DR. JOHN B. SIMPSON, M.D.
Osteopathic Medicine at Whipple Ave, Redwood City, CA

5047040, Sep 10, 1991

Feb 16, 1989

7/312108

John B. Simpson - Woodside CA
Richard L. Mueller - Mountain View CA
Peter S. Brown - Los Altos Hills CA
James R. Kermode - Costa Mesa CA

Devices for Vascular Intervention, Inc. - Redwood City CA

A61B 1732

606159

An atherectomy device for removing stenosis materials from a vascular vessel is provided. The atherectomy device includes a flexible tubular member, a flexible drive means disposed within the tubular member, and a cutting assembly carried by the distal extremity of the tubular member. The cutting assembly includes a collection chamber which receives a cutting bit carried by the drive means. The cutting bit is rotated to remove materials from the stenosis and cause the removed materials to be withdrawn into the collection chamber as the bit is advanced. A second embodiment of the atherectomy device includes an anchor member coaxially mounted within a tubular cutting blade at the distal end of the catheter. The anchor member is first advanced into a region of stenosis where it becomes embedded, and the tubular blade is subsequently advanced over the anchor member to sever the stenosis. The tubular blade and anchor member may be retracted within the catheter and thus used to withdraw the several material from the blood vessel.

4979951, Dec 25, 1990

Jan 18, 1989

7/298846

John B. Simpson - Woodside CA

A61B 1732

606159

Atherectomy device having a generally cylindrical housing formed of a relatively rigid material. The housing has rounded distal and proximal end portions. The housing is formed with a cutout extending longitudinally of the housing on one side of the housing. An atheroma cutter is disposed to the proximal end of the housing and is used for advancing the housing into the arterial passage. A flexible drive cable extends through the flexible guide and is connected to the atheroma cutter for operation of the atheroma cutter.

2013013, May 30, 2013

Jan 28, 2013

13/752325

Himanshu N. PATEL - San Jose CA, US
John B. SIMPSON - Woodside CA, US

A61B 17/32

606159

A rotating cutting head catheter for passage through chronic total occlusions or other refractory atherosclerotic plaque from diseased arteries is disclosed. The catheter's rotating cutting head is designed to reside safely within an outer protective sheath when not in use. The outer protective sheath contains one or more helical grooves or slots, and the cutting head contains protruding blades or projections that fit into these helical grooves or slots. Application of torque to an inner catheter or wire attached to the cutting head applies spin to the cutting head, and the force of the sheath's helical grooves or slots against the cutting head's protruding blades or projections advances the cutting head outward from the protective sheath. Once extended, the cutting head may now rotate freely. The device may use a guidewire to direct the cutting head to the desired position.

2003012, Jun 26, 2003

Nov 4, 2002

10/288582

John Simpson - Woodside CA, US
Himanshu Patel - San Jose CA, US
Greg Stine - Longview TX, US

Fox Hollow Technologies, Inc. - Redwood City CA

A61B017/22

606/159000

A method of removing material from a blood flow lumen includes providing a device having a cutting element and an opening, the cutting element being movable relative to the opening. The method then includes advancing the device through a patient's vascular system to the blood flow lumen. Finally, the method involves moving the cutting element and the opening relative to the blood flow lumen so that a continuous piece of material is severed by the cutting element and directed into the opening as the cutting element and opening move through the blood flow lumen, the continuous piece of severed material being directed into the device for removal from the patient. The method may include providing a device having a rotatable cutter that, in some embodiments, is not parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device, is movable, has retracted and deployed positions, or any combination thereof. The method may further include forcing the opening toward the wall of the vascular site after the advancing step and before the moving step.

2010027, Oct 28, 2010

Jan 19, 2010

12/689748

Himanshu N. Patel - San Jose CA, US
John B. Simpson - Woodside CA, US

A61B 17/22, A61M 25/09

606159, 606108

Described herein are guidewire positioning and support devices, method for using them, method of treating a subject using them, and systems including such guidewire positioning and support devices. These devices typically include a rotatable distal tip region that may include one or more wedges. The wedges may be extendable from the rotatable distal tip. The distal end of the device may be steerable, and may be steered while still rotating the distal end of the device. The wedges (which may include sharp forward-cutting blades and blunt lateral portions) can be extended from the distal housing and locked in any position (extended, partially extended or retracted) and rotated clockwise and/or counterclockwise while locked in a retracted, extended or partially extended position. The distal region of the device may also be controllable steered from the proximal end of the device. Systems including these guidewire support catheters are also described, as are method of using them, including methods of treating chronic total occlusions.

