DR. WILLIAM JOHN SEARE, M.D.
Radiology at 250, Salt Lake City, UT

4798195, Jan 17, 1989

Nov 7, 1986

6/928539

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61B 1702

128 20

A moldable, weighted, surgical retractor and methods for its use. The surgical retractor comprises a generally flat plate having a plurality of protrusions or arms extending outwardly from the interior body of the plate. Included around the periphery of the plate and the arms are a plurality of slots. The slots may be of any size and shape and function to hold surgical stays in place during the surgical procedure. The arms or protrusions of the present invention may be placed in a variety of positions so that stays may hold certain portions of the surgical site in any desired direction. For example, arms or protrusions of the present invention may be lifted upwardly and stays may be connected to the upwardly extending arms. As a result, upward lifting forces may be directed into the surgical site to hold blood vessels, tendons, bones or other structural features upward within the surgical area. In addition, the arms of the retractor may be molded around a portion of the patient's anatomy in order to hold it in place.

5833664, Nov 10, 1998

Oct 8, 1996

8/729813

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 100, A61M 2500

604174

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for making and using noded cuffs on transcutaneous or intrabody prosthetic devices, such as catheters, to effect improved stability of the prosthesis/tissue opening site interface. In particular, the noded cuff apparatus of the present invention provides for positioning of the tissue opening site in a manner which facilitates more rapid establishment of a stably biointegrated and well-healed prosthesis/tissue opening site interface. In addition, in accord with the methods of the present invention, non-biointegrated portions of the noded cuff can be simply and easily removed from the underlying prosthetic device to facilitate maintenance of the stably biointegrated interface. Preferably, this removal takes place after a period of time during which the interface has become stably established. In accord with the methods and apparatus of the present invention, thus, infections or healing difficulties at the prosthesis/tissue opening site interface are greatly reduced and a more comfortable and stable interface is more rapidly established and more easily maintained.

5759204, Jun 2, 1998

Jan 24, 1997

8/789597

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 202

623 11

The methods and apparatus of the present invention permit a stable body pocket to be formed utilizing multiple biocompatible sheets or using only a single biocompatible sheet positioned to create either a potential space or actual space stable body pocket. The sheets have one surface which permits tissue ingrowth and thereby stably secures the sheet in the desired position. The other sheet surface is non-adhering such that adherence to a facing surface does not occur thereby creating a stable body pocket. In addition, a stable body pocket can be formed by using a biocompatible sheet or sheets having a surface that is selectively capable of permitting tissue ingrowth such that some portions of the surface grows into the surrounding tissue and other portions of the surface do not adhere to the surrounding tissue. In this manner, the stable body pocket apparatus has flexible surface portions. Stable body pocket access channels can also be formed according to the methods and apparatus of the present invention.

5971961, Oct 26, 1999

May 21, 1998

9/082979

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 100, A61M 2500

604174

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for making and using noded cuffs on transcutaneous or intrabody prosthetic devices, such as catheters, to effect improved stability of the prosthesis/tissue opening site interface. In particular, the noded cuff apparatus of the present invention provides for positioning of the tissue opening site in a manner which facilitates more rapid establishment of a stably biointegrated and well-healed prosthesis/tissue opening site interface. In addition, in accord with the methods of the present invention, non-biointegrated portions of the noded cuff can be simply and easily removed from the underlying prosthetic device to facilitate maintenance of the stably biointegrated interface. Preferably, this removal takes place after a period of time during which the interface has become stably established. In accord with the methods and apparatus of the present invention, thus, infections or healing difficulties at the prosthesis/tissue opening site interface are greatly reduced and a more comfortable and stable interface is more rapidly established and more easily maintained.

5605693, Feb 25, 1997

Jun 7, 1995

8/475210

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61K 900

424400

The present invention is directed to methods of making a porous device utilizing at least one removable open-cell porous mold form comprising particles formed and shaped into a solidified mass of continuously interconnected particles defining continuously interconnected pores and connecting interstices. The primary mold form is made from a selected material comprising particles having predetermined sizes and shapes which is capable of forming a stable mold form under selected conditions and of being removed under selected conditions. The primary mold form can be used to mold a porous device directly or to mold a secondary mold form. Similarly, the secondary mold form can be used to mold a porous device directly or to mold a tertiary mold form. Depending on the number of mold forms used, the porous device contains pores and pore interconnections corresponding to either the continuously interconnected particles, or to the continuously interconnected pores.

5589176, Dec 31, 1996

Jun 7, 1995

8/477409

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61K 900

424400

The present invention is directed to methods of forming doubly porous devices having a first porous portion with continuously interconnected pores and a second porous portion with continuously interconnected pores utilizing at least one removable open-cell porous mold form. The mold form is made from a selected material comprising particles having predetermined sizes and shapes which is capable of forming a stable mold form under selected conditions and of being removed under selected conditions. At least one stable coating layer is molded from the mold form to define a membrane separating the first porous portion and the second porous portion of said device. Alternatively, two different materials can be molded with the mold form into a doubly porous device comprising interlocked materials.

5624674, Apr 29, 1997

Jun 7, 1995

8/487964

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61K 900

424400

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods for forming open-cell porous mold forms to mold porous devices having substantially continuously interconnected pores. The mold form is made from selected material comprising particles having predetermined sizes and shapes which is capable of forming a stable mold form under selected conditions. The particles are treated such that the particles are manipulable into a mass of continuously interconnected particles defining continuously interconnected pores and connecting interstices within the mass. The formed mass is made into a predetermined shape and solidified to form a mold form.

5681572, Oct 28, 1997

Nov 22, 1993

8/156675

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61K 900

424400

A method of preparing a device of a selected material to have pores and pore interconnections of predetermined sizes and shapes includes the steps of forming a selectively removable open-celled porous mold form of particles which adhere to one another, with the particles corresponding to the predetermined pore sizes and shapes, and interconnections between the particles which bind them together in the form in which the connections correspond to the predetermined sizes and shapes of the pore connections. Also included are the steps of filling the vacancies between the particles and connections of the form with the selected material, and then removing the form to leave the selected material. The resulting device is at least partly porous, the pores and pore interconnections corresponding in size and shape to the particles and connections respectively.

5356429, Oct 18, 1994

Oct 13, 1992

7/960004

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 212, A61F 202

623 8

A body pocket maintenance prosthesis for implanting in a submuscular/subglandular implant pocket formed in a human female's chest in conjunction with a mammary implant. The maintenance prosthesis includes at least one sheet of elastomeric material formed generally in a partly-annular configuration to at least partially surround the mammary implant in the implant pocket, with the sheet of material having a textured side to allow Growth thereon of human tissue of the pocket wall against which the textured side is placed, and a smooth, non-textured side to inhibit the growth thereon of human tissue. The mammary implant is thus allowed to move or flow in the body pocket to locations between the smooth side of the sheet of material and the adjacent body pocket wall.

5911757, Jun 15, 1999

Jun 7, 1995

8/478232

William J. Seare - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 202, A61B 1700

623 11

The methods and apparatus of the present invention permit stable transcutaneous access. Some preferred embodiments of the invention provide body pocket access channels that provide stable means for communicating between the exterior of the body and a natural or created internal body pocket. Other embodiments involve the inclusion of an attachment elements surrounding a device sought to be passed from a location external of a patient's body to a location within the body at the exit site, but which are attached to the device at a location within the body rather than at the exact location where the device passes through a patient's skin, thereby forming a body pocket that will reduce stress or strain at the exit site. Several alternative embodiments for effecting body pockets through use of attachment elements are disclosed.