A surgical spacer equipped to measure important parameters for determining the optimal placement of a surgically-implanted sling.

An aortic graft occluder for intraoperative leak testing of a tubular aortic graft attached to an aortic root. The aortic graft occluder includes a plug adapted for sealingly closing an opening of the aortic graft. The plug includes a first pathway adapted for connecting a lumen of the aortic graft with a feed line.

An implantable prosthesis for mending anatomical defects, including a groin hernia. The prosthesis includes a prosthetic repair patch that may be implanted in different tissue planes to mend a defect. The patch may include a medial portion configured to be positioned in a first tissue plane and a lateral portion configured to be positioned in a second tissue plane offset from the first tissue plane. The patch may include a transition region configured to extend through tissue and/or muscle, such as fascia, separating the tissue planes and transition the patch from one tissue plane to the other tissue plane. The transition region may be configured to inhibit buckling and/or bunching of the patch when implanted through the fascia. The lateral portion of the patch may have a level of stiffness that facilitates implantation of the patch in different tissue planes while inhibiting patient sensation to the implanted patch.

An implantable prosthesis for mending anatomical defects, including a groin hernia. The prosthesis includes a prosthetic repair patch that may be implanted in different tissue planes to mend a defect. The patch may include a medial portion configured to be positioned in a first tissue plane and a lateral portion configured to be positioned in a second tissue plane offset from the first tissue plane. The patch may include a transition region configured to extend through tissue and/or muscle, such as fascia, separating the tissue planes and transition the patch from one tissue plane to the other tissue plane. The transition region may be configured to inhibit buckling and/or bunching of the patch when implanted through the fascia. The lateral portion of the patch may have a level of stiffness that facilitates implantation of the patch in different tissue planes while inhibiting patient sensation to the implanted patch.

A method of improving the fatigue life of a superelastic medical device includes applying a compressive stress to a fatigue critical location of a medical device comprising a superelastic nickel-titanium alloy, where the compressive stress induces a compressive strain of greater than 9% in the fatigue critical location. After inducing the compressive strain, the compressive stress is released. A tensile stress is applied to the fatigue critical location of the medical device, where the tensile stress induces a tensile strain of greater than 9% in the fatigue critical location. After inducing the tensile strain, the tensile stress is released. After application and release of each of the compressive stress and the tensile stress, the fatigue critical location includes a non-zero amount of residual strain, and the medical device may exhibit improved fatigue properties.

An improved medical device reduces the loss of longitudinal length during expansion of a stent-graft from a compressed state to an expanded state. For example, the stent-graft is placed over a cover that provides resistance to expansion of the balloon during inflation, which reduces longitudinal compressing forces exerted on the stent-graft.

The present is directed to systems for ex vivo testing performance of a hemostatic or sealing product attached to an animal organ and fully covering a cored channel in said organ, comprising: a pressure sensor positioned proximate to said hemostatic or sealing product in said cored channel; a monitoring or recording device configured to receive pressure readings from said pressure sensor; and a pressurized fluid source connected to said cored channel and configured to supply said pressurized fluid into said cored channel under constant or variable pressure. The present invention is also directed to methods of use for such systems.

A system and method for an improved connective tissue repair option that reduces disadvantages of conventional fixation options. Biologic press fit fixation of a connective tissue unit may include in situ expansion of a pre-compressed connective tissue unit within a prepared bone tunnel of a portion of bone. An external opening accessing a cavity of the prepared bone tunnel may be smaller than that of the cavity such that expansion of the installed/compressed connective tissue unit increases lateral fixation forces exerted by the expanding/decompressing compressed connective tissue unit within the bone tunnel.

An improved medical device reduces the loss of longitudinal length during expansion of a stent-graft from a compressed state to an expanded state. For example, the stent-graft is placed over a cover that provides resistance to expansion of the balloon during inflation, which reduces longitudinal compressing forces exerted on the stent-graft.

A method for in vitro simulation and evaluation of platelet adhesion in blood-contacting medical devices is disclosed, including the following steps: (1) using a glycerin aqueous solution with a mass percentage concentration of 40% in an extracorporeal circulation circuit to simulate a viscosity and hydrodynamic characteristics of blood, and adding fluorescent particles with a diameter of 3 m to 5 m to the solution to simulate platelets; (2) after the solution circulates in the circuit for a specified time period, removing flow passage components of a tested device, and observing the deposition of the fluorescent particles on a blood-contacting surface inside the device by naked eyes and photographs; and (3) using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique to apply laser light on a device surface deposited with the fluorescent particles and in contact with blood, and using charge-coupled device (CCD) camera imaging to photograph the aggregation and adhesion of laser-induced fluorescent particles.