Team Medical, LLC

Microline Surgical, Inc.

Baxter International Inc.

Invuity, Inc.

Surginetics, Inc.

The Larren Corporation

Warren Paul Heim

James L Brassell

Michael Dickson Olichney

Robert L Anderson

Alex Vayser

Jason Hegener

David Wayne

Larry K Blankenship

Scott A Miller

Jeffrey P Castleberry

Daniel C Colesworthy, Iii

Glenn A Horner

Mark E Williamson

Steve W Stracener

Jerry W Newbrough

Scott Allan Miller, Iii

Donald R Widrig

Brad H Sherman

Joel Tune

Sheri A Baltzer

Mary C Dominiak

A surgical system that illuminates a surgical site using one or more illumination means is powered by radiofrequency energy produced by an electrosurgical generator. Illumination may occur whether or not current is being delivered from an active electrode to target tissue.

Illuminated electrosurgical system and method of use

A coating and devices using the coating are provided. The coating is applied in liquid form and dried or otherwise cured to form a durable adherent coating resistant to high temperatures and having optional hydrophobic properties. The coating formulation contains an aqueous formulation of silica, one or more fillers, and sufficient base, (e.g., potassium hydroxide), to have a pH exceeding about 10.5 during at least part of the formulation process. The formulation may contain a compound(s) that affects surface free energy, energy to make the cured coating hydrophobic. Such compounds include silanes containing halogens (e.g., fluorine or chlorine) and in particular silanes containing one or more hydrolyzable groups attached to at least one silicon atom and a group containing one or more halogens (e.g., chlorine or fluorine). A medical instrument (e.g., electrosurgical instrument) may be at least partially covered by a coating using the formulation.

Method for coating surgical instruments

A method and system for determination of dimension related information such as volumetric flow rate(s) of a fluid flowing through a channel. In one implementation, the method and system analyzes temporal changes in a moving fluid's velocity profile to calculate the fluid channel dimensions. In turn, the fluid channel dimensions and the fluid velocity profile data may be combined to calculate the volumetric flow rate of the fluid flowing through the channel. In this regard, the geometry of the channel can be characterized using dimensionless variables that relate dimensions, such as the radius across a circular cross-section, to the largest extent of a dimension. For example, in the case where the channel is a cylindrical tube and a pressure gradient is applied long enough for the fluid to have reached a steady state, the dimensionless radius will be the radius at any point divided by the overall radius of the tube. One or more dimensionless variables can be used to characterize geometries: for instance, one dimensionless radius characterizes a circular tube and two dimensionless terms characterize an elliptical tube (one for the major axis and one for the minor axis). The time required for velocity profiles to change from one shape to another may be characterized by dimensionless time. Dimensionless time, in turn, uses the fluid's viscosity and density along with time and overall channel dimensions and may be used in combination with at least one velocity profile to calculate the volumetric flow rate of the fluid flowing through the channel.

Method and system for obtaining dimension related information for a flow channel

A method for conducting electrosurgery using increased crest factors employs an electrosurgical instrument having at least one conductive element that is surrounded by an insulation layer except at a conductor edge portion of the conductive element. The conductor edge portion and insulation layer each having unique geometric shapes and composition of the parts concentrate the electrosurgical power, reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The outer profile of the insulation layer and conductive element are configured to facilitate the flow of electrosurgical decomposition products away from the conductor edge where they are formed. The combined effects of the electrosurgical instrument configurations enable safe use of crest factors of 5 or greater in electrosurgical procedures.

Method for conducting electrosurgery with increased crest factor

An electrosurgical instrument blade includes a body having more than two electrodes with at least two electrodes having alternating current power supplied to them provide a bipolar alternating current configuration and employ a means other than electrode spacing for reducing or preventing accumulation of eschar. The electrodes are separated from each other using electrically insulating materials such that electric current does not flow between at least two of the bipolar alternating current electrodes unless they contact at least one other electrically conductive medium, such as patient tissue. The conductor edge portion and insulation layer each have geometric shapes and composition to reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The outer profile of the insulation layer and conductive element are configured to facilitate the flow of electrosurgical decomposition products away from the conductor edge where they are formed.

Multielectrode electrosurgical blade

An improved electrosurgical instrument includes a body having more than two electrodes with at least two electrodes having alternating current power supplied to them provide a bipolar alternating current configuration and employ a means other than electrode spacing for reducing or preventing accumulation of eschar. The electrodes are separated from each other using electrically insulating materials such that electric current does not flow between at least two of the bipolar alternating current electrodes unless they contact at least one other electrically conductive medium, such as patient tissue. The conductor edge portion and insulation layer each have geometric shapes and composition to reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The outer profile of the insulation layer and conductive element are configured to facilitate the flow of electrosurgical decomposition products away from the conductor edge where they are formed.

Multielectrode electrosurgical instrument

An electrosurgical blade includes a conductive element that is surrounded by an insulation layer except at a conductor edge portion of the conductive element. The conductor edge portion and insulation layer each have unique geometric shapes and composition of the parts to reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The outer profile of the insulation layer and conductive element are configured to facilitate the flow of electrosurgical decomposition products away from the conductor edge where they are formed.

Electrosurgical blade

An electrosurgical instrument is disclosed for simplifying making incisions and other treatments using electrosurgery. The electrosurgical instrument comprises a body having at least one conductive element that is surrounded by an insulation layer except at a conductor edge portion of the conductive element. The conductor edge portion and insulation layer each having unique geometric shapes and composition of the parts to reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The outer profile of the insulation layer and conductive element are configured to facilitate the flow of electrosurgical decomposition products away from the conductor edge where they are formed.

Electrosurgical instrument

An battery-powered electrosurgical instrument includes a blade having a conductor edge portion and insulation layer with geometric shapes and composition that concentrate electrosurgical energy and reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage, thereby providing more efficient application of electrosurgical energy. The more efficient use of electrosurgical energy permits configuring the system to be battery-powered. The system may be portable or configured as a battery-backup powered system.

Battery powered electrosurgical system

An electrosurgical instrument includes a conductive element in the form of a needle that is surrounded by an insulation layer except at a conductor tip portion of the conductive element. The conductor tip portion and insulation layer each have unique geometric shapes and composition of the parts to reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The electrosurgical needle electrode is configured to concentrate the flow of electrosurgical at the tip region.

Electrosurgical instrument with needle electrode

An electrosurgical needle includes a body having at least one conductive element in the form of a needle that is surrounded by an insulation layer except at a conductor tip portion of the conductive element. The conductor tip portion and insulation layer each have unique geometric shapes and composition of the parts to reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage. The electrosurgical needle electrode is configured to concentrate the flow of electrosurgical energy at the tip region.

Electrosurgical needle electrode

A signal processing utility is disclosed involving time-to-frequency domain transforms for applications including medical diagnostic signal processing. Such transforms can be used to define a continuous spectral density function or other spectral density function including nonzero values at irregularly spaced frequency intervals. The invention thereby enables more accurate representation of certain real spectra and reduced spectral broadening. The utility also accounts for digitization errors associated with analog-to-digital conversion. The invention has particular advantages with respect to medical contexts where the received signal has a changing spectral content as a result of interaction of an interrogating signal with moving physiological material such as blood flowing through an artery.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Warren Paul Heim