Ethicon, Gmbh

Other

Bsafe Electrix, Inc.

Michael William Nordmeyer

Daniel J Smith

Bernard M Willis

Carl Gucker

Barry Littlewood

Thaddeus Miklewicz

Vulgens Schoen

Kenneth P Marschke, Jr

Simon Cohn

Danial Paul Ferreira

Michael Cardinale

Jianxin Guo

Doug Souls

Mark D Kenyon

Jared Schneider

Eugene D Reynolds

Xuelin Guo

Lindsay Epstein

Frank Richard Cichocki, Jr

Jessica Liberatore

Robert Nering

Susanne Landgrebe

Christophe Vailhe

William C McJames

Robert E Maurer

Steven H Nguyen

Burkhard Peters

Raimo Sump

Douglas Watchorn

Lester E Schaible

Steven D Fabian

Frank R Cichocki

Trevor Brian Akehurst

Robert Maurer

Steven Nguyen

Daniel Joseph Smith

Daniel Smith

A method of dispensing surgical fasteners includes providing an applicator instrument having a housing with a cartridge opening, an elongated shaft extending from the housing, a firing system disposed within the housing for dispensing surgical fasteners, and an actuator for activating the firing system. The method includes forming a surgical opening in tissue, inserting a distal end of the elongated shaft into the surgical opening, inserting a cartridge containing a plurality of first surgical fasteners into the cartridge opening, and engaging the actuator for dispensing one of the first surgical fasteners from the distal end of the elongated shaft. While maintaining the distal end of the elongated shaft inside the surgical opening, the cartridge is removed from the cartridge opening, a second cartridge containing a plurality of second surgical fasteners is inserted into the cartridge opening, and the actuator is engaged for dispensing one of the second surgical fasteners from the distal end of the elongated shaft.

Applicator instruments for dispensing surgical fasteners, the applicator instruments being controlled by surgical robots

Methods of using applicator instruments having insertable, changeable cartridges for dispensing surgical fasteners

A system for fastening soft tissue to bone includes a bone screw having a threaded shaft and a screw head having an underside with malleable protuberances that project toward a distal end of the threaded shaft. A fixation plate is coupled with the threaded shaft. The fixation plate has a proximal face that opposes the underside of the screw head, a distal face that faces away from the underside of the screw head, an outer peripheral edge that extends between the proximal and distal faces, a central opening for receiving the threaded shaft, and protrusions spaced from one another around the outer peripheral edge that extend distally beyond the distal face of the fixation plate. The system includes an insertion tool having a handle and a tubular shaft extending distally from the handle. The tubular shaft has a proximal shaft section having an inner diameter that closely matches an outer diameter of the screw head, and a distal shaft section having an inner surface with a groove that seats the outer peripheral edge of the fixation plate for releasable retaining the fixation plate within the distal shaft section. A cartridge contains the bone screw and the fixation plate coupled with the bone screw. The cartridge includes a proximal end that seats the screw head and a distal end that seats the fixation plate of the bone screw.

Systems, devices and methods for affixing soft tissue to bone

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners includes an elongated shaft, a housing connected with the elongated shaft, a trigger, a gear train, and a firing system disposed in the housing. The trigger is squeezed for commencing a firing cycle. The firing system includes a storage reel, a spool connected to the storage reel, a drive wheel located distal to the storage reel and the spool, a constant torque spring having a proximal end connected to the spool and a distal end connected to the drive wheel, and a flexible member in contact with the drive wheel. The flexible member has a proximal end connected to the storage reel and a length configured to be driven by the drive wheel toward the distal end of the elongated shaft. During an energy storing stage, the gear train is coupled with the storage reel for rotating the storage reel in a counterclockwise direction, which, in turn, retracts and winds the flexible member onto the storage reel, which rotates the drive wheel in a counterclockwise direction and winds the constant torque spring from the spool onto the drive wheel for storing energy in the constant torque spring.

Applicator instruments having drive systems with flexible members for dispensing surgical fasteners

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners includes a housing having a cartridge opening, an elongated shaft extending from the housing, and a cartridge insertable into the cartridge opening, the cartridge having a plurality of surgical fasteners pre-loaded into the cartridge. The applicator instrument has a firing system disposed within the housing, and an actuator for activating the firing system to commence a firing cycle for removing one of the surgical fasteners from the cartridge and driving the removed surgical fastener from the housing to a distal end of the elongated shaft. In one embodiment, the cartridge includes a cartridge body having an upper end and a lower end insertable into the cartridge opening. The surgical fasteners are arrayed in a stack that extends between the upper and lower ends of the cartridge body. The cartridge has a constant force spring that normally urges the stack of surgical fasteners toward the lower end of the cartridge body for being fed into the firing system.

