The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 20, 1999
Filed:
May. 02, 1997
Robert Tucker, North Liberty, IA (US);
Fusion Medical Technologies, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for effecting and enhancing wound closure in tissue is disclosed. Wounds and tissue are sealed by heating a sealant material, such as collagen, in an applicator (10) to a temperature sufficient to melt the sealant. The melted sealant is then extruded through a distal tip of an elongate shaft (22) and applied to the target site, where it cools and sets to form bonds with the underlying tissue. The heated sealant flows over the wound to create an effective barrier against further blood leakage and, upon cooling, it readily adheres to the tissue to seal the wound. In addition, since high intensity energy is not applied directly to the wound, damage or destruction of neighboring tissue is minimized.