A gas heater for a surgical gas delivery system is disclosed, which includes an elongated tubular body defining an interior flow passage having an inlet port for receiving insufflation gas from a gas source and an outlet port for delivering heated insufflation gas to an insufflation manifold, a dielectric support positioned within the interior flow passage of the tubular body, and a resistive element operatively associated with the dielectric support for heating insufflation gas flowing through the tubular body from the inlet port to the outlet port.

A composite comprising: a barrier, said barrier being configured to selectively pass water, and said barrier being degradable in the presence of water; a matrix material for disposition within said barrier, wherein said matrix material has a flowable state and a set state, and wherein said matrix material is degradable in the presence of water; and at least one reinforcing element for disposition within said barrier and integration with said matrix material, wherein said at least one reinforcing element is degradable in the presence of water, and further wherein, upon the degradation of said at least one reinforcing element in the presence of water, provides an agent for modulating the degradation rate of said matrix material in the presence of water.

A bone fracture fixation system including reference pins inserted into bone fragments of a patient in a first configuration and an image capture device configured to capture an image of the reference pins, and the bone fragments. The system includes a processor configured to receive and pre-process the captured image data. The processor pre-processes the image data by virtually re-positioning the reference pins in the first configuration into a second configuration, wherein the re-positioning virtually re-positions the bone fragments into normal alignment; and virtually generating a support device. The system includes a point-of-care production apparatus that produces a three-dimensional model of the virtually generated support device in a form that can be applied to the patient. The three-dimensional support device generated by the point-of-care production apparatus is configured to receive the reference pins in the first configuration; and simultaneously re-positions and fixes the bone fragments into normal alignment.

A compression screw comprising a threaded shaft and a head associated with the proximal end of the shaft. The head has a plurality of outwardly extending projections spaced from one another so as to define a plurality of recesses there between for receiving a screw drive in such a way that rotational force may be transferred from the screw drive to the screw. The projections of the head may be provided with suture fixation holes or a suture coupling may be positioned over the shaft so as to extend between the projections of the head.

A method for occluding a blood vessel has steps for encasing a semi-rigid, circular plastic ring, open at one point, in silicon material, forming a bladder along an inside diameter of the silicon material, placing a mixture of sodium and potassium salts and polyacrylamide granules in the bladder, closing and sealing the bladder, forming a pair of opposed stirrups on an outside diameter of the silicon material, spreading the encased plastic ring by the stirrups accomplishing an opening through the ring of an extent enabling the ring to be placed over a blood vessel, placing the encased plastic ring over the blood vessel, releasing the stirrup, allowing the ring and bladder to close around the blood vessel, such that the bladder, constrained by the ring from expanding outward, absorbing moisture by osmosis over time, expands inward, and over a time t fully occludes the blood vessel.

The disclosed invention comprises a device that utilizes a manually controlled articulating arm to make a precise, small abrasion on the intrauterine wall prior to ovulation. The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a handle, an arm having a rigid portion and an articulating tip both of which are covered by a casing having non-irritant properties, wherein the handle is connected to the arm by a connection member that contains a trigger mechanism operable to move the articulating tip by pulling a trigger.

Markers, medical instruments, and/or medical devices have a composition and/or other features or characteristics such that they will generate twinkling artifacts when imaged with ultrasound. In this way, the markers, medical instruments, and/or medical devices can be detected and localized using ultrasound. Ultrasound technical specifications that are optimized to generate twinkling artifact signatures are selected and used to facilitate localization of such markers, instruments, and/or devices.

Adjuncts for use with a surgical stapler are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, an adjunct can include a first knitted layer, a second knitted layer, and a plurality of recesses that extend into and defined within the second knitted layer. The plurality of recesses can be arranged in a predefined pattern that coincides with a plurality of attachment features extending outward from a top surface of a cartridge such that each recess of the plurality of recesses is configured to engage with at least a portion of at least one attachment feature to form a friction fit therebetween to thereby retain the adjunct on the cartridge prior to staple deployment. Stapling assemblies for use with a surgical stapler are also provided.

Stapling assemblies for use with a surgical stapler are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a stapling assembly can include a cartridge and a knitted adjunct configured to be releasably retained on the cartridge. The adjunct includes a first compression zone formed of at least first fibers and second fibers that are interconnected to the first fibers and are arranged in a generally first columnar configuration such that the first compression zone has a first compression strength, and a second compression zone formed of at least the first fibers and third fibers that are different than the second fibers, in which the third fibers are interconnected to the first fibers and arranged in a generally second columnar configuration such that the second compression zone has a second compression strength, in which the first compression strength is different than the second compression strength such that the adjunct has a variable compression strength.

Stapling assemblies for use with a surgical stapler are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a stapling assembly can include a cartridge and a knitted adjunct that is configured to be releasably retained on the cartridge. The adjunct can have a tissue-contacting layer formed of at least first fibers, a cartridge-contacting layer formed of at least second fibers, spacer fibers intertwined with and extending between the tissue-contacting layer and the cartridge-contacting layer to thereby connect the tissue-contacting and cartridge-contacting layers together, and at least one fiber interconnecting at least a portion of a terminal edge of each of the tissue-contacting and cartridge-contacting layers to form a finished edge that substantially prevents fraying thereof.