Other

Pacesetter, Inc.

Williams, Michael O.

Michael O Williams

Timothy S Olson

April C Pixley

Lisa M Clem

Glen Crawford

Peter Nau

A biased palatal bone expander attaches directly to the palatal bone in the roof of the mouth of a patient. The expander has dual, biased, mutually parallel rods. The rods extend from coaxial tubes and have coaxial springs. The expansion of the springs urges the rod outwardly from the center of the expander thus widening the maxillary arch incrementally without a connection upon the teeth. The tubes and rods each attach to two mutually parallel bars perpendicular to the rods. Each bar has two opposite ends with an eyelet upon each end. The eyelets receive screws for securing the expander to a patient. Additionally, the appliance may include a thermoformed shell that a surgeon or orthodontist uses to guide positioning the appliance for installation.

Biased palatal bone expander

An orthodontic arch expander joins to a mouthpiece proximate to the rear of the mouthpiece. The transparent mouthpiece has a desired arc that fits over the teeth of the upper jaw. The mouthpiece has two wings that join near the incisors and then become parallel and spaced apart around the molars. Near the molars, an arch expander joins to the mouth piece. The arch expander has two telescoping shells with a threaded jack and cooperating springs. Each shell joins to a corresponding wing of the mouthpiece. Turning the jack lengthens a rod that pushes the shells outwards against the mouthpiece thus widening the maxillary arch without brackets or bands upon the teeth. An alternate embodiment has the arch expander attaching directly to the palatal bone through screws placed through a grommet at the end of each shell by an orthodontist or oral surgeon.

Maxillary arch expander unbanded to teeth

A mandibular and maxillary arch expansion apparatus having a first and second forward orthodontic bands and first and second rear orthodontic bands. The respective forward and rear orthodontic bands are interconnected by an expansion sheath element. The two forward bands are connected by a substantially straight, solid rod. The expansion sheaths exert lengthening forces while the solid rod resists lateral or widening forces. Also provided is a maxillary apparatus connected to a mandibular apparatus by a telescoping contraction connector. The device is positioned to exert adjustable contracting pressure for the correction of Class II malocclusions or overbite. Also provided is an arch expansion apparatus with a centrally disposed expansion element having two forward connector wires extending outwardly therefrom and two rearward connector wires extending outwardly. Each connector wire has an orthodontic band on the terminal end. The expansion element can be actuated so as to elongate the expansion element so as to exert arch expansion pressure.

Orthodontic appliance

An orthodontic appliance for expanding the mandibular or maxillary arch comprises a first forward orthodontic band; a second forward orthodontic band; a first spring-loaded rod and tube assembly between said first and second forward orthodontic bands; a first rear orthodontic band and a second rear orthodontic band; a second spring-loaded rod and tube assembly connecting said first forward and first rear orthodontic bands; and a third spring-loaded rod and tube assembly connecting said second forward and second rear orthodontic bands. Where both a maxillary and mandibular arch expander are used, they can be connected by a Herbst-type telescoping connector. The telescoping assembly has a first end connected to one of said forward and rear bands of said mandibular arch expander and a second end connected to the other of said forward and rear bands of said maxillary arch expander. The telescoping assembly includes a tube assembly and a rod slidably received in the tube assembly. In each of the various tube and rod assemblies (i.e. of the maxillary arch expander, the mandibular arch expander, and of the Herbst-type appliance), the tube of rod and tube assemblies defines a channel which slidably receives the rod of the rod and tube assemblies. The tube and rod have complementary cross-sectional shapes; the cross-sectional shape being polygonal or ovoid. The cross-sectional shape, for example, can be square, a circle truncated on one or two sides, or round.

Mandibular and maxillary arch expander having polygonal or ovoid rod and tube expanding elements

A contracting connector between a maxillary apparatus and mandibular apparatus to treat an underbite. The connector has a telescoping outer sheath connected at its posterior end to the maxillary apparatus. A rod is slidingly engaged in the sheath. And connected at its anterior end to the mandibular apparatus. A spring connected between the rod and the posterior end of the sheath exerts adjustable contraction pressure on the rod and thus the mandible. In another embodiment, the rod has separate anterior and posterior segments The posterior segment of the rod is attached to the maxillary apparatus and the anterior segment is attached to the mandibular apparatus A spring connected between the anterior and posterior segments exerts adjustable contracting pressure on the two rod segments and thus on the maxilla and the mandible. In either embodiment the contracting pressure on the spring is adjusted by changing the length of the telescoping outer sheath. An improved channel lock for connectors also is disclosed.

Orthodontic appliance contraction connector

A method for detecting an arrhythmia hidden by rapid pacing in a rate adaptive pacemaker/defibrillator. Unmasking a potential arrhythmia is accomplished by lengthening the pace cycle length by a small amount for a number of cycles followed by a shortening of the pace cycle length for the same number of cycles giving an average pacing rate equivalent to the desired rate. This can occur at all times or only when conditions make arrhythmia masking possible. Changing the pace cycle by a small amount over a number of cycles will move the arrhythmia and paced rhythm out of synchronization. Forcing the pacer to continue sensing the arrhythmia is accomplished by insuring that the pacer's sense refractory is less than one half of the pacing cycle length. This is done by constraining the programming of that value to one half the minimum pacing cycle length or using an adaptive sense refractory period. In another embodiment, a hidden arrhythmia is detected by periodically checking a relative refractory portion of the pace refractory period to see if a signal indicative of arrhythmia can be detected. This relative refractory period is produced by shortening the established refractory period by a calculated adaptive relative refractory period.

