Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5448823 | Apparatus and method for securing sutures to surgical needles An apparatus for manufacturing suture-needle assemblies in which the suture thread is connected to the needle shank through the provision of heat shrinkable tubing. The apparatus for securing the heat shrink tubing to the shank of the needle essentially c... | 09/12/1995 |
| 5306289 | Braided suture of improved characteristics A braided suture exhibits one or more improved properties, e.g., reduced chatter, greater flexibility and/or better hand, than that of a braided suture of known, or standard, construction and of substantially equivalent size.... | 04/26/1994 |
| 5289963 | Apparatus and method for applying surgical staples to attach an object to body tissue An apparatus is disclosed for endoscopic application of surgical staples adapted to attach surgical mesh to body tissue in laparoscopic hernia surgery. The apparatus includes a frame, and a generally elongated endoscopic section connected to the frame and... | 03/01/1994 |
| 5277299 | Package for multiple sutures A suture package is disclosed which is formed of a plurality of panels foldably connected to each other and arranged to fold upon each other to form a suture compartment between pairs of adjacent panels. A generally planar insert member includes portions ... | 01/11/1994 |
| 5275618 | Jet entangled suture yarn and method for making same A method for making a multifilament suture yarn includes jet entangling the filaments of the suture yarn prior to other operations such as twisting and braiding. A multifilament braided suture is made of air entangled suture yarns, such as by braiding. Th... | 01/04/1994 |
| 5269783 | Device and method for repairing torn tissue A device for repairing torn tissue or muscle such as the meniscus of the knee. The device consists of a pair of needles detachably secured to a pair of anchoring members having a plurality of barb-like projections extending outwardly therefrom. The anchor... | 12/14/1993 |
| 5261886 | Cabled core and braided suture made therefrom A braided suture possesses a cable core which resists any tendency to protrude through the surrounding braid structure.... | 11/16/1993 |
| 5259846 | Loop threaded combined surgical needle-suture device A loop threaded needle-suture device is disclosed wherein a surgical needle is provided with a pointed end and a drilled aperture extending axially of the butt end, and a length of flexible suture material is doubled upon itself to form a loop, both free ... | 11/09/1993 |
| 5259845 | Surgical needle-suture attachment with a lubricated suture tip for controlled suture release A combined surgical needle-suture device of controlled suture release characteristics and a method for manufacturing the device employ a shrinkable tubing to connect the needle to a suture possessing a lubricated tip.... | 11/09/1993 |
| 5256762 | Polyesters having predetermined monomeric sequence Compositions comprising polyesters having predetermined monomeric sequence are produced by stepwise addition of monomeric hydroxyacids to a growing polymeric chain. Included herein are various polyesters having predetermined monomeric sequence, methods of... | 10/26/1993 |
| 5253793 | Apparatus for applying two-part surgical fasteners Apparatus for applying at least one row of two-part surgical fasteners to body tissue, each surgical fastener having a pronged fastener portion for piercing body tissue, and an aperture retainer dimensioned and configured for engaged reception of the pron... | 10/19/1993 |
| 5249671 | Package and method of loading for resilient surgical sutures A package is provided for retaining at least one resilient surgical suture. The package includes a base member which is formed with an annular recessed portion and a circumjacent flexible flange portion. The package further includes an annular cover membe... | 10/05/1993 |
| 5248761 | Amino acid terminated polyesters having predetermined monomeric sequence Compositions comprising amino acid terminated polyesters having predetermined monomeric sequence are produced by stepwise addition of monomeric hydroxyacids to an amine to form a growing polymeric chain. Included herein are various amino acid terminated p... | 09/28/1993 |
| 5246104 | Molded suture retainer A molded suture retainer is provided for retaining and storing sutures. Both absorbable and nonabsobable sutures fabricated from natural or synthetic materials can be advantageously retained and stored therein. The retainer is characterized by a wide spir... | 09/21/1993 |
| 5236082 | Needle shield device for surgical packages A needle shield for suture-needle assemblies constructed of a fibrous material and foldable about at least two score lines to provide a protective device against needle damage and accidental sticking of the user's fingers.... | 08/17/1993 |
| 5235988 | Device for evaluating surface contour A device for evaluating the surface contour of various body parts which may measure surface elevation or depth of depressions and cavities. The device includes a body portion having a plurality of legs extending downwardly to position the device on a body... | 08/17/1993 |
| 5232648 | Bioabsorbable melt spun fiber based on glycolide-containing copolymer A bioabsorbable fiber useful for the manufacture of medical devices is obtained from a polymer containing from about 15 to about 30 mole percent glycolide in a melt spinning operation carried out under low shear conditions. The fiber possesses excellent t... | 08/03/1993 |
| 5231771 | Vacuum drying method for metallic workpieces Metallic workpieces, such as surgical needles, which have been washed with an aqueous solution are dried by subjecting the workpieces to heat and reduced pressure in the presence of an inert gas.... | 08/03/1993 |
| 5228565 | Package and method of loading for resilient surgical sutures A package is provided for receiving and retaining at least one resilient surgical suture arranged in a coil configuration. The package is formed with a loading port which defines a radially unobstructed passageway through which a resilient surgical suture... | 07/20/1993 |
| 5226890 | Tissue gripping device An apparatus for maintaining a positional relationship between a trocar cannula and body tissue into which the cannula is inserted includes a tissue engaging member having a conical outer surface with a thread helically disposed thereon. A guide tube is i... | 07/13/1993 |
