218 results about "Functional disturbance" patented technology

In one embodiment, a method includes securing an implant that includes a pre-formed loop to a vaginal apex. An end of the suture is inserted through a selected portion of a pelvic tissue to dispose at least a portion of the implant within a pelvic region of the patient. The end of the suture is drawn through the loop while simultaneously advancing a uterus to approximate the vaginal apex to the selected portion of pelvic tissue. An apparatus includes an implant and a suture coupled to the implant having a pre-formed loop. configured to receive a portion of a delivery device therethrough. A trocar is coupled to an end of the suture that can be releasably coupled to an end of the delivery device. The trocar can be inserted through a pelvic tissue and drawn through the loop forming a knot to secure the implant to the pelvic tissue.

A venous valve device provides antegrade blood flow in venous vessels of the body having dysfunctional valves; it is formed in situ from autologous vein conduit not having a valve present locally. An overlap region is formed by attaching two opposing walls of the vein together in a generally axial direction forming two tubular regions. One region provides antegrade blood flow and the other region provides a sinus cavity that is filled during the initiation of retrograde blood flow. A valve cusp is formed by attaching vessel wall together forming a commissure that extends between the two overlap regions. A single valve cusp moves toward the sinus cavity to allow antegrade blood flow and moves away from the sinus cavity to block retrograde blood flow. The venous valve can also be formed from biological tissue from an autologous, heterologous, or other tissue source and implanted interpositionally at the site of valvular incompetancy.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of treating meibomian gland dysfunction in a mammal wherein an occlusion blocks at least a portion of the flow of naturally occurring secretion out of a gland channel orifice. The invention comprises selecting a device capable of delivering a jet of heated medium. The device is positioned such that when the jet is it is applied to the exterior surface of the eyelid, proximate to the gland channel orifice, a jet of heated medium is applied to the exterior surface of the eyelid proximate to the gland channel orifice at a pressure of from about 2 psi to about 30 psi. Application of the jet of heated medium is maintained for sufficient time to loosen, break up, fracture, soften or liquefy at least a portion of the occlusion such that at least a portion of the occlusion is removed. In an exemplary embodiment, the medium is water heated to a temperature of between about 42° C. and about 46° C. Depending on the particular type and composition of the obstruction, the fluid jet operates to melt or soften the obstruction and to milkingly move the corpus of the softened obstruction up the gland channel from the end opposite the meibomian gland orifice and out of the gland orifice. Repeated application of the heated fluid jet may also be necessary to soften and / or express the obstruction.

Various methods and devices are provided for reducing the volume of the ventricles of the heart. In one embodiment, a method for reducing the ventricular volume of a heart chamber is provided including the steps of inserting an anchoring mechanism onto dysfunctional cardiac tissue, deploying one or more anchors into the dysfunctional cardiac tissue, raising the dysfunctional cardiac tissue using the anchors, and securing the anchors to hold the dysfunctional cardiac tissue in place. Further, a device for reducing the volume of the ventricles of a heart chamber is provided where the device has one or more clips for placement on dysfunctional cardiac tissue of a heart, one or more anchors for deployment and securement into the dysfunctional cardiac tissue, and a lifting mechanism for raising the one or more anchors and the dysfunctional cardiac tissue.

A method and apparatus for non-invasively evaluating endothelial activity in a patient, particularly for indicating the presence of an endothelial dysfunction condition, by applying an occluding pressure to a predetermined part of an arm or leg of the patient to occlude arterial blood flow therein; maintaining the occluding pressure for a predetermined time period; removing the occluding pressure after the elapse of the predetermined time period to restore arterial blood flow; monitoring a digit of the arm or leg by a digit-probe for changes in the peripheral arterial tone therein before and after the application of the occluding pressure to the arm or leg of the patient; and utilizing any detected changes in the peripheral arterial tone for evaluating endothelial activity in the patient. Particularly important advantages are provided when the occluding cuff is applied to the digit of the patient receiving the monitoring digit-probe, on the proximal side thereof with respect to the patient's heart, and also when a reference digit-probe is applied to another digit, not influenced by the occluding pressure, to compensate for shifts inherent to vascular beds.

