LAWRENCE GERRANS - INVENTOR

A Chronicle of Innovation by Lawrence Gerrans

The inventive work of Lawrence Gerrans, reflected in this extensive patent portfolio, chronicles a persistent drive to transform complex medical procedures into safer, more effective, and more accessible interventions. His innovations span multiple domains, from minimally invasive surgical tools and advanced drug delivery systems to robotics and diagnostic imaging. A central theme emerges from this body of work: the development of "smart," data-driven platforms that sense, adapt, and respond to the unique conditions of each patient's body in real time. At its core, Lawrence Gerrans inventive work is ambitious in its focus to treat and cure recalcitrant cancers, such as Mesothelioma, Lung, Pancreatic, Brain, Breast, Bone, Gastrointestinal, Uterine, Cervical, and a host of chronic diseases, such as High Blood Pressure, Asthma, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Sinusitis, Diabetic Retinopathy, Atherosclerosis, Endometriosis among other cancers and diseases.

Pioneering Inventive Methods to Innovate Curative Treatments

A significant portion of Gerrans' work focuses on evolving the dimensions and capabilities of current technology to Access, Image, Measure, Diagnose and Treat anatomy at, or below, three (3) millimeters. Pathology in these areas of the anatomy have heretofore been virtually untreatable. Gerrans inventive method of A.I.M., Dx, Tx, combines inventive concepts across multiple Patents to create procedural solutions intended to cure pathology in a single treatment. This brave approach runs counter to the business paradigm of 'Disease Management', a "Big Pharma" profit model centered on the sale of pills, procedures, injections, and serums to pacify patient pathology while generating substantial recurring revenues over time for Pharmaceutical Corporations.

Pioneering the "Smart" Catheter: Integrating Therapy and Diagnostics

Mr. Gerrans re-imagined interventional science by re-inventing the catheter and, specifically, the balloon catheter from a simple mechanical tool into an intelligent, multi-functional platform. This began with the foundational Resector Balloon System, a technology designed to remove unwanted biological material like tumors not by cutting, but through a non-traumatic process of pulsed abrasion.

Core Technology (Filing Date: Nov. 12, 2008): The system uses a catheter with a textured balloon that is rapidly inflated and deflated by a "smart" pump. This pump, a key invention in itself, incorporates physiological feedback, using pressure and flow sensors to calculate the diameter of the bodily cavity and the density of the tissue being treated. It can also identify the specific type of balloon connected to it, automatically adjusting its performance for safety and efficacy.
Advanced Drug Delivery: This core platform was adapted for sophisticated drug delivery to cure pathologic anatomy using Gerrans inventive concept of 'extravasation' - the movement of drugs, molecular compounds and nanoparticles across tissues and into tumors. The Multi-Balloon Catheter creates an isolated chamber around a target to contain medication, using an abrasive central balloon to first prepare the tissue for enhanced absorption. The Nested Balloon Catheter introduced a novel pressure-modulation system, with an inner balloon pressurizing a drug-filled chamber to control infusion through a porous outer balloon with microscopic precision. Further innovation led to the Adjustable Balloon Catheter, which mechanically increases pressure to actively drive drugs into tissue.
"Smart Fabric" Integration: The concept evolved further with the Balloon Catheter Mesh. This innovation embeds electrically conductive threads into the balloon's woven surface, turning it into a "smart fabric." This mesh can deliver energy for cauterization or act as a sensor to measure tissue impedance, effectively merging therapeutic action with real-time diagnostics in a single device.

Enhancing the Surgeon's Senses: Advanced Visualization and Imaging

Recognizing that a surgeon can only treat what they can see, Gerrans has driven innovations that provide clearer, safer, and more data-rich visualization inside the human body.

Safer Surgical Access: The Viewing Trocar addresses one of the most dangerous moments in laparoscopic surgery—the initial "blind" entry. By integrating a steerable camera at the trocar's tip, it allows surgeons to see where they are going, dramatically reducing the risk of accidental organ injury.
Improved Intubation: The Imaging Stylet for Intubation makes a critical emergency procedure safer. A deformable body combined with a physician-controlled articulating camera at the tip provides an unprecedented view of the airway, increasing first-pass success rates and reducing the risk of trauma to the vocal cords. A related invention, the Side Loading Articulating Laryngeal Access System, further streamlines the process by allowing an endotracheal tube to be snapped onto the device from the side, saving critical time.
Revolutionizing Ophthalmology: In the field of ophthalmology, the System for Visualization of Ocular Anatomy uses a non-contact, handheld apparatus to project structured light and create precise 3D topographic maps of the eye. This allows for objective, data-driven diagnosis and management of conditions like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, while also providing highly accurate optometric measurements for vision correction.

Extending the Surgeon's Reach: Robotics and Precision Control

Gerrans' work in robotics aims to extend the surgeon's skill and precision beyond the limits of the human hand.

Telerobotics and Microsurgery: The patent for Remotely Controlled Surgical Robots outlines a comprehensive telerobotic system featuring haptic feedback, motion scaling, and tremor filtering. A specialized application of this is found in Robotic Ophthalmology, a system designed to perform microsurgery on the eye with a level of stability and precision that is humanly impossible.
Advanced Catheter Navigation: To ensure these advanced tools can reach their targets, the Non-Buckling Steerable Catheter was developed. Its unique spine-like internal structure allows it to be precisely steered through tortuous anatomy without kinking or collapsing, providing a reliable platform for complex interventions and the uninterrupted transmission of devices and therapies to target anatomy.

Contributions to Global Society

The collective impact of these inventions on science, technology, medicine, and commerce is profound and multifaceted.

Impact on Medicine and Patient Care:

Pioneering Minimally Traumatic Surgery: The shift from cutting to non-traumatic resection with the Resector Balloon System represents a fundamental advance in surgery. For patients, this means less pain, reduced bleeding, faster recovery, and lower risk of complications.
Making Surgery "Smarter" and Safer: By embedding sensors and physiological feedback loops into medical devices, Gerrans has pioneered a new class of "smart" instruments that adapt to the patient. This data-driven approach moves medicine from a "one-size-fits-all" model to one that is personalized and inherently safer.
Enabling Treatment for "Untreatable" Conditions: Technologies like localized oxygenation for hypoxic tumors and precision neurotoxin delivery for smooth muscle disorders offer new hope for patients with aggressive cancers or chronic diseases that are resistant to conventional therapies.
Democratizing Specialized Care: The development of telerobotic surgery and portable, handheld systems like the Resector Balloon with Multi-Port Hub helps to break down geographical and cost barriers. This allows expert surgeons to treat patients in remote or underserved areas and makes advanced technology more accessible to smaller clinics worldwide.

Impact on Science and Technology:

Convergence of Disciplines: Gerrans' work exemplifies the power of converging disparate fields: material science (smart fabrics, multi-durometer shafts), robotics, data science (physiological feedback algorithms), and mobile technology. This cross-pollination has led to breakthroughs that would be impossible from a single discipline.
Advancement in Medical Imaging: The development of non-contact 3D mapping for ophthalmology and integrated imaging for surgical tools pushes the boundaries of medical visualization, providing richer data sets for both diagnosis and intervention.

Impact on Commerce:

Bridging Physical and Digital Worlds: Beyond medicine, the patent for Monetized Electronic Mobile Commerce (filed in 2009) was prescient in its vision for the future of retail. It not only anticipated the rise of "showrooming" but proposed a collaborative monetization model to solve it—a sophisticated concept that addresses key challenges still facing the retail industry today.

In summary, Lawrence Gerrans' inventions represent a significant contribution to our global society by consistently advancing the frontier of what is possible in medicine and technology. His work has laid the foundation for a new generation of intelligent, less invasive, and more precise medical tools that promise to improve patient outcomes, expand access to care, and make healthcare safer and more effective for people around the world.

System and Method for Monetized Electronic Mobile Commerce

Patent Application: US 2011/0112866 A1
Filing Date: November 9, 2009
Inventor: Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 💡

This patent application describes a comprehensive system for mobile commerce that allows a consumer to use a mobile device (like a smartphone) to facilitate a purchase decision at the point of discovery. The process involves:

Scanning a Product: A consumer uses their mobile device to scan a product's identifier, which could be a barcode, QR code, or even a direct image of the product itself.
Information Retrieval: The application communicates with a central database to retrieve detailed information about the scanned product. This includes specifications, user reviews, and, crucially, price comparisons from a variety of merchants, including both online retailers and local brick-and-mortar stores.
In-App Purchasing: The consumer can then initiate and complete a purchase directly through the mobile application, choosing the merchant that offers the best value or convenience.
Monetization System: A key component is the monetization system, which processes the transaction. Uniquely, this system is designed to distribute revenue among multiple participants in the commerce ecosystem. This means that a portion of the sales revenue can be shared with the application provider, the merchant who fulfills the order, and even the original retailer where the product was scanned, thus creating a collaborative commercial network.

Impact on Commerce for the Merchant 🏪

This technology directly addresses the challenges of modern retail, particularly the phenomenon of "showrooming," while creating new opportunities.

