Did You Know...
...that power steering was invented by independent inventor Francis W. Davis? As chief engineer in the 1920s of the truck division of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, he saw how hard it was to steer heavy vehicles. So that he would be able to keep the profits from his future invention, Davis left his job, rented a small engineering shop in Waltham, Mass., and developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8029565 | Treatment for a patient with congestive heart failure The invention is directed to two minimally invasive therapeutic procedures, particularly for patients with congestive heart failure, and devices and systems for such procedures. One procedure involves providing a valved passageway through the patient's left ventricu... | 10/04/2011 |
| 7988727 | Prevention of myocardial infarction induced ventricular expansion and remodeling A method for direct therapeutic treatment of myocardial tissue in a localized region of a heart having a pathological condition. The method includes identifying a target region of the myocardium and applying material directly and substantially only to at least a por... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7922764 | Bioprosthetic heart valve with polyphosphazene This disclosure encompasses a bioprosthetic heart valve having a polyphosphazene polymer such as poly[bis(trifluoroethoxy)phosphazene], which exhibits improved antithrombogenic, biocompatibility, and hemocompatibility properties. A method of manufacturing a bioprost... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7887584 | Amorphous metal alloy medical devices This invention provides a new class of medical devices and implants comprising amorphous metal alloys. The medical devices and implants may be temporary or permanent and may comprise other materials as well, such as polymers, ceramics, and conventional crystalline o... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7632309 | Pyrolytic carbon and metal/metalloid carbide composites Medical devices can be formed from improved composite materials that include a composition that has at least about 50 percent by volume pyrolytic carbon and a second composition having at least about 50 percent by volume metal/metalloid carbide. The composite materi... | 12/15/2009 |
| 7318278 | Method of manufacture of a heart valve support frame Methods for forming a support frame for flexible leaflet heart valves from a starting blank include converting a two-dimensional starting blank into the three-dimensional support frame. The material may be superelastic, such as NITINOL, and the method may include be... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7294356 | Performance enhancing coating on intraluminal devices This invention comprises guidewires, stents and other intraluminal devices having a performance enhancing coating deposited using physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Preferably, a radiopaque coating comprising platinum, tungsten, irid... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7267686 | Implantable prosthetic valve A prosthetic valve for implantation within a fluid conducting lumen within a body includes an elongate generally cylindrical radially collapsible valve body scaffold defining a fluid passageway therethrough for retentive positioning within the lumen. A radially coll... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7244242 | Valve treatment catheter and methods The invention provides a catheter for insertion into a biological passage which contains a first flowing fluid, the catheter including a tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end; a fluid delivery lumen contained within the tubular member; an inflatable ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7189259 | Tissue material and process for bioprosthesis A biomaterial useful for bioprostheses such as bioprosthetic heart valves is provided in which the fixed tissue has improved elastic properties. The high elastin-containing biomaterial is further characterized by having anisotropic properties wherein the biological ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7175656 | Percutaneous transcatheter heart valve replacement The present invention provides improved devices and methods for replacing or repairing a malfunctioning heart valve. In particular, improved minimally invasive methods and devices are provided for percutaneous transcatheter implantation of expansible prosthetic hear... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7176023 | Endothelial cells derived from primate embryonic stem cells A method is described to induce primate embryonic stem cells to differentiate into a relatively homogenous population of endothelial cells. The ES derived endothelial cells have the general morphological and cell surface marker characteristics of endothelial cells. ... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7156872 | Implantable valve system An implantable valve having a valve element or leaflet and a base that is attachable to a vessel wall using a connector such as a screw, pin or a staple. The valve can be implanted using a catheter to position the valve in a desired location and drive the connector ... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7137184 | Continuous heart valve support frame and method of manufacture Methods for forming a support frame for flexible leaflet heart valves from a starting blank include converting a two-dimensional starting blank into the three-dimensional support frame. The material may be superelastic, such as NITINOL, and the method may include be... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7081131 | Artificial valve Method and apparatus implementing and using techniques for controlling flow in a body lumen, including use of an implantable medical device. The device includes a membrane implantable in a body lumen and invertibly deformable between a first position and a second po... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7070623 | Method of surface oxidizing zirconium and zirconium alloys and resulting product A coating of blue-black or black oxidized zirconium of uniform and controlled thickness on a zirconium or zirconium alloy material is accomplished through the use of a single phase crystalline material substrate having an altered surface roughness. An oxidized zirco... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7060056 | Biocompatible pharmaceutical articles Many conventional pharmaceutical articles contain seemingly inert components that come into contact with a pharmaceutically active material during use, which contact substantially reduces the pharmaceutical effectiveness of the pharmaceutically active material. The ... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7022135 | Film with highly porous vascular graft prostheses A vascular graft prosthesis having ingrowth-permissive lumenal wall features with a thin film or layer of sealant-like material placed at a lumenal wall location to promote improved transmural tissue growth and healing. ... | 04/04/2006 |