Methods for sensing arrhythmias in a pacemaker/defibrillator and a pacemaker/defibrillator programmed to implement the same

Bimaxillary jaw expanding appliance

An orthodontic expansion complex for a mandibular and maxillary arch expansion that resists buccal tipping of molars. The expansion complex includes first and second forward orthodontic bands and a pair of rear orthodontic bands operatively connected to the forward orthodontic bands. The expansion complex includes an arm extending lingually from a lingual side of the first forward orthodontic band. An expander body is rotationally mounted on the arm to rotate about the arm. A passage extends through the body, and the arm extends into a rear end of the passage. The body passage is internally threaded near the front of the body. An expansion rod is mounted to a lingual side of the second forward orthodontic band. The expansion rod is externally threaded at a rear end thereof to be threadedly received in the threaded portion of the body passage. The expansion rod has a bore extending forwardly from the rear end of the rod which receives the arm. The expansion rod bore and arm have non-cylindrical cross-sectional configurations which resist rotational movement and buccal tipping.

Buccal tipping-resistant mandibular and maxillary arch expander

A new expansion complex is provided for a mandibular and maxillary arch expander. The arch expander includes first and second forward orthodontic bands and a pair of rear orthodontic bands operatively connected to the forward orthodontic bands. The expansion complex includes an arm extending lingually from a lingual side of the first forward orthodontic band. An expander body is rotationally mounted on the arm to rotate about the arm. A passage extends through the body, and the arm extends into a rear end of the passage. The body passage is internally threaded near the front of the body. An expansion rod is mounted to a lingual side of the second forward orthodontic band. The expansion rod is externally threaded at a rear end thereof to be threadedly received in the threaded portion of the body passage. The expansion rod has a bore extending forwardly from the rear end of the rod which receives the arm. The back end of the body passage can be counterbored to receive a coil spring which is journaled about the arm.

Mandibular and maxillary arch expander

An improved pivotal mounting boss for attachment to front or rear orthodontic bands on a mandibular arch expander and a maxillary arch expander. The pivotal mounting boss includes a base casing that is soldered or welded to the orthodontic band. A screw is threadedly engaged in the base casing. The base casing has an opening formed therein for the insertion of an arch wire. The opening can be preangulated to assist in root angulation when the arch wire is inserted.

Pivotal mounting boss for mandibular and maxillary arch expander and jaw

A system and method for optimal sensing of cardiac events includes registering electrical activity from a cardiac event in a patient's heart and entering a refractory period after the cardiac event has been registered. The system and method further includes detecting when the electrical activity from the cardiac event has settled into a baseline region for a predetermined period of time, whereby the refractory period is ended at such time. The method may also implement a minimum backup timer and a maximum backup timer, which are set to predetermined minimum and maximum time periods, respectively, when the refractory period begins. In this case, the system ends the refractory period, either: (1) when the electrical activity settles into a baseline region for a predetermined period of time and the minimum time period elapses, or (2) when the maximum time period elapses, whichever occurs first. The method for controlling the length of the refractory period can be used to control sensing, pacing and defibrillator systems.

System and method for optimal sensing of cardiac events

An orthodontic appliance includes a mandibular arch expander and a maxillary arch expander which are interconnected by a pair of adjustable connector assemblies. The maxillary and mandibular arch expanders each include front and rear orthodontic bands which have bosses to facilitate connection of the connector assemblies to the arch expanders. The connector assemblies include an expandable tube assembly and a rod which extends through said expandable tube assembly. The expandable tube assembly has a mount at a first end thereof adapted to connect the connector to the rear orthodontic band of the maxillary arch. The rod has a mount adjacent a second end of the expandable tube assembly adapted to be connected to the front orthodontic bands of the mandibular arch expander. The tube assemblies each include a hollow posterior tube and an anterior tube which are telescopically connected. Preferably, the anterior tube has a hollow body which is externally threaded at its back end. The posterior tube has a hollow body defining a bore and is internally threaded at its front end of said tube. The posterior tube bore is sized to accept the anterior tube so that the two tubes can be threadedly connected together. The posterior tube includes holes adapted to receive a tool to facilitate adjustment of the position of the posterior tube relative to the anterior tube to alter the overall length of the retractable, extendible tube assembly. Further, anterior tube includes indicators, in the form of spaced apart tick marks, to inform a practitioner as to the length of the connector assembly.

Mandibular and maxillary arch expander and jaw repositioner

A ventricular tachycardia (VT) complex is distinguished from a sinus tachycardia or a supraventricular tachycardia. A template based on morphology of a normal sinus rhythm is collected. A test signal is compared against the template to determine how closely the test and template signals correspond based on morphology. The comparison is done based on peak information in the template and the test signal. A score is generated to indicate the degree of similarity between the template and the test signal. The peak information is extracted as follows. First, a group of three consecutive peaks having a largest cumulative peak amplitude is located in the template and in the test signal. The polarity, position and area of each peak within the group is then determined. The area of each peak is normalized. The polarities, positions and normalized areas represent the peak information that is used for comparison.

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Gulfport, MS, United States of America

Michael O Williams