Solving the "Showrooming" Problem: The monetization system provides a direct solution to showrooming, where a customer examines a product in a physical store and then buys it online from a competitor. By giving the physical retailer a share of the revenue from the final sale (even if they didn't make it), the system incentivizes them to embrace mobile technology rather than fight it.
Increased Sales Channels: The platform allows any participating merchant, regardless of size or location, to compete for a sale at the moment a consumer has the highest purchase intent. An online retailer or a competing local store can present a better offer directly to a consumer standing in a competitor's aisle.
Valuable Data and Analytics: The system captures a wealth of data on consumer behavior, such as which products are being scanned most frequently, where scans are occurring, and what price differences trigger a purchase. Merchants can leverage this data for dynamic pricing, inventory management, and targeted marketing strategies.
Reduced Friction for Impulse Buys: By enabling an immediate, in-aisle transaction, merchants can capture impulse purchases that might otherwise be lost if the customer decides to go home and "think about it."

Impact on Commerce for the Consumer 🛒

The system empowers consumers with information and convenience, fundamentally changing the shopping experience.

Immediate Price Transparency and Savings: The most significant impact is providing consumers with instant price transparency. They can immediately see if a product is available for less money online or at another nearby store, allowing them to make the most cost-effective decision and save money on their purchases.
Empowerment Through Information: Consumers are no longer limited to the information on a product's tag. With a simple scan, they gain access to comprehensive product details, specifications, and user reviews, allowing them to make a more informed purchasing decision on the spot.
Unprecedented Convenience: The entire shopping journey—from discovery and research to price comparison and final purchase—is streamlined into a single, easy-to-use application on a device consumers already carry. They can choose to have the item shipped to their home or check local inventory for immediate pickup.
Blended Online and Offline Experience: The system seamlessly merges the benefits of physical and digital retail. Consumers can physically inspect a product in a store while simultaneously leveraging the vast information and competitive pricing of the online marketplace, creating a more efficient and satisfying shopping experience.

Treatment of Hypoxic Tumors with Localized Oxygenation

Patent Number: US 9,694,075 B2

Filing Date: July 13, 2012

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🔬

This patent describes a method to make radiation therapy more effective for treating hypoxic tumors—cancers that have low oxygen levels and are notoriously resistant to radiation. The system uses a catheter to first deliver an oxygenating agent directly into or onto the tumor tissue. This localized delivery increases the oxygen concentration within the tumor, making its cells more susceptible to the damaging effects of radiation. The Patent incorporates a new system and method for deploying oxygen eluting nanoparticles directly into tumors. As the tumor ingests the sugars of the nanoparticle, which encapsulate the oxygenating agent(s), the nanoparticles release the oxygenating agents. This ‘Trojan Horse’ method uses the radiation source to detonate the oxygenating agents to destroy the tumor naturally. The Patent claims the use of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) as an oxygenating agent, which makes this an incredibly cost-effective treatment. The method involves several steps:

Positioning the catheter at the tumor site.

Measuring the partial pressure of oxygen in the tumor using a sensor.

Delivering the oxygenating agent to raise the oxygen levels.

Administering radiation therapy while the tumor is in this oxygen-rich, more vulnerable state.

Impact on Patient Care 💪

This invention offers a way to overcome major barriers in cancer treatment, potentially making radiation therapy effective for a wider range of aggressive tumors, such as Mesothelioma, and Recalcitrant Cancers such as Pancreatic, Lung, Brain and Breast Cancers.

Increased Efficacy of Radiation Therapy: By pre-treating hypoxic tumors with oxygen, this method can significantly increase the effectiveness of radiation, leading to better tumor destruction and higher cure rates.

Treatment for Resistant Cancers: It provides a new strategy for treating tumors that are currently difficult to manage because of their resistance to conventional radiation therapy.

Potential to Reduce Radiation Doses: By making cancer cells more sensitive to radiation, it may be possible to achieve the same therapeutic effect with a lower overall dose of radiation. This would reduce systemic toxicity and damage to surrounding healthy tissues and minimize the short-term and long-term side effects of treatment for the patient.

Targeted and Localized Approach: The entire process is localized, ensuring that the oxygenating agent and the subsequent enhanced radiation effects are concentrated on the tumor, improving safety and precision.

Modulated Drug Delivery

Patent Number: US 10,864,323 B2

Filing Date: May 26, 2017

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🩺

This invention describes a "smart" drug delivery system that synchronizes the release of a therapeutic agent with a patient's real-time physiological cycles. The system consists of a delivery catheter, one or more physiological sensors (e.g., for ECG to monitor heart rate, or sensors for respiration), and a controller. The controller analyzes the live data from the sensors and triggers the drug delivery mechanism to release the agent only during specific, optimal moments in a physiological cycle. For example, it could be programmed to deliver an asthma medication only during the inhalation phase of breathing to ensure maximum delivery deep into the lungs.

Impact on Patient Care ⏱️

This technology personalizes treatment by adapting it to the patient's own body rhythms, leading to more effective and safer outcomes.

Maximized Therapeutic Effect: By delivering a drug at the most opportune physiological moment, the treatment can be made significantly more effective. For example, delivering a drug to the lungs during inhalation ensures it travels with the airflow to its intended target.

Reduced Drug Dosage and Side Effects: Because the drug is delivered more efficiently, a smaller overall dose may be required to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. This can reduce a patient's systemic exposure to the drug and minimize potential side effects.

Personalized and Automated Treatment: The system automates the delivery process based on the individual patient's live physiological feedback, leading to a highly personalized treatment that adapts to their specific condition in real time.

Enables New Therapeutic Approaches: This technology could enable novel therapies that rely on precise timing, such as delivering agents that need to act on tissue only when it is in a particular state of expansion or contraction (e.g., during a specific phase of the cardiac cycle).

Photodynamic Therapy for Tumors with Localized Delivery

Patent Numbers: US 8,834,544 B2 & US 10,029,115 B2

Filing Date (Original): March 11, 2011

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🔬

This invention describes a system and method for performing highly localized photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat tumors inside bodily cavities. The system uses a multi-balloon catheter to first physically isolate the tumor from the surrounding area. After a photosensitizing agent is delivered to the tumor, the isolated chamber is filled with a light-scattering medium (e.g., a lipid emulsion). An illumination source, such as a laser-driven optical fiber, is then introduced into the chamber. When the light is activated, the scattering medium ensures that the light is dispersed evenly across the entire, often irregular, surface of the tumor. This uniform illumination activates the photosensitizing agent, leading to the targeted destruction of cancer cells.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This technology aims to make photodynamic therapy a more effective and safer option for treating certain types of cancer.

Highly Targeted Cancer Treatment: By physically isolating the tumor, the system ensures that both the photosensitizing drug and the activating light are confined only to the cancerous tissue. This drastically reduces damage to surrounding healthy organs and minimizes side effects for the patient.

More Effective Tumor Destruction: A major challenge in PDT is delivering light evenly to the entire tumor. The use of a light-scattering medium solves this problem by ensuring uniform illumination, leading to a more complete and effective destruction of cancer cells and reducing the chances of the cancer recurring.

Minimally Invasive Procedure: As a catheter-based therapy, this method offers a minimally invasive alternative to major surgery or systemic radiation, which can mean less pain, fewer complications, and a faster recovery for the patient.

Treatment for Hard-to-Reach Tumors: This approach is particularly well-suited for treating tumors within bodily lumens or cavities (like the lungs, esophagus, or colon) that are difficult to treat with external beam radiation or conventional surgery.

Multi-Balloon Catheter for Extravasated Drug Delivery

Patent Number: US 8,540,667 B2

Filing Date: March 1, 2011

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🔬

This patent details a multi-balloon catheter system designed for targeted drug delivery, particularly for chemotherapy. The device features a proximal and a distal balloon that are inflated to isolate a specific treatment area and create a sealed chamber within a bodily cavity. Within this chamber, one or more central balloons equipped with an abrasive surface are inflated and can be pulsed to gently abrade the targeted tissue (e.g., a tumor). This micro-abrasion stimulates local blood flow and increases the tissue's permeability. A therapeutic agent is then introduced into the isolated chamber, where the prepared tissue can more effectively absorb it through a process called extravasation.

Impact on Patient Care 💪

This technology provides a method to enhance the effectiveness of localized chemotherapy while improving safety.

Targeted Chemotherapy with Reduced Side Effects: This allows high concentrations of potent drugs to be delivered directly to a tumor while minimizing systemic exposure to the rest of the body. This could drastically reduce the severe side effects associated with traditional chemotherapy.

Increased Drug Efficacy: By physically preparing the tissue surface through abrasion, the drug is more likely to penetrate the tumor effectively. This could make treatments more successful, especially for tumors that are resistant to systemic drugs.

Safer Drug Administration: The sealed chamber created by the outer balloons prevents the toxic drug from migrating to other parts of the body, increasing the safety of the procedure. After the treatment, any residual drug can be safely suctioned out of the chamber.

