Micrus Corporation

Harpoon Medical, Inc.

University System of Maryland

Other

Depuy Synthes Products, Inc.

Bfkw, LLC

Sebela Vlc Limited

Micrus Endovascular Corporation

Emphasys Medical, Inc.

C. R. Bard, Inc.

Devicor Medical Products, Inc.

Pulmonx Corporation

Specialty Granules Investments LLC

Cook Medical Technologies LLC

Vivant Medical, Inc.

Peter M Wilson

Eric W Leopold

Rupesh K Desai

David A Ferrera

Lok A Lei

James S Gammie

Hanson S Gifford, Iii

Hanson Gifford

Daniel R Kurz

Oleg Shikhman

Michael Gabriel Tal

Felino V Cortez, Jr

Adam I Lehman

Bob H Katz

Ronald Ray Hundertmark

Randal S Baker

James A Foote

Frederick J Walburn

Thomas A Howell

George D Hermann

Douglas S Sutton

David B Willis

Antony Jonathan Fields

William F Niland

Alan R Rapacki

Paul R Kemmeter

Thomas J Fogarty

Gail S Lebovic

Stanley R Conston

Natalie V Fawzi

D Laksen Sirimanne

Bernard H Andreas

Michael J Hendricksen

Roman Turovskiy

Alan Bachman

Steven W Kim

Michael Barrett

Mark E Deem

Douglas Sutton

Stephen Cournane

Andrew J DeNardo

Peter H Boyd

Stephen Epstein

Barry J Smith

Julie Marie Etheridge

Crystal K Sein-Lwyn

Robert J Chappolini

Diane Mai-Huong Dang

Joseph Horton

Mark DeBisschop

Michael Nicholas D'ambra

David R Tholfsen

Sunmi Chew

John G McCutcheon

M Elizabeth Bush

Thomas P Schaer

Anthony M Lowman

Erik Brewer

Luke Anthony Zanetti

Mark James Debisschop

Nigel Gordon Smith

Anne B Morrissey

Elizabeth M Bush

Mary Elizabeth Bush

Patrick N Gutelius

Albert K Chin

Ronald G French

Mark James DeBisschop

Bryan J Roodvoets

Barry A Salky

Van Wagner

Leo R Mindick

Benjamin Topper

Joshua Rands

Parker Steen

Anton J Fields

Donald Sutton

Michael J Hendrickson

Bernard Andreas

Anne B Morrisey

Bush M Elizabeth Elizabeth

Thomas J M D Fogarty

Mark Deem

Felino V Cortez

Peter Boyd

Felino Cortez

Michael S Barrett

John G Mccutcheon

Hanson S Gifford

The present disclosure relates to hydrogels and their use for repairing or supplementing body tissue. The hydrogels are capable of safe injection into patients through fine gauge needles and are suitable for repairing, supplementing, or replacing the nucleus pulposus of an intervertebral disc. Methods of manufacturing and methods of using the hydrogels of the present disclosure to repair or replace tissues are also disclosed.

Hydrogels and method of making the same

Roofing granules comprising agglomerated inorganic material, and building materials, such as shingles, that include such roofing granules. By fabricating roofing granules from agglomerating inorganic material, in combination with a binder composition having a wetting agent, it is possible to increase the yield of the fabricated roofing granules and tailor the particle size distribution so as to provide optimal shingle surface coverage, thus reducing shingle weight and usage of raw materials. Additionally, the use of agglomeration permits the utilization of by-products from conventional granule production processes.

Building materials comprising agglomerated particles

A tissue anchor delivery device includes a handle, an elongate shaft extending from the handle, a pusher tube disposed at least partially within a lumen of the elongate shaft, a pusher hub coupled to the pusher tube, a needle disposed at least partially within a lumen of the pusher tube, a needle hub coupled to the needle, and an actuator configured to be fixed to the pusher hub and the needle hub. The actuator is further configured to advance the needle hub and the pusher hub a first distance, thereby causing a tip of the needle to protrude from a distal end of the elongate shaft, disengage from the needle hub, and advance the pusher hub a second distance relative to the needle hub, thereby causing a distal end of the pusher tube to advance over the needle and push a coiled suture form off of the needle.

Tissue anchor deployment

Roofing granules comprising agglomerated inorganic material treated with carbon dioxide gas, and building materials, such as shingles, that include such roofing granules. By fabricating roofing granules from agglomerating inorganic material it is possible to tailor the particle size distribution so as to provide optimal shingle surface coverage, thus reducing shingle weight and usage of raw materials. Additionally, the use of agglomeration permits the utilization of by-products from conventional granule production processes.

