Structure for attachment of buttress material to anvils and cartridges of surgical staplers

A surgical stapler is provided having a pair of jaws including a staple containing cartridge and an anvil. Buttress material is releasable affixed to the staple containing cartridge and the anvil. One of the jaws includes a pair of longitudinal projections at a first end of the jaw and configured to frictionally engage corresponding slots in a first end the buttress material. One of the jaws includes a post at a second end of the jaw. The buttress material includes a hole in a second end of the buttress material for receipt of the post. A buttress material including at least one aperture for receipt of the at least one projection at a first end of jaws and a tab configured to engage the at least one jaw at a second end thereof is also provided.

LASER HAIR REMOVAL DEVICE

A laser hair removal device 10 has a base unit 12 and a hand held laser wand 14. Laser 18 generates light pulses of sufficient energy and duration to damage papilla of each hair follicle in the path of the beam. The device 10 includes one or more safety features to prevent accidental misuse of the device. In particular, the device incorporates a high intensity LED 24 which makes looking at the potential path of the laser uncomfortable, thus promoting a blinking reflex. Additionally the device may incorporate a skin contact/proximity sensor 26 to prevent use of the laser away from the skin, and/or one or more locking element to prevent accidental powering of the laser.

Tool for implanting expandable intervertebral implant

An expandable intervertebral implant and tool for use in implanting same are disclosed. The tool is useful in retaining the implant in a non-expanded state throughout insert of the implant between adjacent vertebral bodies. Among other elements, the tool includes a rod, a sleeve placed over the rod, and a locking knob attached to the rod and the sleeve to fix them with respect to each other. This construct preferably aids in preventing movement of the various components of the implant, including first and second members and first and second wedges. A method of attaching inserting the implant through the use of the tool and attaching the tool to the implant are also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for thermally-induced renal neuromodulation

Methods and apparatus are provided for thermally-induced renal neuromodulation. Thermally-induced renal neuromodulation may be achieved via direct and/or via indirect application of thermal energy to heat or cool neural fibers that contribute to renal function, or of vascular structures that feed or perfuse the neural fibers. In some embodiments, parameters of the neural fibers, of non-target tissue, or of the thermal energy delivery element, may be monitored via one or more sensors for controlling the thermally-induced neuromodulation. In some embodiments, protective elements may be provided to reduce a degree of thermal damage induced in the non-target tissues.

Touch screen sensor

A touch screen sensor includes a visible light transparent substrate and an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate. The micropattern includes a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area and a second region micropattern. The first region micropattern has a first sheet resistance value in a first direction, is visible light transparent, and has at least 90% open area. The second region micropattern has a second sheet resistance value in the first direction. The first sheet resistance value is different from the second sheet resistance value.

Patient selectable joint arthroplasty devices and surgical tools

Disclosed herein are tools for repairing articular surfaces repair materials and for repairing an articular surface. The surgical tools are designed to be customizable or highly selectable by patient to increase the speed, accuracy and simplicity of performing total or partial arthroplasty.

Contactless battery charging apparel

A sequential power transmission between a portable user-carried battery and first and second independent accessories. At least one primary inductive coupling coil is mounted on an article of apparel worn by the user, so as to place a primary coil adjacent a first intermediary inductive coupling coil on the first independent accessory. The energizing of the first intermediary coil energizes a second intermediary coil on the first independent accessory. The second intermediary coil, when energized, energizes a secondary coil on the second independent accessory for powering the use, including the charging of the batteries of that accessory.

Method and system for creating a shared game space for a networked game

Techniques for creating a shared virtual space based on one or more real-world spaces are disclosed. Representations of the real-world spaces are combined in different ways to create a shared virtual game space within which each person's real-world movements are interpreted to create a shared feeling of physical proximity and physical interaction with other people on the network. One or more video cameras in one real-world area are provided to generate video data capturing the users as well as the environment of the users. The shared virtual space is created in reference to the respective real-world spaces that may be combined in various ways. Depending on a particular application, the shared virtual space will be embedded with various virtual objects and representative objects. Together with various rules and scoring mechanisms, such a shared virtual space may be used in a videogame that can be played by multiple players in a game space within which player's movements are interpreted to create a shared feeling of physical proximity and physical interaction with other players on the network.

Transcatheter heart valve prostheses

The present teachings relate to a heart valve prosthesis. The heart valve prosthesis includes a docking station (77) having a wire frame defining a lumen and a valve frame (91) for positioning within its lumen. The docking station includes a diaphragm (78) adapted to have an open position and a closed position, which provides a temporary control mechanism for preventing free regurgitation during the time period between the deployment of the docking station and the deployment of the valve frame, and a sealing mechanism for preventing paravalvar leakage.

Self-Expandable Medical Instrument for Treating of Defects in a Patient's Heart

The invention relates to a self-expandable medical instrument (100) for treating defects in a patient's heart, in particular for the transvascular implantation of a prosthetic heart valve (30), wherein the medical instrument (100) is introducible into the body of a patient in a minimally-invasive procedure using a catheter system (40) and comprises a stent (1) made of a flexible mesh (2) of thin wires or filaments (2′). In order to realize a positioning of medical instrument (100) in the patient's heart which is as precise as possible and to securely anchor same there, it is provided for the stent (1) composed of the flexible mesh (2) to exhibit in the expanded state of the medical instrument (100) a distal retention area (10) with a laterally-inverted beaded portion (12) which is engageable in at least one pocket (51) of the patient's defective heart valve (50), a proximal retention area (20), and a center area (15) positioned between the distal and the proximal retention area (10, 20).