Minimally Invasive Treatment: This catheter-based approach allows doctors to treat tumors in hard-to-reach areas without the need for major surgery, leading to faster recovery times for the patient.

Nested Balloon Catheter for Localized Drug Delivery

Patent Numbers: US 8,348,890 B2 & US 9,186,485 B2

Filing Date (Original): March 1, 2011

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🔬

This invention describes a sophisticated drug delivery system featuring a nested balloon catheter. The design consists of an inner balloon housed within a porous outer balloon, creating a sealed chamber between them. A therapeutic agent is delivered into this chamber. By inflating the inner balloon, a user can precisely control the pressure within the chamber, which in turn modulates the rate at which the agent is forced out through the micropores of the outer balloon and onto the surrounding tissue. This pressure-driven mechanism allows for a highly controlled and targeted infusion of medication.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This technology offers a more precise and efficient method for localized drug administration, which can significantly improve treatment outcomes and patient safety.

Precise and Controlled Dosing: The ability to modulate the delivery rate with pressure allows clinicians to administer potent medications, like chemotherapy drugs, with high precision. This reduces the risk of under-dosing (leading to ineffective treatment) or over-dosing (leading to increased side effects).

Uniform Drug Application: The microporous design ensures that the therapeutic agent is distributed evenly over the entire treatment area, leading to a more consistent and effective therapeutic result.

Enhanced Tissue Penetration: The applied pressure can help the drug penetrate target tissues more effectively than simple passive diffusion, potentially increasing the success rate of treatments for resistant conditions.

Increased Safety: The system is self-contained, minimizing the risk of the drug leaking or migrating to non-target areas. This is especially important when using highly toxic agents, thereby reducing systemic side effects for the patient.

Abrading Balloon Catheter for Extravasated Drug Delivery

Patent Numbers: US 10,342,962 B2 & US 8,597,239 B2

Filing Date (Original): March 1, 2011

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🔬

This invention details a multi-balloon catheter system created for targeted, localized drug delivery, particularly for chemotherapy agents. The system typically uses two outer balloons that inflate to isolate a specific treatment area (e.g., a tumor in an airway) and create a sealed chamber.

Within this chamber, a central balloon featuring an abrasive outer surface is inflated. This abrasive balloon is designed to gently scrape or abrade the surface of the targeted tissue. This micro-abrasion stimulates local blood flow and increases the tissue's permeability. A therapeutic agent is then delivered into the sealed chamber, where the prepared tissue can absorb the drug more effectively in a process called extravasation. The system can include multiple abrasive balloons and can be operated in a pulsing fashion to enhance the effect.

Impact on Patient Care 💪

This technology aims to make cancer treatments more effective and less toxic by focusing the therapy directly where it's needed.

Highly Targeted Chemotherapy: By delivering potent drugs directly to a tumor and enhancing their absorption, this method can achieve a higher therapeutic dose at the target site while minimizing systemic exposure. This could significantly reduce the debilitating side effects of conventional chemotherapy, such as hair loss, nausea, and damage to healthy organs.

Increased Drug Efficacy: Many tumors have poor blood supply, making it difficult for intravenously delivered drugs to reach them in effective concentrations. By physically preparing the tissue and delivering the drug locally, this system may overcome that barrier, potentially making treatments more successful for hard-to-treat cancers.

Minimally Invasive Treatment: This catheter-based approach allows doctors to treat tumors in difficult-to-reach locations (e.g., within the lungs) without major surgery, leading to faster recovery times and less trauma for the patient.

Contained and Safe Delivery: The sealed chamber created by the outer balloons prevents the toxic drug from leaking and migrating to other parts of the body, increasing the safety of the procedure.

Adjustable Balloon Catheter for Extravasated Drug Delivery

Patent Number: US 9,180,281 B2

Filing Date: March 30, 2012

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention ⚙️

This patent presents another innovative system for localized drug delivery, focusing on the use of adjustable pressure. The device consists of an inner catheter that slides within an outer catheter. Each catheter is equipped with a balloon at its tip.

In practice, the two balloons are inflated to create an isolated chamber of a specific, adjustable size. After a drug is introduced into this chamber, the inner catheter is moved relative to the outer one, bringing the balloons closer together. This action mechanically reduces the chamber's volume, which increases the fluid pressure inside. This elevated pressure actively forces the therapeutic agent into the walls of the surrounding tissue, enhancing extravasation. The process can be repeated to create a "pulsing" pressure effect.

Impact on Patient Care 🩺

This invention offers a more dynamic and controlled method for ensuring that therapeutic agents reach their target tissue effectively.

Active and Efficient Drug Delivery: Unlike systems that rely on passive diffusion, this device uses controlled physical pressure to actively drive the drug into the tissue. This could result in faster, deeper, and more uniform drug penetration, potentially reducing procedure times and improving treatment effectiveness.

Customizable Treatment Zone: The ability to slide the catheters allows physicians to precisely adjust the length of the treatment chamber to match the exact size of a patient's lesion or tumor. This enables highly personalized and accurate therapy.

Enhanced Safety: By containing the drug within the adjustable chamber and applying controlled pressure, the system ensures the agent is delivered only to the target area. After treatment, any remaining drug can be safely vacuumed out of the chamber, minimizing unintended exposure.

Physiological Feedback: The system can be paired with sensors to measure parameters like intra-lumen diameter, allowing the device's inflation and pressure application to be adjusted in real-time based on the patient's specific anatomy and conditions.

Balloon Catheter with Drug Delivery Probe

Patent Number: US 2012/0259216 A1

Filing Date: March 30, 2012

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 💉

This invention provides a specialized balloon catheter system designed for precise, localized drug delivery. The key component is a movable drug delivery probe that is housed within a lumen of the main catheter.

The catheter is positioned near the target tissue. The flexible probe is then advanced through the catheter and exits through an opening in the catheter's side wall, allowing its tip to be placed directly against the tissue to be treated. The catheter's main balloon is then inflated, which gently presses and holds the probe tip in place against the tissue wall. With the probe securely positioned, a therapeutic or diagnostic agent is delivered through a lumen inside the probe directly to the target site. The system can be used with a single balloon or a multi-balloon catheter that isolates the treatment area.

Impact on Patient Care 🎯

This device improves upon standard infusion catheters by providing a mechanism for highly targeted and stable drug application.

Pinpoint Drug Delivery: By using a steerable or positionable probe, physicians can deliver medication to a very specific, small area of tissue. This is crucial for treatments where precision is key and damage to surrounding healthy tissue must be avoided.

Enhanced Drug-to-Tissue Contact: Inflating the balloon to secure the probe ensures consistent contact between the probe's delivery port and the tissue. This prevents the probe from moving and ensures the delivered agent is applied directly where needed, rather than being washed away by bodily fluids.

Combined Therapeutic Actions: The main balloon can have an abrasive surface. This allows for a combined procedure where the tissue is first abraded by the pulsating balloon to increase its permeability, followed by the precise delivery of a drug via the probe to enhance absorption.

Increased Safety: The system allows for visualization with an imaging device to confirm the probe is in the correct position before any drug is administered, reducing the risk of accidental delivery to the wrong location.

Pressure Vacuum Actuated Catheter Drug Delivery Probe & Forceps

Patent Numbers: US 9,629,979 B2 (Probe) & US 9,241,692 B2 (Forceps)

Filing Dates: March 15, 2013

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia

Summary of Invention ⚙️

These patents describe a novel actuation system for controlling instruments at the tip of a catheter. Instead of traditional push/pull wires, this system uses a pressure/vacuum piston mechanism. The instrument at the distal tip—either a drug delivery probe or a biopsy forceps—is connected to a piston housed within a cylinder inside the catheter body.

For the Drug Delivery Probe, applying positive fluid pressure to one side of the piston extends the probe from the catheter, while applying a vacuum retracts it.

For the Biopsy Forceps, positive pressure is used to open the jaws of the forceps, and a vacuum is used to close them, allowing a tissue sample to be precisely severed and captured.

This fluid-driven method provides smooth, precise, and remotely controlled movement of the instrument tip.

Impact on Patient Care 🩺

This actuation technology provides surgeons with finer control over catheter-based tools, leading to safer and more effective minimally invasive procedures.

Precise and Stable Instrument Control: The fluid-driven system allows for very fine, stable, and tremor-free control over the instrument's position and action. This is superior to traditional push/pull wires, which can be prone to slack or sticking, and is critical when working near delicate tissues.

Improved Safety: Smooth, controlled actuation reduces the risk of sudden, jerky movements that could cause tissue damage or perforation. The sealed piston system is also highly reliable.

More Accurate Biopsies and Drug Delivery: For the forceps, precise control allows the surgeon to take a clean tissue sample from the exact desired location, improving diagnostic accuracy. For the probe, it allows for targeted injections into specific layers of tissue, making drug delivery more effective.

Enables More Complex Procedures: This level of control allows physicians to perform more delicate and complex procedures in confined spaces within the body through a minimally invasive approach.

