1087 results about "Proximal point" patented technology

A prosthetic mitral valve includes a proximal anchor, a distal anchor, and a central portion therebetween. The proximal and distal anchors each include a first outer frame and a second outer frame. The first outer frame includes a plurality of first arcs joined together, and the second outer frame includes a plurality of second arcs joined together. The plurality of first arcs are out of phase relative to the plurality of second arcs.

A lead assembly for an electrical stimulation system includes terminals disposed along a proximal end of a lead body and electrodes disposed along a distal end of the lead body. The electrodes include segmented electrodes. At least one distal marker is disposed along the distal end of the lead body. The distal marker identifies the circumferential position of at least one of the segmented electrodes along the lead body. The distal marker is aligned with at least one of the segmented electrodes along the longitudinal length of the lead body. At least one proximal marker is disposed along the proximal end of the lead body. The proximal marker is aligned with the distal marker along the longitudinal length of the lead body. The distal marker and the proximal marker are discontinuous with one another along the lead body.

There is described a method for determining a mechanical axis of a femur using a computer aided surgery system having an output device for displaying said mechanical axis, the method comprising: providing a position sensing system having a tracking device capable of registering instantaneous position readings and attaching the tracking device to the femur; locating a center of a femoral head of the femur by moving a proximal end of the femur to a first static position, acquiring a fixed reading of the first static position, repeating the moving and the acquiring for a plurality of static positions; and locating the centre by determining a central point of a pattern formed by the plurality of static positions; digitizing an entrance point of the mechanical axis at a substantially central position of the proximal end of the femur; and joining a line between the entrance point and the center of rotation to form the mechanical axis.

Catheter having a proximal section and a distal section. The proximal section having at least a delivery lumen and a guidewire receiving lumen, the guidewire receiving lumen having a proximal guidewire exit port at a location proximal of the distal end of the proximal section. A reinforcing tubular member located in the proximal section delivery lumen extending from substantially the proximal end of the proximal section to a point distal to the proximal guidewire exit port, wherein the reinforcing tubular member transitions from relatively rigid to relatively more flexible from a proximal point to a distal point thereon and has an outer diameter equal to about the inner diameter of the delivery lumen for at least a portion of the reinforcing tubular member that extends distal to the proximal guidewire exit port. The distal section having at least a delivery lumen and a guidewire receiving lumen.

Apparatus for performing a transgastric procedure includes an elongated tubular main access device having the first lumen with open proximal end and a side opening distal end, and a second lumen with open ends. A balloon having a wall on the outside of the device surrounds the distal end and a fluid conduit extends along the device for inflating the balloon so that when the device is inserted into a patient's esophagus and the balloon is inflated, the portion of the esophagus opposite the distal end is isolated from the remainder of the esophagus. The apparatus may also include a side access unit having an elongated flexible coaxial inner and outer tubes having proximal and distal ends and being movable relatively in the axial direction. First seals are mounted to the distal end of the outer tube, and second seals are mounted to the distal end of the inner tube, an actuator adjacent to the proxable ends of the tubes move the tubes relatively so as to vary the axial spacing the first and second seals. Various methods for using the apparatus are also disclosed.

A method and apparatus of limiting at least one degree of movement between a superior vertebral body, an inferior vertebral body, and an intermediate vertebral body that is disposed between the superior and inferior vertebral bodies of a patient. The method can comprise: advancing a distal end of a stabilization device into a pedicle of the intermediate vertebral body; positioning a proximal portion of the stabilization device such that the proximal portion limits at least one degree of movement between the superior vertebral body and the intermediate vertebral body by contacting a surface of the superior vertebral body; and advancing a distal end of a fixation device into a facet of the intermediate vertebral body and into a facet or pedicle of the inferior vertebral body for stabilizing the intermediate vertebral body and the inferior vertebral body.

A communication cable is provided that satisfies the requirement of Cat.6 for near-end cross talk wherein the difference between the maximum and minimum values of delay time among the four twisted wire pairs constituting the cable is within 25 ns/100 m. The communication cable is made by entwining four twisted wire pairs (T1), (T2), (T3), (T4) made by twisting pairs of insulated wires made by covering electrically conductive wires by polyolefin thermoplastic resin with each pair being twisted with a twist pitch different from the others (pitch: P1<P2<P3<P4) and the inter-pair interposer (6) made of polyolefin thermoplastic resin, while being entwined with each wire pair, around a central interposer (2) made of polyolefin thermoplastic resin having cross sectional area of S1. Cross sectional area S1 of the central interposer (2) satisfies the relationship of inequality S1>=[{4.1 d/(1+{square root over (2)})}.0.35]2xpi, while the inter-pair interposer (6) that is entwined with the twisted wire pairs is located at such a position as adjoins the twisted wire pair (T1) having the least pitch P1 and does not adjoin the twisted wire pair (T4) having the largest pitch P4.

