavity, e.g., arthroscopic surgery.

An apparatus and method for the reconstruction of a previously torn ligament using a tissue-engineered ligament. The tissue-engineered ligament includes a scaffold of biocompatible material having at least one layer and forming a sheet. The scaffold is placed in a cultured medium for seeding with fibrocyte forming cells. The seeded scaffold is then placed in an incubator to increase the number of cells. The seeded scaffold is then formed into a slender structure suitable for implantation. The method of making a tissue-engineered ligament includes forming a scaffold of biocompatible material having at least one layer forming a sheet. Next, the scaffold sheet is seeded with fibrocyte forming cells. The method further includes increasing the number of cells on the seeded scaffold and forming a slender structure suitable for implantation from the scaffold.

Tissue-engineered ligament

A removable protective cannula is disclosed for use in surgery to prevent damage to a portal cannula or tissue during insertion of a shaft instrument.

Removable protective cannula for use in surgery

A measuring gauge for measuring the relative position of two bones during surgery, the measuring gauge comprising an anchor, an adapter, an outrigger and a locking joint.

Apparatus and method for determining the relative position of bones during surgery

A suture passer including a longitudinally-extending hollow cannula having a central passage slidingly receivable of a surgical suture; a manually graspable handle connected to the hollow cannula for manipulation thereof, the handle having an upper surface; a first guide, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate a distal end of the handle, for releasably, guidingly holding the surgical suture; and a second guide, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate to the first guide, for releasably, guidingly holding the surgical suture. The suture passer can be provided in a kit, for use in the suturing of internal tissue, along with a cannula bender, various hollow surgical needles and surgical suture material. The suture passer finds particular use in the suturing of internal tissues which are at least partially accessible through a body cavity, e.g. arthroscopic surgery.

A device and method for joint replacement surgery, such as total hip replacement surgery, including a bone cement plug which is adaptable to any size bone canal, an insertion tool for deploying the plug in the canal, and a cradle for storing the plug and insertion tool, The bone cement plug comprises a body defined by a series of separable units, each with a flange. The flanges decrease in diameter from the proximal end of the body to the distal end of the body. For smaller canals that cannot receive the large flanges, appropriate units of the plug may be removed, thus eliminating the oversized flanges in favor of the more appropriately sized flanges.

Universal bone cement plug and method of use

A jamming retainer for fixing a ligament in a bone tunnel without excessive sideways pressure on the ligament that may result in tissue necrosis, the jamming retainer including a substantially rigid body with a bore or loop for receiving a ligament or tendon and a bore or ring for receiving a suture for towing the jamming retainer and ligament or tendon through a bone tunnel. Once positioned, the jamming retainer is fixed in the bone tunnel with an interference screw.

Apparatus and method for ligament fixation

A suture relay that can be advanced, by pushing, through the hollow needle of a suture passer and which is adapted to carry a braided suture across the tissue.

Suture relay for surgery

An apparatus for mixing bone cement in a vacuum includes a container for mixing first and second components of a bone cement in a vacuum, the container having a sealed body defining an interior space and a selected quantity of the first component disposed in the interior space. The container is provided with an injection port for admitting the second component into the interior space vacuum source. A mixing paddle is disposed in the interior space and connected to a handle therefor extending out of the container. A plurality of indirect pathways extend between the interior space and the exhaust port which permit gas to pass therethrough out of the interior space, but prevent the bone cement first and second components from passing therethrough.

System and method for mixing bone cement

Poly(alkyl methacrylate) bone cement ingredients are prepackaged as two separate components in two separate chambers of a container which can be connected to a static mixer, where both components are in a liquid form that is at least substantially air-free, and wherein the static mixer can mix the two liquid components without mechanical agitation and without the introduction of air into the two liquid components during the transfer of the two liquid components from their separate chambers through the static mixer. The first liquid component is formed by premixing a bone cement liquid monomer with bone cement polymer powder, a polymerization initiator, and a stabilizer to form a liquid mixture. The second liquid component is formed by premixing bone cement liquid monomer with bone cement polymer powder, if any, a stabilizer, and an activator to form a liquid mixture. The monomer/polymer ratio of each liquid component containing polymer will be in the range of the minimum required to provide the respective component as a liquid mixture up to the maximum which, when the two liquid components are mixed, will result in the desired monomer/polymer ratio for the mixture. Each end of each of the chambers can be provided with an air impermeable layer to provide a hermetic seal for the chamber.

Prepackaged liquid bone cement

A suture passer comprises a longitudinally extending hollow cannula having a central passage slidingly receivable of a surgical suture; a manually graspable handle connected to the hollow cannula for manipulation thereof, the handle having an upper surface; first guide means, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate a proximal end of the handle for releasably, guidingly, holding the surgical suture; second guide means, connected to the upper surface of the handle, distal to the first guide means, for releasably, guidingly, holding the surgical suture. The suture passer can be provided in a kit, for use in the suturing of internal tissue, along with a cannula bender, various hollow surgical needles and surgical suture material. The suture passer finds particular use in the suturing of internal tissues which are at least partially accessible through a body cavity, e.g., arthroscopic surgery.

An electronic mouse controlled substantially by finger movement. The translation of the mouse can be controlled by the index finger placed over a primary selection button. A device for facilitating translation of the mouse are provided for in the primary selection button. The device for facilitating translation include, but are not limited to, concave depressions, protrusions and surface texture with a high coefficient of friction.

Finger controlled computer mouse

A fluid mixture dispenser has a container with independent fluid chambers that respectively maintain fluid components for combination. Each chamber includes an outlet and a driver. For each chamber, actuation of the driver effects the discharge of the fluid component through its outlet. The outlets of the fluid chambers open into a second container to receive a fluid mixture consisting of the fluid components, where the second container also includes an outlet and a driver. Actuation of the driver for the second container effects the discharge of the fluid mixture.

Growing community of inventors

Lubbock, TX, United States of America

Kwan-Ho Chan