Remotely Controlled Surgical Robots

Patent Number: US 2013/0282173 A1

Filing Date: March 15, 2013

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 🤖

This patent application describes a telerobotic surgical system that allows a surgeon to perform procedures from a remote location. The system consists of a master controller (an ergonomic console where the surgeon sits) and a slave robot (a robotic arm at the patient's side that manipulates the surgical instruments). Key features of the system include:

Haptic Feedback: The system provides tactile and force feedback from the instrument tip back to the surgeon's hands, restoring a sense of touch that is often lost in robotic surgery.

Interchangeable Instruments: The slave robot is designed to work with a variety of interchangeable surgical tools, making it adaptable to different types of procedures.

Motion Scaling and Tremor Filtering: The system can scale the surgeon's large hand movements down to micro-movements at the instrument tip and filter out natural hand tremors, enabling extremely precise maneuvers.

Impact on Patient Care 🌍

This technology has the potential to revolutionize how and where surgery is performed, making expert care more accessible and procedures safer.

Enables Remote Surgery (Telemedicine): The most significant impact is the ability for a specialist surgeon to operate on a patient in a different city or even country. This provides access to world-class surgical care for patients in rural, underserved, or remote areas (like military battlefields) without the need for travel.

Enhanced Surgical Precision: Motion scaling and tremor filtering allow surgeons to perform microsurgical procedures with a level of precision that is impossible with the human hand alone. This is critical for delicate operations in fields like neurosurgery and ophthalmology.

Improved Surgeon Ergonomics and Performance: Performing surgery from a comfortable, ergonomic console reduces surgeon fatigue during long and complex operations. A less fatigued surgeon is likely to perform better and make fewer errors, which directly benefits patient safety and outcomes.

Minimally Invasive Benefits: Like other robotic systems, this allows for procedures to be done through small incisions, resulting in less pain, reduced blood loss, minimal scarring, and faster recovery times for the patient.

Precision Directed Medical Instruments

Patent Number: US 10,433,821 B2

Filing Date: December 23, 2015

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday, Alex Hsia

Summary of Invention 🗺️

This patent describes a system for precisely steering a medical instrument, such as a catheter or endoscope, using a "guide-then-follow" approach. The system consists of two main components:

A main instrument with a "multi-durometer" shaft, meaning the shaft is engineered with sections of varying stiffness. It is highly flexible at the distal tip for easy navigation and becomes progressively stiffer toward the proximal end to provide the "pushability" needed to advance it.

A removable, independently steerable imaging stylet that is inserted into the main instrument.

The procedure involves first navigating to the target site using only the small, highly maneuverable imaging stylet. Once the correct path is visually confirmed, the larger, stiffer main instrument is advanced over the stylet, using it as a guide rail to reach the target location.

Impact on Patient Care 🧭

This system enhances the safety and accuracy of navigating medical instruments through the body's complex pathways.

Safer Navigation: The "guide-then-follow" method is inherently safer. The physician can first explore a difficult anatomical pathway with the small, agile imaging stylet. Once the correct path is confirmed visually, the larger therapeutic instrument can be advanced over it with much lower risk of taking a wrong turn and damaging tissue.

Access to Deeper and More Challenging Locations: The combination of a highly flexible guiding stylet and a multi-durometer main shaft provides an excellent balance of flexibility for navigating sharp turns and stiffness for advancing the device. This allows instruments to reach deeper and more challenging locations within the body than would be possible with a single-stiffness device.

Improved Procedural Efficiency: This system can make navigating complex anatomy faster and more certain, reducing the trial-and-error often involved in steering a single, larger scope. This shortens overall procedure times and reduces the patient's exposure to anesthesia.

Enhanced Precision: By separating the tasks of "seeing" and "doing" into two specialized components, the system allows for more precise positioning of the therapeutic instrument, which is critical for the success of the medical procedure.

System and Methods for Impairing Smooth Muscle Tissue Function

Patent Number: US 10,828,462 B2

Filing Date: November 20, 2018

Inventors: Craig Daniels (Mayo Clinic), Samuel Asirvatham (Mayo Clinic), Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 😮‍💨

This invention provides a system and method for treating conditions caused by hyperactive smooth muscle tissue, such as asthma, COPD, or hypertension. The system uses a catheter with an expandable member (e.g., a balloon) that has a specialized surface which can be textured, abrasive, or porous. The device is used to deliver a neurotoxin, such as botulinum toxin, directly to the target smooth muscle tissue. The specialized surface can be used to disrupt the overlying epithelial layer, allowing the toxin to penetrate more effectively. The expandable member then applies pressure to ensure the toxin is fully absorbed by the smooth muscle, impairing its ability to constrict.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This technology offers a novel and potentially long-lasting treatment, if not a complete cure, for chronic diseases, such as Asthma, COPD and High Blood Pressure, that are often difficult to manage with conventional medications.

New Treatment for Chronic Conditions: This provides a new therapeutic option for patients with severe asthma, COPD, or hypertension that is not well-controlled by standard drugs. By directly targeting the underlying muscle hyperactivity, it could provide significant and sustained symptom relief.

Minimally Invasive Alternative to Surgery: This is a catheter-based, minimally invasive procedure, offering an alternative to more invasive surgeries for these conditions, leading to faster recovery and less patient discomfort.

Reduced Reliance on Daily Medications: A successful treatment could reduce or eliminate a patient's need for daily medications (like inhalers or blood pressure pills), which often have side effects and require strict patient compliance. This can significantly improve a patient's quality of life.

Targeted and Localized Action: The treatment is highly localized, delivering the neurotoxin only to the problematic tissue and avoiding the systemic side effects that would occur if the toxin were administered in other ways.

Anatomical Visualization with Electrically Conductive Balloon Catheter

Patent Number: US 9,968,300 B2

Filing Date: April 5, 2012

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Lon Chu

Summary of Invention 💡

This patent describes a balloon catheter designed to create a detailed, three-dimensional (3D) map of the inside of a body cavity, such as a blood vessel, airway, or heart chamber. The core of the invention is an electrically conductive mesh that is integrated into the surface of the balloon.

When the balloon is inflated, it expands and conforms to the unique shape of the cavity's inner walls. As the mesh stretches, its electrical properties (like resistance or impedance) change in direct proportion to the degree of deformation. A controller connected to the catheter measures these electrical changes across the entire mesh grid. By processing this data, the system can construct a high-resolution 3D digital rendering of the cavity's interior, which can be viewed and rotated on a display.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

The primary goal of this technology is to provide a safer, more cost-effective, and real-time alternative to traditional imaging methods like CT scans or MRIs for certain applications.

Enhanced Surgical Precision: By providing a precise 3D map of a patient's internal anatomy, surgeons can more accurately plan procedures, such as sizing and placing stents, orthopedic implants, or other medical devices. This leads to better-fitting implants, reduced complication rates, and improved long-term outcomes.

Reduced Radiation and Cost: This method avoids the ionizing radiation associated with CT scans and the high cost and long procedure time of MRIs. This makes detailed anatomical mapping more accessible and repeatable with less risk to the patient.

Real-Time Feedback: The visualization can be performed live during a procedure. A surgeon could map a vessel, perform an angioplasty, and then immediately re-map the vessel to confirm the success of the intervention without moving the patient or using a separate imaging machine.

Minimally Invasive Diagnosis: It allows for detailed examination of small and complex structures, such as arteries or bronchial tubes, from the inside, offering diagnostic insights that might otherwise require more invasive procedures.

Anchored Guidewire

Patent Numbers: US 10,463,232 B2 & US 2012/0095292 A1

Filing Date (Original): October 18, 2010

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention ⚓

This patent describes an anchored guidewire designed to create an exceptionally stable pathway for guiding other medical devices. A guidewire is a thin wire used as a "rail" to lead a catheter to a target location. The key innovation here is an inflatable balloon near the guidewire's tip that has a textured outer surface, such as a fiber mesh.

When the guidewire is navigated to the desired location, the balloon is inflated. The textured surface grips the inner walls of the vessel or cavity, securely anchoring the guidewire in place. This prevents the guidewire from slipping, rotating, or backing out while other, larger devices (like catheters or stents) are advanced over it. The system can also incorporate imaging devices for precise placement.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

A stable guidewire is fundamental to the success of many minimally invasive procedures. This invention directly improves that foundation.

Increased Procedural Safety: Guidewire movement can lead to the misplacement of devices or, in worse cases, perforation of a blood vessel or organ. By securely anchoring the wire, this invention significantly reduces the risk of such complications, making procedures safer for the patient.

Greater Precision and Success: A stable "rail" allows for the precise and smooth delivery of catheters, stents, valves, and other implants to the exact target location. This is especially critical in complex and delicate procedures, such as those in the heart or brain, and increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Reduced Procedure Time: Repositioning a guidewire that has slipped takes time and adds complexity to an operation. The anchored guidewire eliminates this issue, helping to streamline procedures, which can reduce the time a patient spends under anesthesia.