Systems and methods use an external and / or implantable pulse generator system for neuromodulation stimulation to treat sexual dysfunction by the unilateral or bilateral stimulation of a target nerve A and / or a target nerve B using one or more leads and electrodes implanted in tissue in the pelvic region. The electrical stimulation waveform may be conveyed to the target nerve A electrode for a first predetermined amount of time, and conveyed to the target nerve B electrode for a second predetermined amount of time.

Various methods and devices are provided for reducing the volume of the ventricles of the heart. In one embodiment, a method for reducing the ventricular volume of a heart chamber is provided including the steps of inserting an anchoring mechanism onto dysfunctional cardiac tissue, deploying one or more anchors into the dysfunctional cardiac tissue, raising the dysfunctional cardiac tissue using the anchors, and securing the anchors to hold the dysfunctional cardiac tissue in place. Further, a device for reducing the volume of the ventricles of a heart chamber is provided where the device has one or more clips for placement on dysfunctional cardiac tissue of a heart, one or more anchors for deployment and securement into the dysfunctional cardiac tissue, and a lifting mechanism for raising the one or more anchors and the dysfunctional cardiac tissue.

A method and apparatus for non-invasively evaluating endothelial activity in a patient, particularly for indicating the presence of an endothelial dysfunction condition, by applying an occluding pressure to a predetermined part of an arm or leg of the patient to occlude arterial blood flow therein; maintaining the occluding pressure for a predetermined time period; removing the occluding pressure after the elapse of the predetermined time period to restore arterial blood flow; monitoring a digit of the arm or leg by a digit-probe for changes in the peripheral arterial tone therein before and after the application of the occluding pressure to the arm or leg of the patient; and utilizing any detected changes in the peripheral arterial tone for evaluating endothelial activity in the patient. Particularly important advantages are provided when the occluding cuff is applied to the digit of the patient receiving the monitoring digit-probe, on the proximal side thereof with respect to the patient's heart, and also when a reference digit-probe is applied to another digit, not influenced by the occluding pressure, to compensate for shifts inherent to vascular beds.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of treating meibomian gland dysfunction in a mammal wherein an occlusion blocks at least a portion of the flow of naturally occurring secretion out of a gland channel orifice. The invention comprises selecting a device capable of delivering a jet of heated medium. The device is positioned such that when the jet is it is applied to the exterior surface of the eyelid, proximate to the gland channel orifice, a jet of heated medium is applied to the exterior surface of the eyelid proximate to the gland channel orifice at a pressure of from about 2 psi to about 30 psi. Application of the jet of heated medium is maintained for sufficient time to loosen, break up, fracture, soften or liquefy at least a portion of the occlusion such that at least a portion of the occlusion is removed. In an exemplary embodiment, the medium is water heated to a temperature of between about 42° C. and about 46° C. Depending on the particular type and composition of the obstruction, the fluid jet operates to melt or soften the obstruction and to milkingly move the corpus of the softened obstruction up the gland channel from the end opposite the meibomian gland orifice and out of the gland orifice. Repeated application of the heated fluid jet may also be necessary to soften and / or express the obstruction.

The invention relates to a method for extracting and fusing time, frequency and space domain multi-parameter electroencephalogram characters, which comprises the following steps: 1) collecting an electroencephalogram signal; 2) performing data pre-processing on the electroencephalogram signal; 3) extracting Kc complexity, approximate entropy and wavelet entropy from the pre-processed data; 4) on the basis of AMUSE algorithm, acquiring an electroencephalogram singular value decomposition matrix parameter; 5) performing character selection on the time, frequency and space domain character parameters for the extracted Kc complexity, approximate entropy, wavelet entropy and electroencephalogram singular value decomposition matrix parameters; 6) utilizing a SVM classifier to fuse and classify the four parameters of the time, frequency and space domains after the character selection. According to the method provided by the invention, the Kc complexity, the approximate entropy, the wavelet entropy and the electroencephalogram singular value decomposition matrix parameter can be selected for comprehensively presenting electroencephalogram character information, and then subsequent effective fusion is performed, so that effective support and help can be supplied to early diagnosis assessment for the brain functional disordered diseases, such as, Alzheimer disease, mild cognitive impairment, and the like.