2007007, Apr 5, 2007

Mar 6, 2006

11/367719

Angela Soito - Oakland CA, US
John Simpson - Woodside CA, US

Fox Hollow Technologies, Inc - Redwood City CA

A61B 17/22

606159000

Lumenectomy material is tested to determine the efficacy of a test drug in a patient population having a cardiovascular condition. The material is removed from at least a first and a second patient and tested for one or more markers of a cardiovascular condition. The first patient is administered the test drug, and the second patient is administered a placebo. At a later date, more lumenectomy material is removed and tested for the same marker or markers. The presence, absence or amount of the markers is compared in the first patient receiving the drug and the second patient receiving the placebo to determine whether the drug is effective in the patient population. The patient population can comprise as little as two individuals or as many as dozens, hundreds or thousands of patients. The drugs tested include drugs believed to be effective in treating a cardiovascular condition. The markers used can include any marker that can indicate the effectiveness of the drug being tested, including amino acid and nucleic acid markers and markers that indicate a cardiovascular condition.

8548571, Oct 1, 2013

Dec 8, 2010

12/963536

Xuanmin He - Sunnyvale CA, US
John B. Simpson - Woodside CA, US
Michael H. Rosenthal - San Carlos CA, US
John F. Black - San Mateo CA, US

Avinger, Inc. - Redwood City CA

A61B 1/07, A61B 6/00

600476, 600425

The present invention relates to methods and devices for predicting restenosis, and for treating atherosclerosis to prevent or reduce the incidence of restenosis. Methods of predicting restenosis in a stenosed peripheral artery may include quantitative histology of the vessel. For example, a method of treating a stenosed artery (and particularly a peripheral artery) may include the steps of determining a level of hypercellularity and one or more of the lipid-richness and extent of inflammatory cell inclusion in the tissue. An index of restenosis based on the hypercellularity and lipid richness and/or extent of inflammatory cell inclusion in the tissue may be determined. Systems for treating or preventing restenosis may include one or more imaging modalities for imaging tissue regions and determining the level of hypercellularity and one or more of the degree of lipid-richness and the extent of inflammatory cell inclusion in the tissue region.

2011025, Oct 13, 2011

Jun 24, 2011

13/167767

Angela Soito - Oakland CA, US
John B. Simpson - Woodside CA, US

TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP - Mansfield MA

C12Q 1/68, C12Q 1/02

435 61, 435 29

Lumenectomy material is tested to determine the presence or likelihood of a condition of a patient. The lumenectomy material is in the form of at least one continuous tissue strand collected in vivo from an inner surface of a body lumen of the patient. The presence of at least one marker of a disease is determined. The disease may be hypertension, hyperlipidemia, depression, obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, kidney damage, or diabetes. The patient is identified as having or as likely to develop the disease if a marker of the disease is identified in the lumenectomy material of the patient.

2012012, May 24, 2012

Jan 31, 2012

13/362249

Angela Soito - Oakland CA, US
John B. Simpson - Woodside CA, US

Tyco Healthcare Group LP - Mansfield MA

C12Q 1/68, C12Q 1/02

435 61, 435 29

Lumenectomy material is tested to determine the presence or likelihood of a condition of a patient. The lumenectomy material is in the form of at least one continuous tissue strand collected in vivo from an inner surface of a body lumen of the patient. The presence of at least one marker of a disease is determined. The disease may be hypertension, hyperlipidemia, depression, obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, kidney damage, or diabetes. The patient is identified as having or as likely to develop the disease if a marker of the disease is identified in the lumenectomy material of the patient.

2012032, Dec 20, 2012

Aug 29, 2012

13/598154

Angela Soito - Oakland CA, US
John B. Simpson - Woodside CA, US

TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP - Mansfield MA

A61B 10/02, C12Q 1/68, C40B 30/04, G01N 33/53, G01N 21/64

506 9, 600567, 435 792, 435 71, 435 29, 435 611, 435 612

Lumenectomy material is tested to determine the presence or likelihood of a condition of a patient. The lumenectomy material is in the form of at least one continuous tissue strand collected in vivo from an inner surface of a body lumen of the patient. The presence of at least one marker of a disease is determined. The disease may be hypertension, hyperlipidemia, depression, obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, kidney damage, or diabetes. The patient is identified as having or as likely to develop the disease if a marker of the disease is identified in the lumenectomy material of the patient.