| 7007698 | Body lumen closure Method and apparatus implementing and using techniques for body lumen closure, including use of an implantable medical closure device. The device includes a flexible strand defining an arcuate form. The strand is deformable upon implantation from a large cross-secti... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6974474 | Multiple-sided intraluminal medical device A multiple-sided medical device comprises a closed frame of a single piece of wire or other resilient material and having a series of bends and interconnecting sides. The device has both a flat configuration and a second, folded configuration that comprises a self-e... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6945957 | Valve treatment catheter and methods The invention provides a catheter for insertion into a biological passage which contains a first flowing fluid, the catheter including a tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end; a fluid delivery lumen contained within the tubular member; an inflatable ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6936298 | Antithrombogenic membrane mimetic compositions and methods The present Specification describes materials and methods which provide for improved performance of medical prostheses, including vascular graft material, artificial heart valves, and other implanted materials. The materials comprising bound thrombomodulin or a func... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6875230 | Mechanical heart valve and production method thereof An artificial heart valve comprising a tubular base body having sinuse(s) of Valsalva and valve cusp(s) provided inside the base body, characterized in that the base body and the valve cusps comprise a bioabsorbable polymer material. ... | 04/05/2005 |
| 6837903 | Vascular biomaterial devices and methods Vascular biomaterial structures may be coated with a plasma-induced layer on their surface. Vascular biomaterial structures may include cardiovascular devices such as heart valves, stents, vascular graphs, and the like. Devices coated with a plasma polymerized coati... | 01/04/2005 |
| 6797000 | Tri-composite, full root, stentless valve A bioprosthetic heart valve is disclosed. In a first aspect of the invention, a prosthetic heart valve comprises three mammalian heart valve leaflets, each valve leaflet including a full root length of tissue, the valve leaflets being affixed to one another to defin... | 09/28/2004 |
| 6761736 | Medical article with a diamond-like carbon coated polymer Implantable vascular devices and implantable cardiovascular devices suitable for contacting a patient's blood or bodily fluids include a polymer substrate that is at least partly coated with a diamond-like carbon coating. The diamond-like carbon coated polymer subst... | 07/13/2004 |
| 6726718 | Medical articles prepared for cell adhesion A prosthesis is formed from a biocompatible material having one or more associated cell adhesion stimulating proteins. The biocompatible material can be a ceramic material or a carbon coated material. The cell adhesion stimulating protein can be a structural protein... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6695879 | Cardiovascular components for transplantation and methods of making thereof Cardiovascular components such as biocompatible heart valves and annular sewing rings are disclosed, as well as, methods for making the same. The heart valves include biodegradable polymer fiber scaffolds and collagen. Also disclosed are donor aortic hear... | 02/24/2004 |
| 6669725 | Annuloplasty ring for regeneration of diseased or damaged heart valve annulus An improved, non-resorbable annuloplasty ring that will provide support for the valve annulus while also promoting healing and/or regeneration of the annulus tissue is disclosed. Healing and/or regeneration of valvular tissue is promoted using a growth fa... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6666886 | Tissue equivalent approach to a tissue-engineered cardiovascular valve The invention provides a molded valve leaflet containing a molded biopolymer having fibrils and cells within the molded biopolymer, wherein the fibrils of the molded biopolymer have commisure-to-commisure alignment. The invention also provides a valve equ... | 12/23/2003 |
| 6596024 | Polymeric heart valve fabricated from polyurethane/polysiliconeurethane blends Biocompatible prostheses, specifically, biocompatible heart valves, are described which comprise a blend of a polyurethane (PU) and a polysiliconeurethane (PSU). Preferably, the polyurethane is a polyetherurethane (PEU). More preferably, it is a polyether... | 07/22/2003 |
| 6585767 | Antimicrobial suturing ring for heart valve A suturing ring to attach the body of an implantable heart valve to heart tissue by sutures is composed of a fabric containing an inorganic antimicrobial agent. The fabric can have a material coating the fibers of the fabric in which particles of the agen... | 07/01/2003 |
| 6572642 | Method for treating a prosthesis having an apertured structure and associated devices A prosthesis having an apertured structure is located in a chamber (11) which is taken to sub-atmospheric pressure. Once sub-atmospheric pressure has been reached, a liquid, optionally containing pharmacological agents, is introduced into the chamber. Dra... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6569197 | Heart valve prosthesis The present invention relates to a heart valve prosthesis having an annular body with a pair of flanges, and a closing element in the form of two or three flaps mounted through bearings into the body's recesses with freedom to be rotated. The annular body... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6471723 | Biocompatible prosthetic tissue Crosslinked tissue is contacted with one or more toxicity reducing solutions to remove cytotoxicity associated with the crosslinking process. In particular, crosslinked tissue can be contacted with an inorganic sulfur-oxygen group to form chemical adducts... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6437073 | Non-elastomeric polyurethane compositions A non-elastomeric polyurethane composition which includes a first chain extender of the general formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are the same or different and selecte... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6407067 | Salts of thrombin inhibitors Compounds having thrombin inhibiting activity of the general formula I or II ##STR1## where n is 0.5, 1, 2 and HX is ##STR2## and HX is optionally substituted once or twice by methyl, ethyl or hydroxyl, and the tautomers and stereoisomers thereof, w... | 06/18/2002 |
| 6383732 | Method of preparing xenograft heart valves The invention provides an article of manufacture comprising a substantially non-immunogenic heart valve xenograft for implantation into humans. The invention further provides methods for preparing a heart valve xenograft by removing at least a portion of ... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6328763 | Optimized geometry of a tissue pattern for semilunar heart valve reconstruction A new and unique, optimized, two-dimensional heart valve tissue pattern, valve, and a method of reconstructing a three-dimensional semilunar heart valve, or portion thereof. In one preferred embodiment, the two-dimensional valve tissue pattern, and method... | 12/11/2001 |
| 6322588 | Medical devices with metal/polymer composites Medical devices are formed from metal/polymer composites that have improved characteristics. The metal/polymer composites have a relatively thick metal coating with an average metal thickness of greater than about 3 microns. The composite has mechanical p... | 11/27/2001 |
