Replies to post #2264 on Green Energy Management (fka GRMS)

[HokieHead]

very...

Check this out as well. NDC acquired this earlier in 2009. Sounds like something that is valuable for the Palmaz/Nitinol Combo:

NDC Completes Acquisition of Phase One Medical(R) Anchoring Technology

Posted on: Monday, 2 March 2009, 15:59 CST

FREMONT, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Nitinol Devices & Components, Inc. (NDC) announced today that they recently acquired a novel medical device anchoring technology from Phase One Medical, LLC, brokered by Hatch Medical, LLC. This anchoring technology integrates the superelastic material properties of nitinol with proprietary anchoring design elements to provide secure fixation and removability for minimally invasive medical devices. The technology is anticipated to provide a platform for the production of a spectrum of innovative medical device therapies to the cardiovascular surgery and interventional radiology community.

Traditional anchoring technologies include, for example, barbs or hooks in vena cava filters, radial outward forces in endovascular stents, and pinching in atrial septal defect closure devices. Each of these technologies requires significant interaction with the surrounding anatomy such that the native biomechanics are disturbed, at times resulting in negative clinical outcomes. Many of these implantable devices are needed only for a short duration to assist in the natural healing process, after which time the device is no longer necessary and the body could benefit from removal of the device if the biological risks associated with removal are minimal.

The anchoring technology acquired from Phase One Medical offers several key advantages over those conventional technologies while retaining the same small dimensions required to deliver devices using minimally invasive techniques. First, this technology decouples device delivery and anchoring into two separate steps, allowing physicians the opportunity to fully unsheath devices in vivo, position them as necessary, and anchor the devices only after precise placement has been achieved. Second, the anchors may be retracted during the initial implantation procedure even after attachment to the anatomy, thereby providing physicians with multiple opportunities for optimal placement. Next, unlike many medical implants that require several days or weeks for biological tissue ingrowth to assist in the anchoring, the current anchoring technology affixes the device in position without the need of tissue ingrowth, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of migration prior to endothelialization. Finally, when clinically warranted, the anchors are easily removable leaving behind only immediately self-sealing holes smaller than those created by most sutures.