Enabling Complex Interventions: In patients with tortuous or difficult-to-navigate anatomy, a standard guidewire may be inadequate. The ability to anchor the wire provides the stability needed to perform advanced interventions that might otherwise be considered too risky.

Balloon Resection Method & Balloon Catheter Mesh

Patent Numbers: US 8,790,299 B2, US 8,864,762 B2, & US 10,098,693 B2

Filing Date (Original): November 12, 2008

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 🔬

This family of patents describes a system and method for resecting, or removing, unwanted biological material (such as tumors, polyps, or arterial plaque) from inside a body cavity. The core of the invention is a balloon catheter with a unique outer surface designed for resection. Instead of a sharp cutting tool, the balloon's outer wall features a resecting surface, which is created by a specially designed woven mesh sleeve disposed over the balloon. This mesh creates a textured, abrasive surface.

The key mechanism of action is pulsation. A sophisticated pump inflates and deflates the balloon in a rapid, controlled cycle. This repeated expansion and contraction causes the textured surface to create micro-impacts on the target tissue, leading to its decomposition and removal through a process of "compressive force exhaustion and abrasion" rather than sharp cutting.

Several advanced features are also described:

Electrically Conductive Mesh: The mesh can be woven with electrically conductive threads , allowing it to deliver energy (e.g., radiofrequency) for cauterization or to act as a sensor to measure the impedance of surrounding tissue and determine its type (e.g., tumor vs. healthy tissue).

Feedback Control: The system's pump can determine the balloon type, measure the pressure and flow of the fluid, and use this data to calculate the diameter of the bodily cavity and the density of the tissue being resected. This allows for real-time adjustments to the procedure.

Multi-Balloon Segments: The balloon portion can consist of multiple segments that can be inflated independently to anchor the device, isolate a treatment area, or capture resected debris.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This technology offers a less traumatic and more intelligent way to perform internal resections, moving beyond simple mechanical cutting.

Minimally Traumatic Tissue Removal: The pulsating, abrasive action is designed to be less traumatic than traditional sharp debridement or shaving methods. This can lead to reduced bleeding, less scarring, faster healing, and a lower risk of perforating the bodily cavity.

Increased Safety through Smart Feedback: By continuously measuring tissue density and cavity diameter, the system can automatically adjust the inflation pressure and pulsation frequency to operate safely and effectively. This "smart" feedback loop helps prevent over-inflation that could damage healthy tissue and ensures the resecting force is appropriate for the target material.

Combined Treatment and Diagnosis: The ability of the conductive mesh to deliver energy and sense tissue type turns the device into a multi-functional tool. A physician could resect a tumor, cauterize the area to prevent bleeding, and verify that all diseased tissue has been removed, all with a single instrument. The mesh can also be used for biopsy, as removed tissue adheres to it and can be retrieved for analysis.

Improved Precision: The multi-balloon design allows for better anchoring and isolation of the treatment site, preventing the catheter from slipping and ensuring that only the targeted tissue is affected.

Body Cavity Dilation System

Patent Number: US 10,561,305 B2

Filing Date: June 30, 2015

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Peter Christensen Baker

Summary of Invention ↔️

This patent describes a mechanical system for the sequential and controlled dilation of a body cavity or passageway, such as a sinus ostium. Instead of a balloon, the system uses a set of telescoping, elongated members (or tubes), each with a slightly larger outer diameter than the previous one.

A first, innermost member, which may be steerable and equipped with an imaging device, is inserted into the constricted cavity. Then, a second, larger member is advanced over the first, dilating the cavity further. This process can be repeated with progressively larger members until the desired opening size is achieved. Once a larger member is in place, the smaller inner one(s) can be removed, creating a large, stable working channel through which other instruments can be passed. The system also describes the ability to pass fluids, drugs, or wireless energy (e.g., ultrasonic) through the central channels for various therapeutic purposes.

Impact on Patient Care 🩹

This system provides a highly controlled, mechanical alternative to balloon dilation, with a focus on creating a stable working environment.

Controlled and Incremental Dilation: The use of sequential, rigid dilators allows for a very gradual and controlled expansion of the body cavity. This may reduce the risk of sudden tissue tearing or fracture that can sometimes occur with rapid high-pressure balloon inflation, particularly in delicate structures like sinus ostia.

Creation of a Stable Working Channel: A key benefit is the ability to leave the final, largest dilator in place as a rigid, stable working channel. This provides a secure portal for surgeons to pass other instruments through for performing procedures, irrigation, or suction, without the channel collapsing.

Multifunctional Platform: The open central channel of the dilators makes the system highly versatile. It can be used not only for dilation but also for imaging, irrigation, aspiration, drug delivery, and even applying ultrasonic energy to break up blockages like hardened mucus.

Reduced Risk of Over-Inflation: Since the final diameter is determined by the fixed size of the mechanical dilator, there is no risk of accidental over-inflation, which is a concern with balloon-based systems. This contributes to the overall safety of the procedure.

Anchored Working Channel

Patent Number: US 2017/0311792 A1

Filing Date (Continuation): July 17, 2017

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia

Summary of Invention ⚓

This invention combines the stability of an anchor with the functionality of a working channel. The device is an elongated shaft, or catheter, that contains at least two internal lumens. One lumen is for inflating an anchoring balloon located at the device's distal end. The second, larger lumen serves as the "working channel," providing an open pathway from outside the patient's body to the treatment site.

Crucially, the anchoring balloon is covered with a mesh that creates a textured, non-slip surface. After the device is inserted into a bodily cavity (e.g., a bronchus in the lung), the balloon is inflated. The textured surface grips the cavity walls, securely anchoring the entire working channel in place and preventing it from migrating or slipping during a procedure. With the channel stabilized, various medical instruments (such as endoscopes, resecting tools, or drug delivery catheters) can be repeatedly passed through the working channel lumen to perform a procedure.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This device acts as a stable "docking station" inside the body, streamlining complex, multi-instrument procedures.

Enhanced Procedural Stability: A common challenge in minimally invasive surgery is the tendency for catheters or endoscopes to move or back out of position. By anchoring the working channel, this device provides a fixed and stable portal, allowing the surgeon to operate with greater confidence and precision.

Facilitates Multi-Instrument Use: The anchored channel makes it much easier and safer to introduce, remove, and exchange multiple tools during a procedure. Without it, each instrument exchange risks losing the position of the access port. This can shorten procedure times and reduce tissue trauma.

Improved Safety: The non-slip textured surface on the anchoring balloon ensures a firm grip, reducing the risk of the device dislodging and causing injury. The stable platform also reduces the chance of instruments inadvertently damaging surrounding tissue.

Enables Complex Interventions: By providing reliable access and stability in hard-to-reach areas like deep lung passages, this technology enables more complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed in a minimally invasive manner, potentially avoiding the need for more invasive open surgery.

Cytological Brushing System

Patent Number: US 8,668,654 B1

Filing Date: March 13, 2013

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🔬

This patent describes a multi-functional system for collecting biological samples from inside the body, particularly from airways like the lungs. The system uses a catheter that has a central working lumen and an inflatable balloon. The key features are:

Instrument Channel: The working lumen allows various sampling tools—such as a biopsy needle, forceps, or optical fibers—to be passed through the catheter to a target site to collect core tissue samples or aspirates.

Cytological Brush Balloon: The balloon's outer surface is textured (e.g., with a mesh). After a core sample is taken, the balloon can be inflated and moved against the tissue. This textured surface acts like a brush, collecting a wider, superficial layer of cells (a cytological sample) from the area.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This invention creates a more efficient and comprehensive diagnostic tool, which directly benefits patient outcomes.

Comprehensive Sampling in a Single Procedure: Instead of requiring multiple devices to obtain different sample types (a needle for a deep biopsy, a brush for a surface smear), this single device can do both. For the patient, this means a shorter, less invasive procedure with reduced risk.

Increased Diagnostic Accuracy: Obtaining multiple sample types (deep tissue from the needle, surface cells from the balloon) from the exact same location gives pathologists a more complete picture of a lesion or tumor. This can lead to a more accurate and timely diagnosis, which is critical for planning effective treatments, especially for diseases like lung cancer.

Improved Safety: The balloon can be inflated to stabilize the catheter within the airway, providing a secure platform from which to deploy the sampling tools. This increases the precision of the biopsy and reduces the risk of accidentally damaging surrounding healthy tissue.

Versatility: The system is designed to accommodate various tools, including imaging fibers and oxygen sensors, allowing for diagnosis and sample collection to occur in a single session.

Catheter Hub

Patent Number: US D720,850 S

Filing Date: March 15, 2013

Inventors: Alex Hsia, Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 🎨

This is a design patent, which protects the unique, ornamental appearance of a catheter hub rather than its functional mechanics. The design features a central, elongated body with multiple integrated access ports. These include:

Two ports angled outwards from the top surface.

A single port extending from the side.

A main port at the distal (forward) end for connecting to a catheter shaft.

A larger port at the proximal (rear) end for connecting other instruments or devices.

