Other

Medical Device Solutions

Mickey M Karram

Bryan Dale Knodel

David J Bibelhausen

Dionysios K Veronikis

John F Love

Robin S Horrell

An implantable device for treating a patient suffering from female urinary stress incontinence includes an elongate sling for supporting the urethra, the sling having first and second ends. First and second tabs extend from the first and second ends of the sling, respectively for engaging supportive tissue superior to the portion of the urethra being supported. Each tab has a ratcheted section of alternating relatively projecting and relatively recessed portions for engaging the supportive tissue.

Device for treating urinary stress incontinence

A prolapse repair system and procedure are provided. The system can include one or more anchor devices and one or more extending members, such as a suture. The system can further include a mesh or like support or suspension structure provided intermediate the one or more anchor devices and the one or more extending members. The anchors can be directed to the coccygeous sacrospinous ligament or complex via a transperitoneal approach, wherein the one or more anchor devices are engaged directly into the target ligament or tissue complex and the one or more sutures extend back through the thickness of the vaginal wall to provide vaginal wall support.

Transperitoneal prolapse repair system and method

A compact, self-contained lighting system is attachable to a surgical tool to enable a user to selectively direct light at a site where the tool is to be applied. The system has a power unit that may contain rechargeable power cells, a malleable electrical connection element, and a light-emitting element powered thereby to emit high intensity white light, preferably from an LED. The system ensures against tissue damage due to inadvertent overheating by continuously removing byproduct heat from the light-emitting element, via the connection element, to the power unit with portions of each of these components serving as respective heat sinks and/or as thermal conduits to facilitate this process. The removed heat is dissipated to the ambient atmosphere, the surgical tool and even the user, and permits safe prolonged operations in confined regions of a patient's body.

Compact lighting system attachable to a surgical tool and method of use thereof

A compact, self-powered, selectively-mountable lighting unit provides light directable by a user to an operation site in a confined space to enable the user to operate a tool therein. The lighting unit is detachably mountable in a variety of ways either to a user-selected location on any suitable surgical instrument,or at the user's option to an adjacent location within the confined space, to facilitate well-lit and accurate viewing thereat. The lighting unit may be adapted to provide lighting of selected frequency, in an adjustable focus ranging from substantially diffuse light to a tightly focused beam. A known dead-soft element may be included to enable the user to adjust orientation of the delivered light.

Surgical illumination device and method of use

A surgeon-implantable, fluid-filled, flexible device for automatically controlling stress incontinence in female patients employs a flexible diaphragm element positioned in the patient's abdominal space to compress in response to increases in intraabdominal pressure. Upon such compression of the diaphragm, pressurized fluid flows therefrom via a flexible tubing, optionally via a flow control element, to an inflatable urethra-constricting element in fluid communication therewith and positioned over the patient's urethra close to her bladder neck. Thus, when the patient experiences an increase in intraabdominal pressure, e.g., when she coughs, fluid from the diaphragm flows rapidly to the urethra-constricting element which presses against and forcibly constricts the urethra adjacent thereto. Upon abatement of the intraabdominal pressure, the flow control element releases fluid from the urethra-constricting element which then ceases to press on the urethra.

Female incontinence control device actuated by abdominal pressure

A guidewire or other guide element has an elastically deformable distal end portion that is formed to have an unstrained shape or other features selected to allow the guide element to be safely retained inside a female's urinary bladder after placement therein via a tubular catheter by a doctor. The proximal end of the guide element extends out of her urethra to be easily accessible to her. When she needs to urinate, she passes the proximal end of the guide element into the distal end of another tubular catheter by herself and guides the catheter along the guide element into her bladder to pass out urine through the catheter. When her condition has improved, she or her doctor can withdraw the guide element via a similar catheter.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Mickey M Karram