Cardiothoracic Systems, Inc.

Maquet Cardiovascular LLC

Ampex Corporation

Syquest Technology, Inc.

Alara, Inc.

Maguet Cardiovascular LLC

William Friederich Witt

Dwight P Morejohn

Charles S Taylor

Ivan Sepetka

Richard S Ginn

William N Aldrich

Gary B Weller

Federico J Benetti

Eugene Edward Reis

Benjamin Sherman

Brent Ford Regan

Caralin R Adair

Amr Salahieh

Thomas J Fogarty

John J Frantzen

Valavanur A Subramanian

Robert C Glines

Brian J Bennett

Harry L Green

Christian Skieller

Michael J Billig

Thomas L Baughman

Hans K Tannert

Eric J Shrader

Sung Hoon Kim

Brian Patrick Wilfley

H Keith Nishihara

Perry Q Anderson

Douglas A Reim

Gary Cantu

Wayne Evans

Ron Smith

James Olef Jensen

Heather Klaubert

The invention is methods and devices which a surgeon may use to stabilize the beating heart during a surgical procedure on the heart. Pursuant to the invention, a stabilizing device is introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles is effectively eliminated such that the heart is stabilized and the site of the surgery moves only minimally if at all. Typically, in separate steps, the surgeon contacts the heart with the stabilizing means, assesses the degree of movement of the anastomosis site, and exerts a force on the stabilizing means such that the contraction of the beating heart causes orgy minimal excess motion at the surgery site. By fixing the position of the stabilizing means in a configuration where the motion of the beating heart is effectively eliminated, the surgeon is able to stabilize the beating heart for the duration of the procedure. The stabilizing means may be attached to a rigid support or may be attached to a semi-rigid support which is rendered motionless mechanically, chemically, or by human intervention. In certain preferred embodiments, the stabilizing means is affixed to a semi-rigid support which is caused to become rigid, by any of a variety of techniques, such that the position of the stabilizing means becomes fixed by the support, and the heart remains substantially motionless for the duration of the procedure.

Surgical instruments and procedures for stabilizing the beating heart during coronary artery bypass graft

An access platform having a first and a second blade interconnected to a spreader member that laterally drives the blades apart or together and a sternal pad interconnected to a blade. The superior blade is preferably pivotally coupled to the spreader member such that it naturally rises as the blades are separated. Alternatively, a vertical displacement member is operably interconnected to a blade and the spreader member and is used to vertically displace the interconnected superior blade and, thus, increase a surgeon's working space and visual access for the dissection of an internal mammary artery. A tissue retractor is interconnected to the blades to draw the soft tissue around an incision away from the surgeon's working area.

Access platform for internal mammary dissection

An access platform having a first and a second blade interconnected to a spreader member that laterally drives the blades apart or together and a sternal pad interconnected to a blade. The superior blade is pivotally coupled to the spreader member such that it naturally rises as the blades are separated. Alternatively, a vertical displacement member is operably interconnected to a blade and the spreader member and is used to vertically displace the interconnected superior blade and, thus, increase a surgeon's working space and visual access for the dissection of an internal mammary artery. A tissue retractor is interconnected to the blades to draw the soft tissue around an incision away from the surgeon's working area.

Methods and devices which a surgeon may use to stabilize the beating heart during a surgical procedure on the heart. A stabilizing device may be introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles in a vicinity of a site of surgery to be performed, is effectively eliminated. A surgeon may contact the heart with the stabilizing means, assess the degree of movement of the anastomosis site, and exert a force on the stabilizing means such that the contraction of the beating heart causes only minimal excess motion at the surgery site. The stabilizing means may be attached to a rigid support or may be attached to a semi-rigid support which is rendered motionless mechanically, chemically, or by human intervention.

Surgical instruments and procedures for stabilizing the beating heart during coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Devices for stabilizing tissue during a surgical procedure. The beating heart may be stabilized during a surgical procedure on the heart, using a described stabilizing device. In one example, a stabilizing device is introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles id effectively eliminated such that the heart is stabilized and the site of the surgery moves only minimally if at all.

A combined imaging plate scanning and erasing system, comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an imaging plate cassette infeed assembly positioned within the housing, the maging plate cassette infeed assembly comprising: (i) a mechanism to pull an imaging plate cassette into the housing; (ii) a mechanism to open the imaging plate cassette; and (iii) a mechanism to remove an imaging plate from the cassette; (c) a scanner positioned within the housing; (d) a curved path erasing assembly positioned between the imaging plate infeed assembly and the scanner; and (e) an imaging plate transportation assembly to move the imaging plate back and forth in a path extending from the imaging plate cassette, past the erasing assembly and through a scan area adjacent to the scanner.