The overall aesthetic is streamlined and functional, designed to consolidate multiple connection points into a single, manageable hub.

Impact on Patient Care 🩺

While a design patent focuses on aesthetics, the ergonomic and functional design of a medical device hub has direct impacts on usability and safety during a procedure.

Improved Usability and Workflow: A well-designed hub makes a complex medical device easier and more intuitive for clinicians to use. By organizing multiple ports in a clear, accessible way, it can reduce the chance of incorrect connections and streamline the workflow during a procedure. This can lead to shorter procedure times and fewer errors.

Enhanced Safety: A clear, ergonomic design can reduce clutter at the patient connection point. This makes it easier for the medical team to manage various lines (for inflation, irrigation, instruments, etc.) and reduces the risk of lines becoming tangled or disconnected accidentally, which improves overall patient safety.

Consolidation of Functions: This hub design allows a single catheter to serve multiple functions simultaneously (e.g., balloon inflation, instrument passage, fluid delivery). This can reduce the number of separate devices that need to be inserted into a patient, making procedures less invasive.

Compact Light Source

Patent Number: US 9,468,365 B2

Filing Date: March 15, 2013

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia

Summary of Invention 💡

This patent details a compact, high-intensity light source designed for integration into handheld medical devices, like endoscopes. The core innovation is a sophisticated thermal management system to dissipate the significant heat generated by a powerful Light Emitting Diode (LED). The system includes:

An insulation housing that thermally isolates the LED from the sides of the device.

A large heat sink (often with fins) coupled to the back of the LED.

A thermal compound sandwiched between the LED and the heat sink to ensure efficient heat transfer.

This design channels heat away from the patient and sensitive optics, dissipating it safely into the ambient environment via the heat sink.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

By solving a critical engineering challenge, this invention makes advanced, minimally invasive procedures safer and more accessible.

Enables Portable, High-Quality Imaging: By solving the heat problem, this invention allows powerful, bright light sources to be built directly into portable, handheld endoscopes and catheters. This eliminates the need for bulky, external light towers and cumbersome fiber optic cables, making procedures more flexible and accessible, especially in smaller clinical settings.

Increased Patient and Clinician Safety: The primary impact is safety. The efficient heat dissipation system prevents the tip of the medical instrument or its handle from overheating. This protects the patient from internal burns and the clinician from being burned while handling the device, which could cause them to drop or mishandle it during a delicate procedure.

Improved Device Reliability: Excessive heat can damage sensitive electronics and optical components in an imaging device. By keeping the LED cool, this system improves the longevity and reliability of the medical instrument, ensuring it functions correctly throughout a procedure and reducing the chance of device failure during use on a patient.

Cleaning System for Medical Imaging Device

Patent Number: US 10,349,821 B2

Filing Date: May 24, 2012

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia

Summary of Invention 🧼

This patent provides a system and method for cleaning the lens of a medical imaging device in-situ—that is, while the device remains inside the patient's body. The system consists of a cleaning member positioned at the distal tip of a catheter or sheath through which the imaging device operates. The cleaning member contains a conduit that is partially occluded by a flexible, wiping material, such as:

A series of soft, flexible flaps (e.g., silicone or fabric).

A porous sponge-like material.

A bundle of soft yarn or fibers.

When the imaging device's lens becomes obscured by blood or debris, the surgeon simply retracts it a short distance through the cleaning member, which physically wipes the lens clean. The surgeon can then immediately advance it back to the surgical site without removing the instrument from the patient.

Impact on Patient Care ⏱️

This invention addresses a common and frustrating problem in minimally invasive surgery, leading to safer and more efficient procedures.

Reduced Procedure Time: The primary impact is efficiency. It eliminates the need to repeatedly remove the imaging device from the patient for manual cleaning. This avoids the time-consuming process of withdrawal, cleaning, reinsertion, and re-navigating to the surgical site, significantly shortening overall operative time and a patient's time under anesthesia.

Improved Surgical Flow and Focus: Constant interruptions to clean a camera lens break a surgeon's concentration and disrupt the flow of the procedure. In-situ cleaning allows the surgeon to maintain focus on the critical task at hand, which can lead to better surgical performance and improved patient outcomes.

Clearer and More Consistent Visualization: The ability to quickly and easily clean the lens whenever it becomes soiled ensures that the surgeon has a consistently clear view of the anatomy. This is critical for procedural safety and precision.

Reduced Risk of Contamination: By avoiding the need to remove and reinsert the scope, the system reduces the number of times the instrument passes through the entry port, which can lower the risk of dragging external contaminants into the surgical site.

Electrically Conductive Balloon Catheter

Patent Number: US 9,687,196 B2

Filing Date: April 5, 2012

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Lon Chu

Summary of Invention 💡

This patent describes a balloon catheter with a built-in, electrically conductive mesh that can create a three-dimensional (3D) map of the inside of a body cavity. When the balloon is inflated, it conforms to the shape of the cavity's interior surface. As the conductive mesh stretches and deforms, its electrical properties (like resistance or impedance) change. A controller measures these changes across the entire mesh and uses the data to generate a detailed 3D digital rendering of the anatomical structure.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This technology offers a safer, real-time, and more affordable alternative to conventional imaging techniques like CT scans or MRIs for certain procedures.

Enhanced Surgical Precision: A precise 3D map allows surgeons to better plan procedures and size and place medical implants (such as stents) with greater accuracy, leading to better patient outcomes.

Reduced Radiation Exposure: It avoids the ionizing radiation associated with CT scans, making it a safer option for patients, especially when repeated imaging is necessary.

Cost-Effectiveness: By providing an alternative to expensive MRI or CT scans, this device can reduce the overall cost of care.

Real-Time Feedback: The 3D rendering can be generated live during a surgical procedure, allowing surgeons to immediately assess the results of an intervention without moving the patient or using a separate imaging machine.

Handheld Resector Balloon System

Patent Number: US 9,737,195 B2

Filing Date: March 11, 2014

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia, Devin J S Scheifele, Jessie Tung

Summary of Invention ⚙️

This invention integrates a balloon resection system into a single, handheld device. The system includes a handheld pump coupled directly to a catheter hub. The hub is multi-functional, featuring several ports:

An inflation port to supply fluid to the resector balloon in a pulsed fashion.

A delivery port to administer therapeutic agents through a separate lumen in the catheter.

An aperture to allow for the insertion of other instruments, most notably an imaging device like an endoscope.

The system can also include an imaging module attached to the pump, which contains a light source and the necessary electronics to process and output the optical signal from the imaging device.

Impact on Patient Care 🩺

This invention makes advanced, minimally invasive procedures more efficient, safer, and more accessible by placing all critical controls directly in the surgeon's hand.

Improved Ergonomics and Workflow: By creating a self-contained, handheld system, it eliminates the need for bulky external pumps and control units that are often out of the surgeon's immediate reach. This streamlines the surgical workflow, reduces clutter, and can shorten procedure times.

Enhanced Safety: Direct, manual control over the balloon's pulsation allows the physician to make real-time adjustments based on what they are seeing and feeling, increasing the safety of the procedure.

Increased Accessibility: Integrating the imaging and light source components into the handheld device removes the need for large, expensive external equipment towers, making this advanced technology more accessible to a wider range of clinical settings.

Less Invasive Procedures: The multi-function hub allows for resection, drug delivery, and imaging to be performed through a single device, reducing the need for multiple instruments and making the overall procedure less invasive for the patient.

Instrumentation with Embedded Imaging Systems

Patent Number: US 2016/0367311 A1

Filing Date: March 11, 2016

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday, Peter Christensen Baker

Summary of Invention 🧼

This patent describes a medical instrument with an integrated imaging system at its distal tip and a novel solution for keeping the lens clean. The innovation is a removable, disposable cleaning member that is separate from the instrument itself. This cleaning member is mounted on a sleeve that can be slid over the instrument's shaft down to the distal tip. From outside the patient's body, the user can actuate the sleeve, which moves a wiping material (e.g., a sponge or flexible flaps) back and forth across the camera lens to clean it in-situ. Since the cleaning component is separate and disposable, a fresh, sterile one can be used for each procedure.

Impact on Patient Care ⏱️

This invention addresses a common frustration in minimally invasive surgery, leading to more efficient and sterile procedures.

Reduced Procedure and Anesthesia Time: This in-situ cleaning method eliminates the need to completely withdraw the instrument from the patient to manually clean a soiled lens. This saves significant time, reducing the patient's time under anesthesia and improving the overall efficiency of the operation.

Improved Sterility and Reduced Cross-Contamination: Because the cleaning member is a separate, disposable component, it ensures that a sterile cleaning surface is used for every patient. This eliminates the risks of cross-contamination associated with reusable instruments that have complex, hard-to-clean integrated cleaning channels.

Cost-Effectiveness: The design allows expensive, reusable imaging instruments to be paired with a low-cost, disposable cleaning component. This is more economical than creating complex, integrated cleaning systems within the reusable instrument itself.

