The present invention relates to electrochemically initiated bioadhesive compositions comprising biocompatible polymers containing derivatives of diazonium, arylsulfonium, or diaryliodonium in general, and to their use in tissue fixation, in particular.

A composition for the adhesion of biological tissues to one another, for the adhesion of a material to a biological tissue, for the adhesion of an adhesive or of a substance to the surface of a biological tissue, for blocking an orifice in a biological tissue, for reinforcing a biological tissue and/or for fixing and stabilising a biological tissue. A monomer that is polymerisable under the effect of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and in that the viscosity of said composition is less than 10 mPa.Math.s at 20° C.

The invention primarily relates to fastening and stabilizing tissues, implants, and/or bondable materials, such as the fastening of a tissue and/or implant to a bondable material, the fastening of an implant to tissue, and/or the fastening of an implant to another implant. This may involve using an energy source to bond and/or mechanically to stabilize a tissue, an implant, a bondable material, and/or other biocompatible material. The invention may also relate to the use of an energy source to remove and/or install an implant and/or bondable material or to facilitate solidification and/or polymerization of bondable material.

A surgical instrument comprising a waveguide, an end effector, and an electrical switch is disclosed. The waveguide comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end is configured to couple to an ultrasonic transducer and one output of a radio frequency (RF) generator. The end effector may comprise an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The ultrasonic blade is mechanically coupled to the distal end of the waveguide and electrically coupled to the waveguide. The clamp arm comprises a movable jaw member electrically coupled to another output of the RF generator. The electrical switch is operable to cause the surgical instrument to deliver electrical current from the RF generator to the movable jaw member for a first period, and to cause the surgical instrument to deliver ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic blade for a second period.

Surgical methods involving cutting and sealing tissue include affixing a first adjunct material to tissue at a treatment site, such as by stapling the adjunct to tissue. A second adjunct material is applied to at least a portion of the first adjunct material such that the second adjunct material interacts with the first adjunct material to form a seal in an area of the tissue covered by at least one of the first and the second adjunct material. The resulting tissue sealing structure, which includes a combination of the two adjuncts, is believed to be superior to the sealing properties of either adjunct alone.

A device for occluding a perforation in a blood vessel includes a catheter shaft that has a first lumen and a second lumen. The first lumen is adapted to receive at least one of a guidewire and an implanted cardiac lead, and the second lumen is adapted to receive an inflation fluid. The device further includes an inflatable balloon that is carried by the catheter shaft. The inflatable balloon is adapted to receive the inflation fluid from the second lumen, wherein the second lumen includes a cross-sectional area at a location within the catheter shaft between 0.65 mm.sup.2 and 1.90 mm.sup.2 and the inflatable balloon comprises polyurethane having a Shore A durometer of about 85 A.

A system is configured to bring about anastomosis between two lumens in a patient or between two sections of a single lumen in a patient. The anastomosis system includes a first tissue-compressing element, a second tissue-compressing element, and an energy source. The energy source can be a thermal energy source or laser energy source. Tissue is interposed between the elements. Magnetic material incorporated into the tissue-compressing elements facilitates the alignment of the elements as well as compression of the interposed tissue. The energy source can deliver energy to tissue. This delivery of energy can cause local changes to the tissue that can help maintain positional stability of the implants, can bring about immediate patency of the anastomosis and can otherwise facilitate achieving desired outcomes for the patient.

Surgical methods involving cutting and sealing tissue include affixing a first adjunct material to tissue at a treatment site, such as by stapling the adjunct to tissue. A second adjunct material is applied to at least a portion of the first adjunct material such that the second adjunct material interacts with the first adjunct material to form a seal in an area of the tissue covered by at least one of the first and the second adjunct material. The resulting tissue sealing structure, which includes a combination of the two adjuncts, is believed to be superior to the sealing properties of either adjunct alone.

Embodiments may include an attachable fastener, which may include a bondable material that may be secured to the end of an end effector. Vibration may be tuned to occur at a distal end of the fastener. Accordingly, the fastener may be used to generate heat at a distal point of contact. If the contact surface contains bondable material, that material may be softened. If the fastener includes bondable material at the point of contact, that material may also be softened by heat produced by vibration at the contact area. A hard implant or another polymeric material may function as the anvil.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of devices and systems for applying a bioadhesive substance to a retina that can include an outer sleeve having a proximal end, a distal end, a passageway extending along a length of the elongate body and an opening at the distal end of the elongate body, an applicator tip including an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end, an applicator portion coupled with the distal end of the elongate body, and a substance supply lumen extending along a length of the device through which a bioadhesive substance can pass so that the bioadhesive substance can be applied to at least the applicator portion of the applicator tip. Some embodiments of the device can also have a source of the bioadhesive substance in fluid communication with at least the substance supply lumen.