Surgery – Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants
Patent
1997-03-27
2000-01-25
Brown, Michael A.
Surgery
Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants
128887, A61F 537
Patent
active
060168064
ABSTRACT:
A punctum plug includes a proximal head, a distal body, and a thin-walled flexible shaft between the head and the body. The thin wall of the shaft of the plug is preferably provided with accordion-like folds, thereby permitting the length of the shaft to vary depending upon the degree to which the accordion-like folds are folded or unfolded. In addition, the accordion-like folds permit the thin wall of the shaft to easily bend, permitting the head and body of the plug to lie along different axes. As a result, the plug is shaped to accommodate both relatively long and short vertical puncta and the body of the plug may be angled relative to the head to accommodate a variety of anatomical structures. According to another aspect of the invention, the body of the plug may be provided with a thread which rotationally guides the plug into the small punctal opening when insertional and rotational forces are applied to the plug. As a result, a relatively larger body size may be used. Moreover, the thread provides improved plug fixation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3949750 (1976-04-01), Freeman
patent: 4959048 (1990-09-01), Seder
patent: 5171270 (1992-12-01), Herrick
patent: 5334137 (1994-08-01), Freeman
patent: 5601553 (1997-02-01), Trebing
patent: 5645565 (1997-07-01), Rudd
Brown Michael A.
Eaglevision, Inc
Gallagher Thomas A.
Gordon David P.
Jacobson David S.
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