Enhanced Surgical Visualization and Safety: By providing a quick and easy way to maintain a clear view, the system allows the surgeon to operate with greater precision and safety, which directly contributes to better patient outcomes.

Non-Buckling Steerable Catheter

Patent Number: US 10,898,684 B2

Filing Date: October 28, 2015

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Samuel E. Draper, Ryan M. Pierce

Summary of Invention 💪

This patent describes a highly advanced steerable catheter designed to resist kinking and buckling during navigation through complex anatomical pathways. The core of the invention is a flexible inner spine made of a series of alternating rigid sections and flexible joints, similar to a vertebral column. Pull wires are routed through this spine. When a pull wire is tensioned, the catheter bends predictably at the flexible joints. The combination of this articulated spine and the outer shaft's material properties provides exceptional steerability while simultaneously preventing the catheter from buckling under the compressive forces of being pushed through tortuous vessels.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This invention makes navigating catheters through challenging parts of the body safer, faster, and more reliable.

Increased Safety and Reduced Trauma: A primary risk with standard catheters is kinking or buckling when navigating sharp turns in blood vessels or other lumens. This can cause the catheter to become stuck or, worse, perforate the vessel wall. This non-buckling design makes navigation through complex pathways significantly safer and less traumatic for the patient.

Improved "Pushability" and Control: The design provides excellent torque control and "pushability"—the ability to transmit force from the handle to the tip—without sacrificing flexibility. This gives the physician better tactile feedback and precise control to reach and treat targets deep within the body.

Enables More Complex Interventions: By providing a more robust and reliable delivery platform, this catheter enables physicians to perform more complex minimally invasive procedures, such as in coronary arteries, peripheral vessels, or the brain, that were previously too risky or technically challenging.

Faster Procedures: Reliable navigation without buckling reduces the time and effort needed to position the catheter, which can shorten the overall procedure time and the patient's time under anesthesia.

Resector Balloon System

Patent Numbers: US 8,226,601 B2 & US 8,696,621 B2

Filing Date (Original): November 12, 2008

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 🔬

This set of patents describes a system and method for the minimally traumatic removal of unwanted biological material, such as tumors or other obstructions, from within bodily cavities like airways or blood vessels. The core of the invention is a balloon catheter featuring an outer wall with a textured, abrasive resecting surface. Instead of sharp cutting, the system uses a sophisticated pump to supply fluid to the balloon in a pulsed fashion, causing it to rapidly inflate and deflate. This pulsating action makes the resecting surface create micro-impacts on the target tissue, gradually breaking it down through a process of "compressive force exhaustion and abrasion". The system is designed with physiological feedback capabilities, where the pump measures fluid pressure and flow to calculate the diameter of the bodily lumen and the density of the tissue, allowing for a highly controlled and safe procedure.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This technology represents a shift from traumatic cutting to a more controlled, less invasive method of tissue removal, with significant benefits for patient safety and recovery.

Minimally Traumatic Tissue Removal: The pulsating, abrasive action is gentler than traditional sharp debridement or shaving. For the patient, this means significantly reduced bleeding, less scarring, and a faster, less painful recovery.

Increased Safety through "Smart" Feedback: The system's ability to sense tissue density and lumen diameter in real-time allows it to automatically adjust the inflation pressure. This intelligent feedback loop helps prevent over-inflation that could damage healthy tissue or perforate a vessel or airway, making the procedure much safer.

Effective Treatment for Airway Obstructions: This system is particularly impactful for patients with lung cancer, where airway obstruction is a frequent cause of death. It provides a safe and effective way to clear these obstructions, directly improving quality of life and survival rates.

Versatility: The technology is applicable across numerous medical specialties, including pulmonology, cardiology, and urology, for removing various types of unwanted biological material.

Resector Balloon Catheter with Multi-Port Hub

Patent Number: US 10,349,977 B2

Filing Date: March 11, 2014

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia, Devin J S Scheifele, Jessie Tung

Summary of Invention ⚙️

This patent describes a self-contained, handheld resector balloon system. It integrates the functionality of the larger resector system into a compact, ergonomic device. The invention combines a handheld pump with a multi-functional catheter hub. The hub is designed with multiple ports to streamline the procedure:

An inflation port for the pulsating operation of the resector balloon.

A delivery port for administering therapeutic or diagnostic agents through a separate lumen.

An aperture for inserting other tools, most notably an imaging device, directly through the handle and catheter to the surgical site.

The system can also be coupled with an imaging module that includes a compact light source.

Impact on Patient Care 🩺

This invention makes advanced resection technology more accessible, portable, and easier for surgeons to use, which translates to better and more efficient patient care.

Improved Ergonomics and Control: Placing all critical controls into a single handheld device gives the surgeon more direct, intuitive control over the procedure. This can lead to greater precision, fewer errors, and ultimately, better patient outcomes.

Increased Procedural Efficiency: The integrated design eliminates the need for bulky external pump consoles and reduces tubing clutter in the operating room. This can shorten the overall procedure time, which means less time under anesthesia for the patient.

Enhanced Portability and Accessibility: A self-contained, handheld system is highly portable. This makes advanced resection technology more accessible to a wider range of clinical settings, including smaller clinics, outpatient centers, and even for use in emergency situations where a full operating room may not be available.

Steerable Catheter & Steerable Catheter with Flexing Tip Member

Patent Numbers: US 10,058,235 B2 & US 10,363,398 B2

Filing Date (Original): March 1, 2011

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Alex Hsia, Jessie Tung

Summary of Invention 🧭

This set of patents describes a highly maneuverable steerable catheter designed for navigating complex and tortuous pathways within the body. The key innovation is its construction, which allows for precise control and movement. Instead of relying solely on simple pull-wires, the catheter's distal tip is engineered for advanced flexibility and steering, which can be controlled by a handpiece operated by the physician. One embodiment uses a series of lumens within the catheter wall; by selectively pressurizing these lumens with fluid, the tip can be made to bend in a specific direction. Another embodiment features a flexing tip member that can be precisely actuated, allowing the catheter to be steered with a high degree of accuracy. The system is designed to be used with imaging devices to provide real-time visualization during navigation.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This technology directly improves the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive procedures by allowing physicians to reach and treat areas of the body that were previously difficult or impossible to access with standard catheters.

Access to Hard-to-Reach Anatomical Locations: The enhanced steerability allows the catheter to navigate through winding blood vessels, complex bronchial passages in the lungs, or other challenging anatomical structures. This enables physicians to perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in deep, previously inaccessible parts of the body.

Increased Safety and Reduced Trauma: By allowing for precise, controlled navigation, the steerable catheter significantly reduces the risk of accidentally damaging or perforating the walls of blood vessels or other delicate tissues during a procedure.

Faster and More Efficient Procedures: A catheter that can be steered quickly and accurately to the target site can reduce the overall time of the medical procedure. This, in turn, reduces the time a patient needs to be under anesthesia and can lead to faster recovery.

Enables a Wider Range of Minimally Invasive Options: By providing a reliable tool to navigate complex anatomy, this technology expands the range of conditions that can be treated with minimally invasive techniques, offering patients less painful and lower-risk alternatives to open surgery.

Viewing Trocar

Patent Number: US 10,166,039 B2

Filing Date: March 1, 2011

Inventors: Erhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 👁️‍🗨️

This patent describes a trocar—a sharp, pointed instrument used to create an entry port into the body for laparoscopic surgery—that has an integrated imaging system. The key innovation is that the imaging device is not fixed but is instead movable and steerable. The trocar includes a tubular body with a piercing tip, and one or more imaging devices (like a CMOS or CCD camera) are housed within. These cameras can be extended, retracted, and articulated by the surgeon. This allows the surgeon to visualize the tissue directly in front of the trocar as it is being inserted, and then to use the steerable camera to inspect the surrounding area once the port has been established.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This invention makes the initial and most dangerous step of laparoscopic surgery—the "blind" insertion of the first port—significantly safer.

Prevents Accidental Injury During Insertion: The primary benefit is the prevention of injuries to internal organs. By allowing the surgeon to see exactly where the sharp tip of the trocar is going during insertion, it dramatically reduces the risk of accidentally puncturing the bowel, blood vessels, or other vital structures.

Ensures Optimal Port Placement: Real-time visualization helps the surgeon place the surgical port in the ideal location, which can improve the ease and success of the subsequent procedure.

Reduces Procedure Time: A safer and more confident initial entry can speed up the start of the surgical procedure. The integrated camera can also be used for initial exploration of the abdominal cavity, potentially eliminating the need to immediately insert a separate laparoscope.

Enhanced Visualization: The steerable nature of the camera provides a much better field of view than a fixed camera, giving the surgeon a more comprehensive understanding of the anatomy immediately upon entering the body cavity.

