A coated implantable medical device 10 includes a structure 12 adapted for introduction into the vascular system, esophagus, trachea, colon, biliary tract, or urinary tract; at least one layer 18 of a bioactive material positioned over the structure 12; and at least one porous layer 20 positioned over the bioactive material layer 18. Preferably, the structure 12 is a coronary stent, and the bioactive material is at least one of heparin, dexamethasone or a dexamethasone derivative. The device 10 includes layers 18 and 22 of heparin and dexamethasone, the layer 22 of dexamethasone being positioned above the layer 18 of heparin. The layers of bioactive material also can be individual materials or a combination of different materials. Unexpectedly, the more soluble heparin markedly promotes the release of the less soluble dexamethasone above it. The porous layer 20 is composed of a polymer applied by vapor or plasma deposition and provides a controlled release of the bioactive material. It is particularly preferred that the polymer is a polyimide, parylene or a parylene derivative, which is deposited without solvents, heat or catalysts, merely by condensation of a monomer vapor.

Coated implantable medical device

A loading unit for use with a surgical stapling apparatus is provided and includes a tool assembly having a cartridge assembly and an anvil assembly that are movable in relation to one another; a surgical buttress releasably secured to a tissue contacting surface of the anvil assembly and/or the cartridge assembly, wherein each surgical buttress is secured to the anvil assembly and/or the cartridge assembly by at least one anchor; a release assembly associated with the anvil assembly and/or the cartridge assembly; and a drive assembly slidably translatable through the tool assembly between proximal and distal positions, wherein the drive assembly actuates the release assembly to thereby release the anchor to free the surgical buttress from the anvil assembly and/or the cartridge assembly.

Surgical Stapling Apparatus

An apparatus for forming an anastomosis between adjacent intestinal sections of tissue is provided. The apparatus includes a circular surgical stapler having an anvil assembly with an anvil shaft and an anvil, the circular surgical stapler further having a tubular body portion with an annular knife and a body portion shaft selectively attachable to the anvil shaft; and a seal structure for deposition between the intestinal sections of tissue including a hub configured to engage attachment structure on at least one of the anvil shaft and the body portion shaft. The attachment structure is positioned so that the seal structure is located between the intestinal sections of tissue when the circular surgical stapler is disposed within the intestinal sections of tissue.

Annular adhesive structure

Systems of releasably connecting staple line buttress material to the jaws of a surgical stapling instrument are provided. The systems include retainers configured to engage the buttress material and releasably retain the buttress material on the jaws of the surgical stapling instrument prior to stapling tissue. In certain embodiments, the retainers remain with the jaws of the instrument after stapling of tissue. In alternative embodiments, the retainers remain with the buttress material after being stapled to tissue.

Detachable buttress material retention systems for use with a surgical stapling device

A surgical stapler is provided having a pair of jaws including a staple containing cartridge and an anvil. Buttress material is releasable affixed to the staple containing cartridge and the anvil. One of the jaws includes a pair of longitudinal projections at a first end of the jaw and configured to frictionally engage corresponding slots in a first end the buttress material. One of the jaws includes a post at a second end of the jaw. The buttress material includes a hole in a second end of the buttress material for receipt of the post.

Interlocking buttress material retention system

Total removal of cellulose nitrate particles from a waste water stream is accomplished by a combination of chemical and biological treatments which result in an effluent having a greatly reduced concentration of nitrogen compounds and having an acceptable BOD. The first step in the process requires that the insoluble, non-biodegradable cellulose nitrate particles be chemically digested with alkali to produce soluble products. Following digestion, the waste stream is supplemented with domestic raw sewage and a microbially utilizable carbon source and the supplemented waste stream is subjected first to an anaerobic microbial denitrification treatment to eliminate the oxidized forms of nitrogen and then to an aerobic microbial treatment to reduce BOD and to oxidize reduced nitrogen compounds. The effluent therefrom is again supplemented with a microbially utilizable carbon source and subjected to a final anaerobic microbial denitrification to remove nitrates present in the waste water resulting from nitrification processes occurring during the aerobic treatment step.

Process for treating waste water containing cellulose nitrate particles

The results of a study to determine the biological stability of clear, colorless, biocide-treated PVC film are presented. With the exception of a resistant control, all the PVC film samples tested contained a plasticizer susceptible to biological deterioration. Biocide-treated and control PVC film samples were subjected to biological attack in soil burial. Portions of each sample were exposed to leaching and to weathering in a weatherometer followed by soil burial to test the stability of each biocide to loss by water and weathering exposure. Of the 32 biocide preparations tested only 2, N-(trichloromethylthio) phthalimide and copper 8-quinolinolate, a known effective reference compound, were found to provide good protection for treated film in direct soil burial and in soil burial following leaching and weatherometer exposure. Natural weathering outdoors confirmed the results found with weatherometer exposed samples. The N-(trichloromethylthio) phthalimide was less effective than the reference compound in suppressing surface growth. In addition, N-(trichloromethylthio) phthalimide may not be compatible with all PVC formulations.

Theodore M. Wendt

Papers

Process for treating waste water containing cellulose nitrate particles

Evaluation of biocides for treatment of polyvinyl chloride film