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. 10, 2007
Filed:
Feb. 18, 2004
Eric Boone, Comstock Park, MI (US);
Jack Goodman, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
John D. Hall, Mayfield Hts, OH (US);
Vincent J. Testa, Mars, PA (US);
Eric Vroegop, Holland, MI (US);
William G. O'neill, Maple Grove, MN (US);
Cornelius Borst, Bilthoven, NL;
Hendricus J. Mansvelt-beck, Bilthoven, NL;
Paul F. Grundeman, Amsterdam, NL;
Eric Boone, Comstock Park, MI (US);
Jack Goodman, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
John D. Hall, Mayfield Hts, OH (US);
Vincent J. Testa, Mars, PA (US);
Eric Vroegop, Holland, MI (US);
William G. O'Neill, Maple Grove, MN (US);
Cornelius Borst, Bilthoven, NL;
Hendricus J. Mansvelt-Beck, Bilthoven, NL;
Paul F. Grundeman, Amsterdam, NL;
Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
The invention is a method and apparatus for performing beating heart surgery, in which a single articulating arm supports multiple suction pods. Once the suction pods are applied to the heart surface, tightening a cable fixes the arm in place. Then, the suction pods may be spread apart from each other to tighten the surface of the cardiac tissue lying between the suction pods. In one embodiment, fixation of the arm as well as the spreading apart of the suction pods may occur concurrently or almost concurrently through the tensioning of a single cable. Additional embodiments of the method, system and its components are shown.