Scimed Life Systems, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

St. Jude Medical, Cardiology Division, Inc.

Boston Scientific Corporation

Scott M Hanson

Adam J Rivard

Louis G Ellis

Thomas J Holman

Gregory K Olson

Joseph P Ricci

Richard J Traxler

Walter John Dobrovolny

Linda R Lorentzen Cornelius

Jonathan C Sell

Cassandra Ann Piippo Svendsen

Jody Lee Rivers

Charles A Plowe

Michael John Eng

Tracee E J Eidenschink

Andrew Joseph Dusbabek

Sonja J K Williams

Mark R Christianson

Stephen L Bolea

David J Blaeser

Edward J Anderson

Sean Patrick Skubitz

Scott A Olson

Jerome Kent Grudem, Jr

Gary L Hendrickson

Dennis W Wahr

Patrick P Russo

Jeffrey R Stone

Jan D Seppala

Evan Mark Gustafson

Ryan R Davis

Justin M Claus

Gary J Pederson, Jr

Mary Bengtson

Chad C Whiterabbit

Linda Lorentzen Cornelius

Tracee E Eidenschink

Scott Raymond Smith

Phillip C Falkner

Brent C Gerberding

Anthony Ciro Vrba

Thomas I Miller

Christopher R Larson

Terry V Brown

Bruce A Behymer

David J Holtan

Raymond F McMullen

Douglas Scott Cerny

Leo M Klisch

Jeffrey R Dixon

Charles Thomas Bombeck

Darrin E Dickerson

Justin Plessel

Lawrence W Ulanowski

Joshua D Trevorrow

Linda R Lorentzen-Cornelius

Sonja J Williams

Jerome K Grudem

Andrew J Dusbabek

Implantable medical leads and/or lead extensions include a band that encapsulates a portion of conductors of the lead and/or lead extension. The band may be reflowed in order to provide the encapsulation of the conductors. The band may further be used to create a seal together with the surrounding lead body and an additional object such as a stiffener rod, stylet tube, and/or molding stylet, to allow a proximal area of a lumen of the lead body to be injection molded while prevent the injection molding material from proceeding past the band. When a stiffener rod is present in a proximal area of the lead and/or lead extension, additional stiffness is provided to the lead body to resist buckling of the lead body during insertion of the proximal end. The band may be bonded to the stiffener rod to fix the position of the stiffener rod relative to the conductors.

Implantable medical leads and lead extensions having an encapsulation band

Distal connector assemblies that are on the distal end of medical lead extensions provide increased rigidity by including a rigid holder that contains the electrical connectors. The electrical connectors are separated within the rigid holder by insulative spacers that may be individual items or may be formed from a compliant carrier that the electrical connectors may reside within where the carrier is positioned within the rigid holder. The rigid holder may also contain a set screw block defining set screw bore or the rigid holder may include an integral portion that defines a set screw bore. The integral portion may include a slot to allow a molding pin loaded with the electrical connectors and other components to be dropped into a cavity of the rigid holder. An overmold may be present to surround the rigid body containing the electrical connectors and insulative spacers.

Distal connector assemblies for medical lead extensions

Tips for use on a tunneling tool provide the ability to pull an implantable medical lead extension or catheter body through a subcutaneous tunnel. The tips may include a pin with a barb, where the barb is inserted within a compliant portion of a connector body of the lead extension or a catheter body to create an interference fit that allows the connector body or catheter body to be pulled through the tunnel. The tips may include a carrier that has a cavity for the connector body, where the tunneling is performed with the carrier present on the tunneling tool. A body is positioned within the cavity of the carrier to prevent tissue from snagging on and collecting within the carrier. The body may include a tip portion that performs the tunneling function. The carrier may also provide tunneling and/or may be attached to the tunneling tool during tunneling.

Tools and methods for implantation of implantable medical lead extensions or catheters

An atherectomy device is disclosed, which is rotationally driven by an electric motor. In some designs, the device includes features unavailable on gas turbine-driven systems, such as the storing in memory of low/medium/high preset rotation speeds for particular models of handle, calculations of the amount of saline left in the IV and associated warnings when it gets sufficiently low, and automatic adjustment of the IV pump rate to a predetermined or calculated level when the rotational speed of the motor is changed. The electric motor has far more rotational inertia than a comparable gas turbine, so the system includes a control mechanism that helps prevent damage from excessive torque being applied to the distal end of the drive shaft. When an obstruction at the distal end is detected, by a drop in the motor rotational speed, the motor is released and is allowed to spin freely as a flywheel. The freely-spinning motor allows the large angular momentum of the system to dissipate rapidly and safely, without excessive torque to the drive shaft.

Rotational atherectomy device with electric motor

Kits provide management of implantable lead extensions being implanted by providing a kit body with features that retain the extension in a configuration, with amounts being removed as needed during the implantation procedure. The kit can be present within a sterile field, and the kit body features may be arranged so that a length of a path that the extension forms is approximately equal to a length of the extension needed for the tunnel. The kit body may include features that allow the connectors of the extension as well as implantation tools to be retained within the kit body while being easily accessed when needed during the procedure. The kit may be coupled to the patient during the trial period, as the extension may have an implanted distal connector while having a proximal connector coupled to an external stimulator and while being retained on the kit body.

Kits and methods for implanting an implantable lead extension

The invention provides a rotational atherectomy system, device and method comprising a flexible, elongated, rotatable drive shaft with an abrasive section within a pre-curved section of the drive shaft. The device may further comprise a concentric or eccentric enlarged diameter section that is at least partially covered with abrasive material to comprise the abrasive section. The abrasive section may further comprise an abrasive crown or burr mounted to the drive shaft. The pre-curved drive shaft allows smaller diameter and/or massive abrasive regions to be used while sweeping larger diameters during high-speed rotation. The pre-curved region is substantially straightened for insertion into vasculature and placement adjacent stenosis by insertion of the guide wire. Removal of guide wire proximally from the pre-curved region allows the drive shaft to return to its pre-curved form for ablation. Reinsertion of the guide wire beyond the pre-curved region straightens the drive shaft for ease of removal.

Rotational atherectomy device with pre-curved drive shaft

A closure device for sealing a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in the heart includes a left atrial anchor adapted to be placed in a left atrium of the heart, a tether fixedly connected to the left atrial anchor and adapted to extend through the passageway of the PFO, a right atrial anchor adapted to be placed in a right atrium of the heart and moved along the tether, and a lock for securing the position of the right atrial anchor along the tether. The left and right atrial anchors preferably include a plurality of arms formed as loops and may include means for securing each arm in case of fracture in the loop. After the closure device is positioned, a cutting tool may sever the portion of the tether proximal of the right atrial anchor. The closure device can be retrieved during delivery, including by use of a snare catheter.

Method for retrieving a closure device

Growing community of inventors

Savage, MN, United States of America

Scott M Hanson