American Cyanamid Company

Thomas A Ritter

Alan L Kaganov

Barry L Dumican

John P Budris

Donald S Kaplan

Leonard J Laskowski

James C Bray

A mesh or fabric, having zero to variable stretch, is made from absorbable or partially absorbable fibers. The mesh or fabric can be either knitted or woven. The fabric is useful in surgical repair.

Method of using a surgical repair mesh

Surgical repair mesh

A surgical electrode consisting of an insulated stainless steel wire having surgical needles conductively affixed at one or both ends, at least one needle having a pointed end and a nonpointed end with a blind hole or flange in the nonpointed end thereof, and the blunt end of a blunt pointed pin fitted into said hole or flange and a crimp in said nonpointed end of the needle retaining said pin in said hole or flange with controlled pull-out characteristics, said pin conductively and permanently affixed at the other end to said wire, whereby said pin may be pulled out of said blind hole or flange and the blunt end of said pin used as an electrical jack for connection to a pacemaker or similar electric current generating or monitoring device. The electrodes are particularly useful as temporary heart pacer electrodes for cardiac stimulation during and after surgical operations.

Heart pacer lead wire with pull-away needle

The physical properties of structural surgical elements which are made from bioabsorbable materials having a glycolic ester linkage can be controlled so that the rate of strength loss and degradation in vivo is altered to achieve disintegration into fragments suitable for removal from or passage through the body without the need for waiting until the material is absorbed. This is achieved by a method of modifying the element through various chemical and/or physical treatments, preferably irradiation, or combinations thereof, with the result that bioabsorbable structural surgical elements are made more controllable in their strength loss and degradation pattern.

Modification of polyglycolic acid structural elements to achieve

This invention relates to a surgical needle comprising a point and dual cutting blades. The point is defined by a symmetrical angle of width and an angle of slope. The needle point geometry and the dual cutting blades provide a flap incision and a reduction in the tissue penetration properties.

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Bristol, CT, United States of America

Thomas A Ritter