A wide angle HDTV endoscope includes at least two optical imaging channels. Lenses close each channel at the distal end of the endoscope. The imaging channels each have a different field of view in complementary directions, and have overlapping or cross-over field of view areas. Received images are transmitted along the longitudinal axis of the imaging channels of the endoscope to a camera head that contains a wide screen image sensing device. An external light source provides the required lighting and an image processing device can provide necessary software algorithms to format the images and to control any overlapping or cross-over field of view areas to obtain a single display image. In another arrangement, optical blocking elements provided at the proximal end of the endoscope or within the imaging channels eliminate portions of one or more images from the imaging channels so that at the cross-over areas only a single image is provided to the imaging device.

An apparatus for enhancing audibility of a far-end speech signal from a far-end user to a near-end user in a telephony system includes a near-end background noise signal level estimator (26) at the near-end user. A near-end speech signal level estimator (24) is also provided at the near-end user. A gain control logic (22) determines a gain (G) for amplification of the far-end speech signal based on both estimated speech and background noise signal levels.

Catheters, systems, and methods are provided for performing medical procedures, such as tissue ablation, adjacent the ostia of anatomical vessels, such as pulmonary veins. The catheter comprises an elongated flexible catheter body, which includes a proximal shaft portion and a distal shaft portion, and a tracking element carried by the distal shaft portion. The proximal section is pre-shaped to form a curve having an apex sized to be inserted into the vessel ostium, and a distal section configured to contact the adjacent tissue when the curve apex is inserted within the vessel ostium. The method may comprise inserting the curve apex into the vessel ostium to place the distal section in contact with a first tissue site adjacent the vessel ostium, and determining a location of the tracking element(s) within a coordinate system while the distal section is in contact with the first tissue site.

A jointed system for delivering a medical device to a target location within a human anatomy, comprising: a first segment that is a hollow cylinder, wherein a first flange and a second flange are attached to the distal end and extend distally away from the first segment; a second segment that is a hollow cylinder and has a proximal end and a distal end, wherein a third flange and a fourth flange are attached to the proximal end and extend proximally away from the second segment; a connector element having four cylindrical lugs extending radially away from a central point, wherein each lug passes, respectively, through a circular hole, and further wherein the connector element defines at least two separate openings extending in a direction from the distal end of the first segment to the proximal end of the second segment.

A minimally invasive surgical instrument having an elongate stem extending between a proximal end which in use is located externally of an operating space and a distal end which in use is located within an operating space. At least a portion of the stem is malleable to facilitate manipulation of the stem in the operating space and then to maintain the stem in the manipulated position and/or orientation within the operating space. The instrument has an end effector at the distal end of the stem, the end effector having a proximal main body and distal operating means, such as graspers or cutters. The instrument has at least one joint for independent movement of the end effector main body in at least one direction relative to the distal end of the stem for enhanced degrees of freedom of the instrument.

A videoconferencing system has a videoconferencing unit that use portable devices as peripherals for the system. The portable devices obtain near-end audio and send the audio to the videoconferencing unit via a wireless connection. In turn, the videoconferencing unit sends the near-end audio from the loudest portable device along with near-end video to the far-end. The portable devices can control the videoconferencing unit and can initially establish the videoconference by connecting with the far-end and then transferring operations to the videoconferencing unit. To deal with acoustic coupling between the unit's loudspeaker and the portable device's microphone, the unit uses an echo canceller that is compensated for differences in the clocks used in the A/D and D/A converters of the loudspeaker and microphone.

In one embodiment, a process, for fabricating a medical lead comprises: providing a splicing tube having a plurality of angularly spaced longitudinal grooves; placing a first plurality of conductors within the plurality of angularly spaced grooves defined on an exterior surface of the splicing tube; placing a second plurality of conductors within the plurality of angularly spaced grooves and adjacent to the first plurality of conductors such that a portion of the distal ends overlap a portion of the proximal ends; positioning conductive filler material adjacent to the overlapped portions of the distal and proximal ends; electrically coupling the proximal ends of the first plurality of electrodes to respective proximal ends of the second plurality of electrodes; molding insulative material about at least the electrode assembly and the splicing tube; and fusing the splicing tube with the insulative material from the molding and the lead body.

An occlusion device suitable for endovascular treatment of an aneurysm in a blood vessel in a patient, including a substantially tubular structure having a proximal end region and a distal end region, having a first, expanded condition and a second, collapsed condition. The device has dimensions in the second, collapsed condition suitable for insertion through vasculature of the patient and through a neck of the aneurysm. The device further includes a control ring having a substantially annular body disposed on the proximal end region of the structure and at least substantially circumscribing the proximal end region to prevent radial expansion of the proximal end region and to provide an engagement feature during manipulation of the occlusion device.