| 5226912 | Combined surgical needle-braided suture device A surgical needle is attached to a braided suture of particular construction to provide a combined surgical needle-braided suture device. A shrinkable tubing is employed to secure the needle to the suture. The tubing shrinks in response to the application... | 07/13/1993 |
| 5225520 | Absorbable composition A block copolymer for use in the fabrication of bioabsorbable articles such as monofilament surgical sutures is prepared by copolymerizing lactide and 1,4-dioxanone, and then polymerizing glycolide with the lactide/1,4-dioxanone copolymer.... | 07/06/1993 |
| 5222978 | Packaged synthetic absorbable surgical elements Synthetic absorbable sutures are filled with a stabilizing agent, preferably a mixture of glycerol and calcium lactate, and inserted into a retainer having a narrow convoluted passageway. The retainer is inserted into an open foil pouch with a package sta... | 06/29/1993 |
| 5220769 | Method for packaging surgical elements A breather package for surgical elements such as sutures or suture-needle assemblies having a layer of fibrous material and a layer of plastic material forming a pocket therebetween. Longitudinal heat seals and transverse top and bottom seals are provided... | 06/22/1993 |
| 5217472 | Surgical fastening device A surgical instrument for placing fasteners and/or a reinforcement material in tissue is provided. The fasteners exit the fastener housing at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the device to facilitate visualization and placement at the surgical site. A... | 06/08/1993 |
| 5217485 | Polypropylene monofilament suture and process for its manufacture A process is provided for manufacturing a polypropylene monofilament suture exhibiting reduced strain energy, increased knot security and greater resistance to acquiring an in-storage set.... | 06/08/1993 |
| 5217772 | Breather pouch for surgical suture packages A breather package for surgical elements such as sutures or suture-needle assemblies having a layer of fibrous material and a layer of plastic material forming a pocket therebetween. Longitudinal heat seals and transverse top and bottom seals are provided... | 06/08/1993 |
| 5217495 | Synthetic semiabsorbable composite yarn A semi-bioabsorbable connective tissue prosthesis, e.g., a replacement for the human anterior cruciate ligament, is provided whose stress-strain characteristics closely match those of the natural tissue.... | 06/08/1993 |
| 5203773 | Tissue gripping apparatus for use with a cannula or trocar assembly A tissue gripping apparatus including a cylindrical member positioned about a tubular body portion or cannula. The cylindrical member includes a plurality of articulated arms that are movable between engageable and non-engageable positions. A hinge in the... | 04/20/1993 |
| 5201746 | Surgical hemostatic clip A hemostatic clip to be applied to body structures such as veins, arteries, or the like. The hemostatic clip includes a plurality of preferably semicircular indentations arranged in staggered row configuration on the tissue contacting surface of the legs ... | 04/13/1993 |
| 5199419 | Surgical retractor A novel surgical retractor is provided including a handle assembly, a housing and a collapsible retractor assembly connected to a distal end of the housing. The handle assembly includes a stationary handle in cooperation with an actuating structure for ma... | 04/06/1993 |
| 5197597 | Suture retainer A suture retainer is provided with an arrangement of suture-retaining tabs of complex configuration and needle-retaining tabs of a number and distribution which enable the retainer to accommodate any one of several types of combined surgical suture-needle... | 03/30/1993 |
| 5195505 | Surgical retractor A surgical retractor is provided having an elongated tubular structure with a proximal and distal end. A plurality of interleaved retractor blades are pivotally mounted in a distal end of the tubular housing and are movable between a closed position where... | 03/23/1993 |
| 5190203 | Controlled closure mechanism A surgical stapling or fastening instrument for applying surgical staples or fasteners to tissue having a controlled closure mechanism to approximate the distance between the jaw members of the instrument. The controlled closure mechanism consists of a ca... | 03/02/1993 |
| 5188092 | Disposable rigid endoscope A disposable endoscope having an object lens assembly, a relay lens assembly, and an imaging lens assembly with at least the relay lens assembly optical elements being made in whole or in part of molded glass lenses. the relay lens assembly preferably con... | 02/23/1993 |
| 5181416 | Apparatus and method for testing point sharpness of needles An apparatus and method to determine the sharpness of a curved surgical needle point by a measurement of the perpendicular forces required to push the needle point through a supported membrane at a given rate of penetration. The apparatus includes a needl... | 01/26/1993 |
| 5181923 | Spiroid braided suture A suture is provided with a substantially solid spiroid braid construction. The suture exhibits greater flexibility, better hand and less chatter and drag than tubular braided sutures of known construction.... | 01/26/1993 |
| 5180373 | Valve system for introducing objects into anatomical body portions A valve assembly adapted for introduction of an elongated object into a patient's body having a first valve formed of a resilient material and defining an aperture for reception of the object, the aperture being configured and dimensioned such that insert... | 01/19/1993 |
| 5178277 | Breather pouch for surgical suture packages A breather package for surgical elements such as sutures or suture-needle assemblies having a layer of fibrous material and a layer of plastic material forming a pocket therebetween. Longitudinal heat seals and transverse top and bottom seals are provided... | 01/12/1993 |
| 5173133 | Method for annealing stapler anvils An anvil member for use in a surgical stapler is annealed by localized heating, preferably induction heating. A shaped shielding means is used to cradle the anvil so as to expose the staple crimping portion of the anvil. The heating is performed so as to ... | 12/22/1992 |