Building materials comprising carbon-dioxide-treated agglomerated particles

Described herein are devices and methods for mitral valve repair. The devices and methods implant a plurality of distal anchors at an annulus of the mitral valve (e.g., the posterior annulus) and tension artificial chordae to pull the portion of the annulus toward an opposite edge and inward into the ventricle. This can effectively reduce the size of the orifice and increase coaptation. The delivery devices can be configured to be actuated to form a distal anchor made of a pre-formed knot. The delivery devices deliver the pre-formed knot in an elongate configuration. Actuation of the delivery device causes the pre-formed knot to transition from the elongate configuration to the deployed configuration by approximating opposite ends of a suture coupled to a coiled configuration to form one or more loops. After formation of the knot, the delivery device can be withdrawn.

Delivery devices for forming a distal anchor for mitral valve repair

A method for promoting contraception by placing a contraceptive device within a uterus without blocking fallopian tubes may involve advancing a distal end of a delivery device through a cervix, advancing the contraceptive device comprising an elongate shape memory member out of the distal end of the delivery device and into the uterus, and limiting inferior migration of the contraceptive device within the uterus. Inferior migration may be limited by allowing the contraceptive device to assume a shape, when subjected to pressure that tends to cause a downward migration of the device within the uterus, in which an expandable middle portion of the device is expanded to contact the inner wall of the uterus and thus limit the downward migration of the device.

Intrauterine contraceptive device

Described herein are methods and apparatus for approximating targeted tissue using locking sutures. The locking sutures can be configured to receive suture ends that are interweaved through portions of the locking sutures. In a pre-deployment configuration, a locking suture can slide along suture tails and can be positioned at a target location within a target region. Once a desired position and/or tension is achieved, the locking suture can be transitioned to a post-deployment configuration where the locking suture constricts around the suture tails to inhibit relative movement between the suture tails and the locking suture.

Method and apparatus for cardiac procedures

Apparatus and methods for performing a non-invasive procedure to repair a cardiac valve are described herein. In some embodiments, apparatus and methods are described herein for repairing a mitral valve using an edge-to-edge repair to secure the mitral valve leaflets. Implant securing devices are also described that can be used during a procedure to repair a mitral valve. In some embodiments, an implant securing device includes an outer member and an inner member movably disposed within the outer member. The inner member can be used to hold or secure a suture extending from an implant deployed on an atrial side of a leaflet of a mitral valve, and the outer member can be used to push or move a half hitch knot toward a ventricular side of the leaflet, which can be used to secure the implant in the desired position.

Method and apparatus for transapical procedures on a mitral valve

A method comprises advancing an elongate tube to a target implantation site, the elongate tube having a needle disposed at least partially therein that has a coiled sutureform wrapped around at least a portion thereof, contacting a distal end of the elongate tube to a target tissue, projecting a tip of the needle from the distal end of the elongate tube to pierce through the target tissue such that the tip of the needle and at least a portion of the coiled sutureform project through the target tissue, advancing a pusher device within the elongate tube and over the needle to push the at least a portion of the coiled sutureform off of the tip of the needle, and proximally pulling one or more suture tails associated with the coiled sutureform to form the coiled sutureform into a knot on a distal side of the target tissue.

Short-throw tissue anchor deployment

A bariatric device includes an esophageal member having an esophageal surface that is configured to generally conform to the shape and size of a portion of the esophagus and an anchoring technique anchoring the esophageal member to the portion of the esophagus. The bariatric device includes a cardiac member having a cardiac surface that is configured to generally conform to the shape and size of a portion of the cardiac portion of the stomach and a connector connected with the esophageal member and the cardiac member to cause strain to be applied by the cardiac member to the cardiac portion of the stomach. The strain applied by the cardiac member to the cardiac portion of the stomach causes satiety in the absence of food. The connector is adapted to pass through the gastroesophageal junction while leaving a continuous portion of the gastroesophageal junction substantially unrestrained.

Bariatric device and method

A back-brace assistive device is provided for supporting a proper lifting posture of a user, including a back-brace assembly featuring a series of interconnected and articulating vertebrae assemblies, as well as an upper back plate assembly and a lower back plate assembly, each in connection with the series of the vertebrae assemblies. Each vertebrae assembly fits into the adjacent assembly via a ball joint, and the series of the vertebrae assemblies couples with the upper and the lower back plate assemblies via additional ball joints. At least one support component extends from the upper back plate assembly, across the series of the articulating vertebrae assemblies, to the lower back plate assembly to provide rigidity and articulation support for the vertebrae assemblies. An anchoring mechanism such as a harness attaches to the back-brace assembly to secure the back-brace assembly to the user's back. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Back-brace assistive device

Described herein are methods and apparatus for approximating targeted tissue by intertwining two or more sutures together. The sutures are attached to the targeted tissue and routed to a twister device. The twister device secures end portions of the sutures and twists them to intertwine the sutures. Controlling the number of twists provides control over the forces applied to the targeted tissue. In conjunction with visualization feedback, real-time adjustments can be made to achieved targeted results, such as elimination of mitral regurgitation when the disclosed methods and apparatus are applied to mitral valve repair.

Growing community of inventors

Foster City, CA, United States of America

Peter M Wilson