Described are implantable devices and methods for treating various disorders of the pelvic floor by delivering one or more drugs to a sacral nerve or nerve portion, as well as to a pudendal nerve or nerve portion. Two or more drug delivery regimes are provided on a continuous, alternating, intermittent or other basis to the sacral and pudendal nerves in an amount and manner effective to treat a number of disorders, including, but not limited to, urinary and / or fecal voiding dysfunctions such as constipation, incontinence disorders such as urge frequency and urinary retention disorders, sexual dysfunctions such as orgasmic and erectile dysfunction, pelvic pain, prostatitis, prostatalgia and prostatodynia.

A method of measuring Reelin as a biomarker, to non-destructively assess or predict DHA levels in the brain and in other, currently inaccessible or difficult-to-access, key components of the central nervous system (CNS) is described. Also described is a method to prevent, delay the onset of, or treat Reelin deficiency or dysfunction and / or a disease or condition associated with Reelin deficiency or dysfunction, comprising administering to a patient diagnosed with or suspected of having a Reelin deficiency or dysfunction an amount of a PUFA, and particularly an omega-3 PUFA, and more particularly, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or a precursor or source thereof, to compensate for the effects of Reelin deficiency or dysfunction in the patient. Also described is a method to prevent or reduce developmental defects or disorders associated with Reelin dysfunction or deficiency through the supplemental use of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs—unsaturated fatty acids having two or more double bonds), and particularly highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs—unsaturated fatty acids having three or more double bonds), and more particularly a HUFA selected from arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentacnoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and even more particularly omega-3 HUFAs, and more particularly DHA, to: compensate for reduced fatty acid binding protein or function thereof in the patient; compensate for reduced brain lipid binding protein or function thereof in the patient; improve the activity of fatty acid binding proteins in the patient; increase the expression of brain lipid binding proteins (BLBPs) in the patient; improve at least one parameter of the mechanism of action of brain lipid binding proteins in the patient; overcome a deficiency of DHA in central nervous system (CNS) structures and improve the resulting function thereof; increase the incorporation of functional DHA and other PUFAs into the phospholipid membranes of glial cells and neurons in the patient; increase the level of Reelin and / or improve the activity of Reelin in the patient; and / or improve at least one symptom of a disease or condition associated with Reelin deficiency or dysfunction.

Methods of treating functional disorders of the bladder in mammalian females are disclosed. A therapeutic compound is delivered directly into the trigone of the bladder. The therapeutic may be delivered to the trigone through the vaginal wall. A device for delivering the therapeutic compound is also disclosed. The device may be an array of microneedles connected to a reservoir.

A method is provided for treatment of bladder dysfunction of a patient. The method includes, at a site within a patient, measuring an indication of fill-level of a bladder of the patient, and in response to an indication of a high bladder fill-level, conveying a signal indicative of the high bladder fill-level to the patient in a humanly-perceptible manner. Other embodiments are also described.

Systems and Methods treat bladder dysfunctions using neuromodulation stimulation. Bladder emptying through stimulation of urethral afferents, and continence through stimulation of the dorsal genital nerve, is provided with one or more implanted pulse generators and one or more leads. A simple surgical procedure preserves all existing functions. A stimulating catheter is provided to be used as a clinical screening tool. The stimulating catheter is used to measure bladder pressures and stimulate the urethra at the same time.

