Depuy Mitek, Inc.

Medos International Sarl

Depuy Synthes Products, Inc.

Silicon Valley Group, Inc.

Integra Lifesciences Switzerland Sarl

Questek, Inc.

Steven N Bittenson

David B Spenciner

Gregory R Whittaker

Mehmet Ziya Sengun

Jacob A Marks

Gary B McAlister

Benjamin Cleveland

Julia Hwang

William R Parrish

Reagan A Theis

Gary K Klauminzer

Regan A Theis

Various devices, systems, and methods for anchoring sutures are provided In general, a suture anchor can include a groove formed in an exterior surface thereof and configured to seat a suture at least partially therein. The suture can be configured to automatically become seated in the groove during the advancement of the anchor into bone, such as by being rotated therein using a driver tool. The suture and the groove can have cooperating sizes such that the suture seated in the groove extends radially outward therefrom to be partially located outside of the anchor. This external portion of the suture can be press fit between the anchor and the bone, thereby securing both the anchor and the suture to the bone. This securing can occur as part of driving the anchor into bone.

Devices, systems, and methods for anchoring sutures

A surgical impact tool comprises an electromagnetic impactor hermetically sealed within a sterilizable housing having one or more external mechanical coupling for transmitting an impact to an object external to the tool. The housing also contains an energy storage medium rechargeable through the hermetic seal, and electronic controls operable through the hermetic seal.

Surgical impact tool

Systems and methods are provided for optically reading a setting of an implantable valve. The valve includes optical emitters that are wirelessly powered by a valve reading tool that images the emitted light to determine the valve setting.

Optoelectronic sensing of a subcutaneous implant setting

Various exemplary methods, systems, and devices for blood flow are provided. In general, an implant can be configured to be implanted in bone and to delay clotting of blood flowing from the bone. The implant can include an anti-coagulation agent to delay the clotting of the blood. The anti-coagulation agent can be a coating on the implant, can be natural to a material forming the implant, or can be impregnated into a material forming the implant. In an exemplary embodiment, the implant is implanted in a bone in a surgical procedure for securing a soft tissue to bone, such as a rotator cuff repair procedure or an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair procedure.

Methods, devices, and systems for blood flow

A surgical anchor comprises a plurality of plates configured into a stack with successive plates within the stack being vertically arrayed with respect to the stack. The stack has an undeployed configuration, and a deployed configuration. In the deployed configuration one or more of the plates is positioned outwardly more laterally with respect to the stack than in the undeployed configuration so as to retain the anchor in a bone hole. A biasing member between the plates in the stack biases the one or more plates toward the deployed configuration. The biasing member can provide a torsional force to induce the plates to rotate and fan outwardly.

Method of fastening soft tissue to bone with a stacked plate suture anchor

A cannula system provides a cannula formed of a soft conformable material such as silicone and having an exterior thread. The cannula lacks rigidity, especially axially, and an obturator therefor is provided with an external thread to interact with the cannula an maintain its shape as it is inserted into a patient's body.

Flexible cannula and obturator

Stacked plate suture anchor

Devices and methods useful for suturing soft tissue to bone are disclosed. In one embodiment, a bone-suturing device is provided and can include a delivery needle, a delivery needle driving element, a capture needle, and a capture needle driving element. The delivery needle driving element and capture needle driving element can advance the delivery needle and the capture needle through soft tissue and into bone, respectively, and the paths of the delivery needle and the capture needle can intersect therein. The delivery needle can be adapted for holding a suture and the capture needle can be adapted for receiving the suture held by the delivery needle. An injection device can be provided to deliver an adhesive material into bone.

Bone suture

Devices and methods useful for suturing soft tissue to bone are disclosed. In one embodiment, a bone-suturing device is provided and can include a delivery needle, a delivery needle driving element, a capture needle, and a capture needle driving element. The delivery needle driving element and capture needle driving element can advance the delivery needle and the capture needle through soft tissue and into bone, respectively, and the paths of the delivery needle and the capture needle can intersect therein. The delivery needle can be adapted for holding a suture and the capture needle can be adapted for receiving the suture held by the delivery needle. In another embodiment, an injection device can be provided to deliver an adhesive material into bone. The devices and methods disclosed herein can provide simple and minimally invasive ways to suture soft tissue to bone with a high resistance to pullout and reduced recovery time, and may be used as part of percutaneous, arthroscopic, or open surgical procedures.

The use of refractive optical elements to reduce or eliminate unwanted wavelength components from a laser emission. The method and apparatus described herein introduces modifications to the parallelism of one or more existing optical elements within the laser to dispersively separate wavelength components of the laser emission. According to embodiments of the invention, modifications in the parallelism can be made to the output coupler, intra-cavity polarizing optical components, and extra-cavity beamsplitter to accomplish separation of wavelength components without the introduction of additional optical components or reduction in the operating capacity of the laser. Additional optical components can be used to accomplish further separation of the wavelength components after the laser beam leaves the laser resonator.

Method and apparatus for optimizing the output beam characteristics of a laser

An excimer laser including a discharge chamber containing a mixture of halogen, rare gas and buffer gas uses two gas sources to replenish the halogen in the discharge chamber while maintaining the concentrations of all the gases at the optimum levels. One of the gas sources, source A, contains a mixture of the rare gas and the buffer gas in optimum concentrations. The other gas source, source B, contains both the rare gas and the buffer gas, in optimum relative concentrations, and also the halogen, in a concentration which is greater than optimum. As the laser operates and the gain of the laser decreases due to halogen depletion, gas from source B is injected into the discharge chamber to raise the halogen concentration. Gas is then released from the chamber to reduce the chamber pressure to the original level. When halogen replenishment does not suffice to restore the laser gain, due to the build-up of contaminants in the chamber, a portion of chamber gas is released and it is replenished with fresh gas from both sources in proportions adequate to provide optimum concentrations of the various gases.

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, MA, United States of America

Steven N Bittenson