Ethicon, Gmbh

Cilag International Gmbh

Robert E Maurer

Eric Hinrichs

Michael Hamilton

Thomas Wilkes

S Neil Bar

Frank Richard Cichocki, Jr

Eugene D Reynolds

Daniel J Smith

Robert Nering

Semyon Shchervinsky

Michael William Nordmeyer

Lowell G Saferstein

John P Collier

Etan Chatlynne

Alex B Ilori

Lester E Schaible

Frank R Cichocki

The present invention provides novel medical devices for use in surgical procedures and methods for manufacturing novel medical devices. In some embodiments, the novel medical devices can include surgical needles that are capable of being repeatedly passed through tissue using minimal force. More particularly, the surgical needles can be manufactured with one or more coatings that provide the surgical needles with both durability and lubricity for ease of repeated and successive passes through tissue. Novel methods for manufacturing the surgical needles and for providing and applying coatings to the surgical needles are also provided.

Surgical needle coatings and methods

A method for making a curved tungsten alloy suture needle comprising the step of heating tungsten alloy needle blanks or a tungsten alloy suture needle to a temperature below the recrystallization temperature of the alloy. The tungsten alloy suture needles described herein have a desirable combination of stiffness, strength, ductility, and surface color.

Tungsten alloy suture needles

The present invention provides improved medical devices for use in surgical procedures and methods for manufacturing improved medical devices. In some embodiments, the improved medical devices can include improved surgical needles that are capable of being repeatedly passed through tissue using minimal force. More particularly, the improved surgical needles can be manufactured with two or more different coatings that provide the surgical needles with both durability and lubricity for ease of repeated and successive passes through tissue. Improved methods for manufacturing the surgical needles and for providing and applying coatings to the surgical needles are also provided.

A method of stress relieving drilled surgical needles is disclosed. At least the metal about a drilled bore hole is heat treated to relieve stress without annealing.

Post laser drilling stress relief of surgical needles made of refractory alloys

A novel method of characterizing laser drilled boreholes is disclosed. The method uses x-ray microscopy for dimensional characterization. The x-ray output may be processed to control manufacturing equipment in automated production systems, including laser drilling systems and swaging apparatus.

X-ray microscopy for characterizing hole shape and dimensions in surgical needles

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

A suture anchoring and tensioning device is made from a resilient strip of polymeric or superelastic material adapted to be coiled into a tight spiral configuration that restricts movement of a suture entwined therein as the device coils about itself.

Suture anchoring and tensioning device

An electrical connector for a cardiac device is disclosed. The connector has a wire and an electrode at the distal end of the wire. The wire is attached to a patch, and the patch is coated with an adhesive film for adhering the patch to tissue. The preferred connector is a bipolar temporary cardiac pacing wire. The use of an adhesive film eliminates or reduces the need for suturing the patch to tissue, thus avoiding or significantly reducing tissue trauma associated with suturing.

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Belle Mead, NJ, United States of America

Robert E Maurer