The present invention relates, in general, to perioperative bleeding and, in particular, to methods of identifying individuals at risk of perioperative bleeding. The present invention relates, in general, to perioperative renal dysfunction and, in particular, to methods of identifying individuals at risk of perioperative renal dysfunction. The present invention relates, in general, to perioperative stroke and, in particular, to methods of identifying individuals at risk of perioperative stroke.

A method is disclosed for predicting the presence of haemostatic dysfunction. At least one time-dependent measurement on an unknown sample is performed and a respective property of the sample is measured over time so as to derive a time-dependent measurement profile. One or more predictor variables, including initial slope, are defined which sufficiently define the data of the time-dependent measurement profile. A model is then derived that represents the relationship between the abnormality and the set of predictor variables. Subsequently, the model is utilized to predict haemostatic dysfunction, such as septicemia or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

The present invention provides a method of increasing neural stem cell numbers by using growth hormone and / or IGF-1. The method can be practiced in vivo to obtain more neural stem cells in situ, which can in turn produce more neurons or glial cells to compensate for lost or dysfunctional neural cells. The method can also be practiced in vitro to produce a large number of neural stem cells in culture. The cultured stem cells can be used, for example, for transplantation treatment of patients or animals suffering from neurodegenerative diseases or conditions.

The invention relates to a spatially adaptive, implanted microcontact structure for neuroprostheses suitable for treating functional disorders of the nervous system for the purpose of reversible anchorage on nerve tissue. The spatially adaptive microcontact structure (RAM) is characterized in particular in that an optimum contact or active connection to nerve tissue is ensured. The implanted microcontact structure comprises subareas that are movable relative to one another and that can be brought into at least two permanent desired positions relative to one another and that can be brought into a desired position during implantation for the purpose of mechanical anchorage to the nerve tissue to be contacted and can also be brought out of one desired position into another during explantation to release the anchorage.

A urological medical system for performing a controlled hydrodistention of the urinary bladder for treating a bladder dysfunction problem comprised of a programmed CPU with associated computer equipment for facilitating an automatic control of a treatment procedure to be performed on a patient, a saline solution warmer, a saline solution pump, a four-way catheter wherein a channel is provided for monitoring the pressure within the bladder during the procedure, a syringe for infusing a medicine through the catheter and a strapping device to secure the syringe and to slidingly engage the catheter to a leg of the patient. Desired parameters are monitored during the procedure and a desired pressure is maintained in the bladder for a predetermined time to perform the controlled hydrodistention of the urinary bladder.

To accomplish isolation and removal of a substance from a vasculature, a catheter is employed to occlude a vessel of the vasculature. The substance is thus isolated in the vasculature and can be removed. In this way, the substance is removed before entering other parts of the circulatory system. This method is applicable to removal of contrast from the coronary sinus shortly after injection of the coronary arteries with the contrast. The method substantially minimizes or avoids renal dysfunction caused by angiographic procedures in which contrast must be injected. Such angiographic procedures are often performed during intervention procedures. This method substantially prevents circulation of the contrast to the kidneys where it could otherwise cause renal dysfunction or failure. The apparatus for implementation of the method is also disclosed.

Methods and systems for monitoring an organ of interest within a patient use one or more sensors to obtain one or more signals indicative of one or more of blood being provided to the organ of interest, blood being received from the organ of interest, and blood present in the organ of interest. Changes in an amount of blood being provided to the organ of interest, an amount of blood being received from the organ of interest, and / or an amount of blood present in the organ of interest are monitored based on changes in the obtained signal(s). Such methods and systems can be used to detect dysfunction of the organ of interest or tumor growth in the organ of interest, but are not limited thereto.

A low cost portable high speed quantitative system for diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging of human tissue. The hybrid system (CWFD) can measure absolute optical properties from 660 nm to 980 nm and recover all tissue chromophore concentrations. The standalone FD module can be utilized to measure scattering at every measurement and recover deoxygenated and oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations. The CW module can operate concurrently with the FD module to also measure water and lipid. The high temporal resolution and large signal-to-noise ratio of the CWFD system may be used to explore tissue oximetry, vascular occlusion, and paced breathing models to measure and analyze tissue hemodynamics response to changes in blood flow. Continuous monitoring of vasculature response to various modified blood perfusion conditions can provide information about local tissue metabolism and physiological state (dysfunction).