Applicator instruments having insertable, changeable cartridges for dispensing surgical fasteners

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners includes a housing, an elongated shaft, and an elongated conduit extending through the elongated shaft. A firing system is disposed within the housing. The firing system has an insertion tool having a top surface that extends proximal and distal ends thereof and a stripper ramp that projects above the top surface. An actuator activates the firing system to commence a firing cycle. During the firing cycle, the firing system drives the insertion tool toward the distal end of the elongated shaft. The elongated conduit has a top wall with a top notch formed therein. The stripper ramp slides through the top notch for guiding movement of the insertion tool as the firing system drives the insertion tool toward the distal end of the elongated shaft.

Applicator instruments having surgical fastener insertion tools for dispensing surgical fasteners

A system for fastening soft tissue to bone includes a bone screw having a threaded shaft and a screw head having an underside with malleable protuberances that project toward a distal end of the threaded shaft. A fixation plate is coupled with the threaded shaft. The fixation plate has a proximal face that opposes the underside of the screw head, a distal face that faces away from the underside of the screw head, an outer peripheral edge that extends between the proximal and distal faces, a central opening for receiving the threaded shaft, and protrusions spaced from one another around the outer peripheral edge that extend distally beyond the distal face of the fixation plate. The system includes an insertion tool having a handle and a tubular shaft extending distally from the handle. The tubular shaft has a proximal shaft section having an inner diameter that closely matches an outer diameter of the screw head, and a distal shaft section having an inner surface with a groove that seats the outer peripheral edge of the fixation plate for releasable retaining the fixation plate within the distal shaft section.

A surgical assembly including a surgical introducer having a handle portion and a needle element extending to a free distal end, and a sliding mechanism including a compressible member and a sliding button slidably coupled to the handle portion for longitudinal movement relative thereto and having a first retaining device extending outwardly from a distal end and a projection extending outwardly to a position adjacent the compressible member. First and second sheath elements each have a proximal end, a closed tapered distal end region, a channel therein, and a side aperture at a predetermined distance from the distal tip. The needle element slidably extends through the side aperture and into the channel of the first sheath element. An implant having first and second ends is coupled to the proximal ends of the first and second sheath elements respectively. The sliding button is slidable between a first resting position and a second more distal position wherein the retaining element can engage the side aperture, and wherein when so engaged the compressible member exerts a constant force on the sliding button and sheath element in a direction toward the first resting position of the sliding button.

Surgical instrument and method for the treatment of urinary incontinence

An implant insertion system includes an implant, such as a surgical mesh, having at least one insertion tip secured to the implant. Each insertion tip has a tapered distal end, a proximal end, a base extending proximally from the tapered distal end, and a central lumen formed in the base having an opening facing the proximal end of the insertion tip. The system includes an insertion device having an outer shaft and a latching assembly provided at a distal end of the outer shaft that is insertable into the opening of the central lumen for selectively locking the insertion tip to the latching assembly. The latching assembly has an outer dimension that is changeable from expanded state for locking the insertion tip to the latching assembly to a non-expanded state for unlocking the insertion tip from the latching assembly.

Implant insertion systems and methods of use

A method of mechanically treating alloy metal surgical needles to improve bending strength is disclosed. The needles are curved and reverse-curved in this method to improve bending strength.

Process for treating metal alloy surgical needles to improve bending stiffness

An electrical receptacle has multiple thermal sensors, each of which can trigger automatic shut off when the temperature rises above a predetermined threshold. After automatically turning off, the receptacle remains permanently non-conducting.

Electrical receptacle with multiple heat sensors

A medical device including an implant and inserter and a method for using the same. One embodiment includes an implant for implantation within a patient, and a first inserter for inserting the implant. The first inserter has a distal end region including a tissue penetrating distal tip, a proximal end region, a capture element located at the distal end region, and an implant holding element having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end is removably received within the capture element, and the implant holding element further is movably coupled to the first inserter at a first location proximal of the capture element. The implant holding element extends from the first location at which it is movably coupled to the first inserter, and subsequently through the implant before being removably received within the capture element to thereby removably secure the implant to the insertion device.

Minimally invasive medical implant and insertion device and method for using the same

A process for progressively manufacturing cutting edge needles or wire members. Needle blanks or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of coining dies and at least one trimming die, wherein the first coining die is an open coining die and the one or more successive coining dies are closed coining dies. The needle blanks or wire members are optionally curved, heat treated and electrochemically treated resulting in cutting edge needles or wire members formed without a grinding step and without adversely affecting point ductility.

Process for manufacturing surgical needles

A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground.

Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles

Growing community of inventors

Pittstown, NJ, United States of America

Michael William Nordmeyer