Phosphor imaging plate and cassette handling system

The invention is methods and devices which a surgeon may use to stabilize the beating heart during a surgical procedure on the heart. Pursuant to the invention, a stabilizing device is introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles is effectively eliminated such that the heart is stabilized and the site of the surgery moves only minimally if at all. Typically, in separate steps, the surgeon contacts the heart with the stabilizing device, assesses the degree of movement of the anastomosis site, and exerts a force on the stabilizing device such that the contraction of the beating heart causes only minimal excess motion at the surgery site. By fixing the position of the stabilizing device in a configuration where the motion of the beating heart is effectively eliminated, the surgeon is able to stabilize the beating heart for the duration of the procedure. The stabilizing device may be attached to a rigid support or may be attached to a semi-rigid support which is rendered motionless mechanically, chemically, or by human intervention. In certain preferred embodiments, the stabilizing device is affixed to a semi-rigid support which is caused to become rigid, by any of a variety of techniques, such that the position of the stabilizing device becomes fixed by the support, and the heart remains substantially motionless for the duration of the procedure.

Surgical instrument for stabilizing the beating heart during coronary artery bypass graft surgery

This invention is methods and devices for stabilizing the beating heart during a surgical procedure on the heart. Pursuant to the invention, a stabilizing device is introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles is effectively eliminated such that the heart is stabilized and the site of the surgery moves only minimally if at all. Typically, in separate steps, the surgeon contacts the heart with the stabilizing device, assesses the degree of movement of the anastomosis site, and exerts a force on the stabilizing device such that the contraction of the beating heart causes only minimal excess motion at the surgery site. By fixing the position of the stabilizing device in a configuration where the motion of the beating heart is effectively eliminated, the surgeon is able to stabilize the beating heart for the duration of the procedure. The stabilizing device may be attached to a rigid support or may be attached to a semi-rigid support which is rendered motionless mechanically, chemically, or by human intervention. In certain preferred embodiments, the stabilizing device is affixed to a semi-rigid support which is caused to become rigid such that the position of the stabilizing means becomes fixed by the support, and the heart remains substantially motionless during the procedure.

Surgical instruments for stabilizing the beating heart during coronary

A disk drive 50 for receiving a removable cartridge 52 containing a disk 256 for storing data. The disk drive 50 includes a spindle motor 102 for engaging and causing the disk 256 of the cartridge 52 to spin at an appropriate speed and a mechanism 168 for mounting the spindle motor 102 to the disk drive 50 so that the spindle 102 motor is movable from a first position out of engagement with the disk 256 to a second position operably engaged with the disk 256. The spindle motor 102 can thus move in a plane which is not coplaner with the cartridge receiving plane. The disk drive further includes an ejecting mechanism 106 for engaging and lockingly holding the cartridge 52 in place in the cartridge receiver 60 and for ejecting the cartridge from the cartridge receiver 60. Further interlocking device 100 is provided for ensuring that the cartridge 52 cannot be removed from the receiver 60 when the spindle motor 102 is engaged with the disk 256 and for ensuring that the drive 50 cannot be enabled if the cartridge 52 is not received in the receiver 60. The disk drive 50 so configured can be contained in a desired form factor wherein the disk can be 2.5 inches in diameter or less, the height of the drive can be 17.5 millimeters or less and the memory capacity of the disk can be 40 megabytes or more.

Removable cartridge disk drive with cartridge interlocking and spindle

A disk drive 50 for receiving a removable cartridge 52 containing a disk 256 for storing data. The disk drive 50 includes a spindle motor 102 for engaging and causing the disk 256 of the cartridge 52 to spin at an appropriate speed and a mechanism 168 for mounting the spindle motor 102 to the disk drive 50 so that the spindle 102 motor is movable from a first position out of engagement with the disk 256 to a second position operably engaged with the disk 256. The spindle motor 102 can thus move in a plane which is not coplaner with the cartridge receiving plane. The disk drive further includes an ejecting mechanism 106 for engaging and lockingly holding the cartridge 52 in place in the cartridge receiver 60 and for ejecting the cartridge from the cartridge receiver 60. Further interlocking device 100 is provided for ensuring that the cartridge 52 cannot be removed from the receiver 60 when the spindle motor 102 is engaged with the disk 256 and for ensuring that the drive 50 cannot be enabled if the cartridge 52 is not received in the receiver 60.

A bidirectional transfer mechanism is provided for independent or simultaneous X-axis and Y-axis precision displacement of a mobile component, such as a video cassette pick-up unit for retrieving or returning video cassettes from a cassette library. The transfer mechanism comprises an upright column assembly supported on a machine frame for X-axis displacement and carrying the pick-up unit for Y-axis displacement. A first drive cable is connected to the upper and lower ends of the column assembly and threaded over a first set of pulleys on the machine frame, with a portion of the first cable being wrapped about a motor-driven winding drum for displacing the column assembly in the X-axis direction. A second drive cable has a portion thereof wrapped about another motor-driven winding drum and is threaded about a second set of pulleys on the column assembly and the pick-up unit, whereby drum rotation displaces the pick-up unit along the column assembly in the Y-axis direction.

Bidirectional transfer mechanism

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

William Friederich Witt