The invention relates to a urine flow monitoring and control device and a matched pipeline thereof and belongs to medical apparatus and instruments which are used for performing urination control, urine volume monitoring and urine collection on a patient with a retention catheter. The urine flow monitoring and control device and the matched pipeline are relatively independent. The switching of the urine volume monitoring mode can be automatically achieved through a flow and velocity measurement module and a gravity sensor according to the different clinical requirements. Meanwhile the dynamic monitoring is performed on the bladder pressure, closing or opening of the pipeline is automatically controlled by a cut-off valve according to the obtained pressure of urine in the bladder under different filling conditions through calculation, the mode is similar to the urine retention and urination mode of a normal human body basically, and accordingly the patient can obtain the good maintenance and exercise during the catheter retention period and the incidence rate of adverse reactions such as the urinary dysfunction and the like caused by the catheter retention can be greatly avoided.

A system for treating meibomian gland dysfunction. A controller controls heat applied to the inside of the eyelid to provide conductive heat transfer to the meibomian glands. The application of heat assists in the expression of obstructions or occlusions in the meibomian glands to restore sufficient sebum flow to the lipid layer to treat dry eye. Temperatures at the meibomian glands reach desired levels more quickly and efficiently when heating the inside of the eyelid. Reaching such higher temperature levels may be instrumental in removing obstructions in the meibomian glands. Less time may also be required to reach desired temperature levels when applying heat to the inside of the eyelid. A force may also be applied to the inside of the patient's eyelid to improve conductive heat transfer and reduce blood flow in the eyelid that causes convective heat loss. Thus, the application of force can further increase the temperature level and / or reduce the time to reach desired temperature levels for removing obstructions.

Improved delivery systems and delivery methods for supporting and promoting healthy sexual function, for preventing sexual dysfunction, or for treatment of sexual dysfunction. A compositions including one or more cGMP-specific PDE5 inhibitors and / or dopaminergic agonists is administered in the form of a breath-care strip, mint or lozenge, or a food or beverage product. The cGMP-specific PDE5 inhibitor comprises an ingredient selected from the group consisting of sophoflavescenol, vardenafil, tadalafil, and sildenafil. The dopaminergic agonist comprises apomorphine. Vitex agnus-castus extract, and one or more of lipoic acid, L-Arginine, folic acid, trimethylglycine, policosanol, carnitine, biotin, and acetyl L-Carnitine may also be included in the delivery vehicle.

A venous valve is disclosed for implantation in and selectively restricting the outflow of blood from a penile vein to aid a user in achieving and / or maintaining an erection. The venous valve includes a self-expanding stent framework defining a blood flow lumen there through. The self-expanding stent framework is constructed to recoil from a radially compressed configuration in which the blood flow lumen is narrowed to restrict blood flow through the venous valve to a radially expanded configuration in which the blood flow lumen is fully open to permit unrestricted blood flow through the venous valve. A recoil delay component is attached to the self-expanding stent framework for slowing the recoil of the self-expanding stent framework to thereby provide an extended time period during which the blood flow lumen is narrowed and blood flow through the venous valve is restricted.

A system and method for aiding in the diagnosis of a respiratory dysfunction is described. More particularly, a system and method for aiding in the diagnosis of one or more pulmonary embolisms is described. The system and method described herein include a plurality of sensors, a thermal control system, and a controller means coupled to the plurality of sensors and the thermal control system for aiding in the diagnosis of a respiratory dysfunction.

A method and apparatus for treating Eustachian tube dysfunction. The apparatus may include a tube with an aperture extending through the tube and a retention mechanism for retaining the tube in the Eustachian tube. The method may include endoscopically inserting the tube through the nasopharynx and into the Eustachian tube.