Other

Beaver-visitec International, Inc.

Endo Optiks Corporation

Martin Uram

Paula Ender

A topical ophthalmic anesthetic composition includes a formulation with an amount of articaine to provide anesthetic properties when applied topically to the eye, and a pH, viscosity, osmolality, dissociation constant, and additives such as antioxidants, buffers, methylcellulose, to achieve efficacy and safety. The composition can contain articaine in amounts of about 4.0% w/v to about 12.0% w/v and have a pH of about pH 3.5 to pH 7.0. The buffer can be borate/mannitol complex obtained from boric acid or salt thereof and D-mannitol. The articaine formulations can achieve adequate anesthesia of the internal aspect of the eye wall by topical application, without the use of an injectable anesthetic. Exemplary implementations of the disclosure include formulations include articaine in an amount of at least 7.0% w/v, where the formulation is an aqueous solution, a gel, an ointment, or in an encapsulated form.

Anesthetic composition and method of anesthetizing the eye

Laser video endoscope has laser guide, illumination guide and image guide which extend through optical probe and through hand piece that supports the probe. Hand piece is connected by optical fiber cable to laser energy source and illumination source. Image is transmitted from hand piece to image processing interface by camera assembly optically coupled and mounted directly to hand piece and via electrical cable extending from camera assembly. Camera and its electrical cable can be uncoupled from hand piece and reused. The rest of the product, including probe and hand piece, can be disposed of after each medical routine. Probe can have proximal portion and distal portion such that proximal portion extends from distal end of hand piece, and outside diameter of proximal portion as measured at least near the distal end of hand piece is greater than the outside diameter of the distal portion.

Laser video endoscope

A laser video endoscope has a laser guide, an illumination guide and an image guide. These are fiber optical guides which extend through the optical probe and through a hand piece that supports the probe. The hand piece is connected by a first relatively long flexible optical fiber cable to a laser energy source and a source of illumination. By contrast, the image is transmitted from the hand piece to an image presentation site by a camera assembly that is mounted to the hand piece and a relatively long electrical cable. The camera and its electrical cable can be uncoupled from the hand piece and used in a plurality of endoscopic routines. The rest of the product, including the probe and the hand piece, can be disposed of after each medical routine thereby providing assurance of an antiseptic procedure.

An autoclavable endoscope, such as the type used in ophthalmological operations, has a probe that contains optical fiber guides such as an image guide, a laser guide and an illumination guide. The distal end of these guides are sealed to the distal end of the probe with a high temperature medical grade epoxy. The epoxy is selected to retain its structural and optical properties at autoclaving conditions. A preshrunk flexible plastic jacket extends proximal of the handle around the three guides. Because it is preshrunk at autoclavable temperatures, it is not further damaged during autoclaving. The epoxies used proximal to the probe have to be high temperature epoxies but are generally preferably a more flexible urethane type epoxy. Proximal connectors and ferule for the guides are selected metals to retain size and/or conduct heat.

Autoclavable endoscope

In a myringotomy, a selected amount of tympanic membrane tissues are removed from a patient by the application of laser energy to vaporize the tissues. An endoscope is inserted into the ear canal and used to visually detect and locate the cellular material to be removed The endoscope has a laser guide with a distal tip which extends beyond the distal end of the optical elements of the endoscope, thereby enabling placement, under direct visual observation, of the distal tip of the laser guide in contact with the tympanic membrane. A controlled amount of electromagnetic radiation is transmitted along the laser guide only after contact of the distal tip of the laser guide with the tissues to be removed.

Contact laser surgical endoscope and associated myringotomy procedure

An endoscope laser system console including a chassis having a front wall, a rear wall, and a first side wall connecting the front and rear walls; an interior wall connected to the rear wall and positioned substantially perpendicular to the rear wall, the interior wall extending forward to approximately midway between the front and rear walls, a first rear channel zone on a first side of said interior wall, a second rear channel zone on a second side of said interior wall, and a front area zone in communication with the first and second rear channel zones; a laser assembly positioned within the first rear channel zones; a system electronics assembly positioned within the second rear channel zone; a lamp assembly positioned within the front area zone; a camera assembly positioned within the front area between the front wall and the lamp assembly; an intake fan mounted on the rear wall for supplying air into the first rear channel zone over the laser assembly; an exhaust fan mounted on the rear wall for forcing air from the second rear channel zone over the system electronics assembly; and, an intermediate fan, positioned within the front area zone for guiding air from the front area, over the lamp assembly, and out of the chassis through an exhaust port in the first side wall.

Laser endoscope system console

A surgical endo-probe particularly adapted for use in ophthalmological surgery includes a probe connected distally of a hand piece. Within the probe, there are at least two optical fibers. The first optical fiber constitute an illumination zone for illuminating the tissue to be operated on. A laser fiber provides pulses of laser energy to the tissue illuminated by the illumination fibers. The illumination zone can be a single fiber or a plurality of fibers.

Illuminating endo-photocoagulation probe

A surgical and operating endoscope adapted for use in ophthalmological surgery has an intraocular probe. The probe has first and second cylindrical portions. The first portion contains an image guide composed of a large number of optical fiber elements. The image guide is surrounded by an annulus of illuminating optical fiber elements. Adjacent to and parallel to the imaging and illuminating portion is the second cylindrical portion which is an aspirating cannula. The distal end of the aspirating cannula extends distally two millimeters past the distal end of the imaging and illuminating portion in order to hold tissue that is being pulled toward the aspirating port away from the image plane of the image guide.

Aspirating endoscope

A surgical endoscope particularly adapted for use in ophthalmological surgery includes a probe connected distally of a hand piece. Within the probe, there are three sets of optical fibers. The first set of optical fibers are five-hundred thirty micron fibers which constitute an illumination zone for illuminating the tissue to be operated on. An image guide has 3,000 three micron fibers, providing a 3,000 pixel image of the tissue. The distal end of the image guide has an objective lens bonded to it which preferably has a one mm to infinity depth of field. A laser fiber with an active diameter of two hundred microns provides pulses of laser energy to the tissue illuminated by the illumination fibers and imaged by the image fibers.

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Little Silver, NJ, United States of America

Martin Uram