Trans1 Inc.

Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.

Abbott Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Baxano Surgical, Inc.

Quandary Medical LLC

Stephen D Ainsworth

Robert L Assell

Eugene A Dickhudt

Andrew H Cragg

Bradley John Wessman

E Tina Cheng

Brandon Arthurs

Laurent B Schaller

James M Jacobs

Steve Golden

Andreina P Gomez

Leighton Joseph LaPierre

Liem Ho

Eugene E Avidano

Demetri Mavroidis

Kathleen Woodside

James K Hong

Gary D Fleischer

Thomas Matthew Womble

Tawney A Schwarz

Jianhua Yang

Tung Nguyen

Andrew L Cragg

Tina E Cheng

Disclosed are surgical implants for providing therapy to a treatment site, tool sets and methods for minimally invasively accessing and deploying the implants within the spine. The treatment site may be a vertebral body, disc, and/or motion segments in the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine.

Spinal implants and implantation system

Disclosed are surgical implants for providing therapy to a treatment site, tool sets and methods for percutaneously accessing and deploying the implants within the spines. The treatment site may be a vertebral body, disc, and/or motion segments in the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine.

The invention is directed to an expandable stent for implanting in a body lumen, such as a coronary artery, peripheral artery, or other body lumen. The invention provides for a an intravascular stent having a plurality of cylindrical rings connected by undulating links. The stent has a high degree of flexibility in the longitudinal direction, yet has adequate vessel wall coverage and radial strength sufficient to hold open an artery or other body lumen.

Intravascular stent

The invention provides an improved stent design for repairing vasculature, the stent having rings including struts defining first peaks and second peaks, selected second peaks of adjacent rings being connected by links. The stent design incorporates non-linear links with undulating portions extending generally perpendicular to or circumferentially with respect to a longitudinal axis of the stent and adjacent first peaks with different longitudinal lengths such that stent flexibility is increased without sacrificing stent compression for delivery.

Low profile stent with flexible link

Minimally invasive surgical techniques including techniques and implants for provision of therapy to a spine from a lateral approach. Implants that may be used with other approaches to the spine are disclosed. Minimally invasive surgical techniques using one or more extended retractors to create an extended access route such as the non-limiting example of lateral access to the spine. Minimally invasive surgical techniques using internal retractors that may be reversibly expanded with a removable retractor inserter to create an extended access route. A linkage jack to expand a set of two or more extended retractors to create an extended access route.

Spinal therapy lateral approach access instruments

Assemblies for implantation across one or more spinal motion segments to allow for control of the distance between bone anchors. Control of distance between bone anchors may be provided by one inter-anchor element pushing the pair of bone anchors apart and a second inter-anchor element pulling the pair of bone anchors together. Control of distance between bone anchors may be provided through use of dissimilar thread pitch. Compression of intervertebral disc space through controlled movement of a pair of anchored bone anchors towards one another.

Spinal therapy device with fixated distraction distance

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for the provision of spinal therapy to three or more adjacent motion segments accessed through a trans-sacral approach. The spinal therapies include fusion and dynamic stabilization with and without a distraction of the most cephalad motion segment of the two or more adjacent motion segments provided therapy. The disclosure includes methods and apparatus to impart a distraction on a second more caudal motion segment after providing therapy to the more cephalad motion segment.

Therapy to adjacent motion segments

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for the provision of spinal therapy to two or more adjacent motion segments accessed through a trans-sacral approach. The spinal therapies include fusion and dynamic stabilization with and without a distraction of the most cephalad motion segment of the two or more adjacent motion segments provided therapy. The disclosure includes methods and apparatus to impart a push distraction to increase the distance between two adjacent vertebrae. Related concepts for the extraction of previously inserted devices and the delivery and removal of plugs for plugging the interior cavities of implantable devices are disclosed.

Assemblies for provision of therapy to motion segments

Multi-membrane prosthetic nucleus and implants using same are disclosed having an outermost membrane that is semi-compliant and limits the innermost membrane and any intermediate membranes that are highly compliant from bulging out of any opening in the annulus fibrosus. The outermost membrane may help protect the innermost membrane from trauma including any trauma before the innermost membrane is expanded through the injection of prosthetic nucleus material and trauma during the expansion of the innermost membrane in response to the injection of prosthetic nucleus material. Also disclosed is a coated membrane which combines the mechanical properties of the foundation layer with the low permeability to the passage of the flowable prosthetic material of the coating. This coated membrane is semi-compliant and prevents the prosthetic nucleus from bulging out of any openings in the annulus fibrosus. Use is made of injected prosthetic nucleus material that changes to a non-flowable state.

Prosthetic nucleus with a preformed membrane

Disclosed are surgical tools, tool sets and methods for percutaneously accessing and preparing treatment sites within the spine for subsequent treatment procedures. The treatment site may be an inter-vertebral motion segments in the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine. The tool set may comprise introducer tools and bone dilators for accessing and tapping into a targeted site, such as, for example, the anterior surface of the Svertebral body. The tool set may also comprise cutters and extractors for preparing the treatment site for subsequent treatment procedures. The tool set may additionally comprise a bone graft inserter, an exchange system, and/or a temporary distraction tool for further preparing the treatment site for subsequent treatment procedures.

Method and apparatus for removable spinal implant extending between at least two adjacent vertebral bodies

A system for anastomosing a first tubular structure to a second tubular structure having an opening formed therein comprises a support device having a plurality of arms forming spaces therebetween and a plurality of piercing members slidably coupled to the arms. The support device piercing members have a retracted state and an extended state to support the first tubular structure thereon for placement within an opening in the second tubular structure to facilitate anastomosing the tubular structures together. The arms can be configured to urge the first tubular structure against the portion of the second tubular structure surrounding the opening to form a seal therebetween. According to one embodiment, a plurality of discrete fasteners are provided to pass through the support device spaces and the first and second tubular structures. In another embodiment, fasteners are integrated into the support device and releasably coupled thereto for delivery to the anastomosis site.

Anastomosis apparatus and methods

A sealing clip for sealing or holding punctures or openings in tissue closed is applied from the inner surface of the tissue. In one embodiment, the clip has piercing members for penetrating the tissue from an inner surface thereof adjacent the opening. A delivery apparatus is used to releasably hold the clip in one configuration for introduction of the clip through the puncture or opening and expand the clip to a more open configuration for pulling the clip through the tissue as the delivery apparatus is retracted. Further retraction of the delivery apparatus causes the edges of the tissue surrounding the opening to move along the clip and come together after which the clip is released and closed to hold the tissue edges of the opening together. In the case where the clip has a memory set closed shape, the clip returns toward that shape after being released to hold the tissue edges of the opening together, thereby holding the opening closed.

Growing community of inventors

Wilmington, NC, United States of America

Stephen D Ainsworth