Robotic Ophthalmology

Patent Number: US 10,194,799 B2

Filing Date: December 23, 2015

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 👁️

This patent details the application of robotic technology specifically to the field of ophthalmology (eye surgery). The system comprises a surgical instrument specifically designed for the eye (e.g., a cannula, forceps, or laser probe), a robotic arm to precisely manipulate the instrument, an imaging device (like a microscope) to provide a highly magnified view of the surgical site, and a controller operated by the surgeon. The system leverages the core principles of robotic surgery—tremor filtering, motion scaling, and high-precision control—to perform extremely delicate maneuvers inside the eye.

Impact on Patient Care 👓

This invention brings a new level of precision and safety to eye surgery, potentially saving and restoring sight for many patients.

Unprecedented Surgical Precision: The human eye is an incredibly delicate organ. Robotic assistance allows surgeons to perform procedures on microstructures like the retina and lens with a level of precision and stability that surpasses the capabilities of the human hand. This can lead to better outcomes for complex procedures like retinal detachment repair, macular degeneration treatments, and advanced cataract surgery.

Increased Safety: The robot's stability and tremor-filtering capabilities minimize the risk of accidental, damaging movements during surgery, which could otherwise cause irreversible vision loss.

Enabling New Ophthalmic Procedures: This technology may enable surgeons to perform new, more complex surgical interventions for eye conditions that are currently considered untreatable, offering hope for restoring or preserving sight for more patients.

Reduced Surgeon Fatigue: Ophthalmic microsurgery is physically and mentally demanding. The robotic system allows the surgeon to operate from a comfortable, ergonomic position, reducing fatigue and improving performance during long, delicate procedures.

System and Method for Visualization of Ocular Anatomy

Patent Numbers: US 9,854,971 B2 & US 9,936,872 B2

Filing Date (Original): March 15, 2013

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Charles N. Wang

Summary of Invention 💡

This technology provides a system for creating a highly detailed, three-dimensional (3D) map of the eye's internal structures. The system uses a handheld imaging apparatus that projects a structured light pattern onto the eye's surface and captures its reflection with one or more cameras. By analyzing the distortion of this pattern, a processor can reconstruct a precise 3D topographic map of the ocular anatomy.

This non-contact method is designed for several key applications:

Optometric Measurements: The system can accurately measure the curvature of the cornea and lens, providing highly detailed data for prescribing corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) for improved vision.

Glaucoma Diagnosis: It can precisely map the anterior chamber angle, the eye's natural drainage system. A narrow angle is a primary risk factor for angle-closure glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening: The apparatus can be used to visualize and map the retina at the back of the eye, allowing for the detection of microaneurysms, hemorrhages, and other vascular changes that are the earliest signs of diabetic retinopathy.

Impact on Patient Care ❤️‍🩹

This invention offers a non-invasive, objective, and highly accurate method for diagnosing and managing serious eye conditions, while also improving routine vision care.

Early Diagnosis and Prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy: As a leading cause of blindness in adults, early detection of diabetic retinopathy is crucial. This technology enables highly sensitive screening by creating detailed retinal maps, allowing doctors to spot the earliest signs of the disease, often before the patient notices vision changes. This permits timely intervention that can prevent irreversible vision loss.

Improved Vision Correction: By providing more precise and comprehensive optometric measurements of the eye's optical surfaces, this system can lead to the creation of more accurate and customized corrective lenses. For patients, this translates to sharper, clearer vision and a better overall quality of life.

Proactive Glaucoma Management: The ability to precisely map the anterior chamber angle is a powerful tool for glaucoma risk assessment. It allows ophthalmologists to identify patients at high risk for angle-closure glaucoma and monitor anatomical changes over time, enabling proactive treatment to prevent a sudden and blinding glaucoma attack.

Objective and Reproducible Data: The system provides data-driven, objective measurements, removing the subjectivity of some traditional examination techniques. This leads to more consistent and reliable tracking of a patient's condition, allowing for better-informed treatment decisions.

Side Loading Articulating Laryngeal Access System

Patent Number: US 10,588,502 B2

Filing Date: June 14, 2017

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 🌬️

This patent describes a specialized device, similar to a laryngoscope, designed to make endotracheal intubation faster and easier. The instrument features an elongated body with an articulating tip that can be bent or straightened by the user to navigate the patient's airway and lift the epiglottis. The central innovation is a side-loading channel or slot that runs along the length of the device. This open channel allows an endotracheal (ET) tube to be quickly snapped into place from the side, rather than being laboriously threaded over the end of the stylet.

Impact on Patient Care 🚑

This device is designed to improve the speed, ease, and safety of endotracheal intubation, a critical and often time-sensitive procedure.

Faster and Easier Intubation: The side-loading feature significantly speeds up the process of attaching an ET tube to the guiding stylet. This is crucial in emergency situations where every second counts to establish a secure airway for a patient who cannot breathe.

Improved Visualization and First-Pass Success: The articulating tip allows the physician to get a clear view of the vocal cords, making it much easier to guide the ET tube into the trachea correctly on the first attempt.

Reduced Risk of Complications: By making intubation faster and more accurate, the system reduces the time the patient is without a secure airway and lowers the risk of complications associated with difficult or repeated intubation attempts, such as trauma to the larynx, esophagus, or teeth.

Imaging Stylet for Intubation

Patent Numbers: US 9,662,466 B2 & US 10,576,231 B2

Filing Date (Original): March 15, 2013

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan Gunday, Alex Hsia

Summary of Invention 💡

These patents describe an imaging stylet used to guide the placement of an endotracheal tube. The key innovation is an imaging device at the stylet's distal tip that can be moved by an actuator. A user can control the actuator to move the imaging device from a straight, forward-looking position to an angled position (up to 40 degrees). The body of the stylet itself is made of a deformable material, allowing a physician to bend it to match the specific anatomical curvature of a patient's airway before starting the procedure.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This device significantly improves the safety and success rate of endotracheal intubation, a common but high-risk procedure. The system represents a substantial improvement in airway recovery in emergent trauma situations for Emergency Medical Technicians in our communities and on the Battle Field.

Enhanced Visualization: The movable camera provides a much greater field of view of the larynx and trachea than a fixed camera. This allows the physician to clearly see the vocal cords and surrounding anatomy, ensuring the tube is inserted correctly and safely.

Reduced Risk of Injury: Clearer visualization dramatically reduces the risk of injuring the vocal cords or other tissues in the airway during intubation, a common and serious complication.

Faster and More Successful Intubation: By providing a better view and allowing the stylet to be pre-shaped for the patient, the device makes the intubation process faster and more reliable. This is critical for patients who are unable to breathe on their own, as it minimizes the time they are without oxygen.

Personalized Fit: The ability to bend and shape the stylet allows for a customized fit to each patient's unique anatomy, from an infant to a large adult, making the procedure easier and safer across a wide range of patients.

Nasal Delivery of Agents with Nested Balloon Catheter

Patent Number: US 10,898,693 B2

Filing Date: October 21, 2014

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🤧

This patent describes a specific application of the nested balloon catheter technology for treating conditions within the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The device is designed to deliver therapeutic agents, such as anti-inflammatories or antibiotics, directly to the mucosal lining or sinus ostia to treat conditions like chronic sinusitis. A key feature of this embodiment is that the porous outer balloon can also be equipped with an abrasive surface. This allows the device to perform a dual function: first, the abrasive surface can be used to mechanically clear blockages (like polyps or inflamed tissue) and prepare the tissue for better absorption; second, the nested balloon mechanism delivers the drug in a controlled manner to the prepared site.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This specialized device offers a minimally invasive and highly effective treatment for the millions of patients suffering from chronic sinusitis.

Effective Treatment for Chronic Sinusitis: It provides a way to both clear physical blockages and deliver medication directly to the source of inflammation. This can provide more significant and longer-lasting relief than traditional nasal sprays, which often fail to reach the affected sinus cavities.

Combined Mechanical and Chemical Therapy: The ability to both abrade tissue and deliver a drug with a single device makes the procedure more efficient. The mechanical abrasion not only clears obstructions but also enhances the permeability of the tissue, making the subsequent drug delivery more effective.

Minimally Invasive Alternative to Surgery: For patients with chronic sinusitis or nasal polyps, this technology offers a less invasive alternative to Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS), which involves cutting tissue and bone and can result in longer recovery times and greater discomfort.

Targeted and Safe Medication Delivery: The system ensures that potent medications like steroids are delivered only to the inflamed sinus tissue, minimizing systemic absorption and the associated side effects.

Clearance of Sinus Ostia Blockage

Patent Number: US 10,661,061 B2

Filing Date: September 8, 2014

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 🤧

This patent describes a dual-balloon catheter system and method specifically for clearing blockages in a patient's sinus ostium (the opening that connects a sinus to the nasal cavity). The system features two distinct balloons on a single catheter:

A Dilation Balloon: This balloon is positioned distally, past the blockage and inside the sinus cavity itself. When inflated, it gently dilates the sinus and anchors the catheter in place.

A Resection Balloon: This balloon is positioned more proximally, directly at the site of the obstruction in the ostium. It has a resecting (abrasive) surface and is repeatedly inflated and deflated to gradually break down and clear the blockage (e.g., inflamed tissue or hardened mucus).

After the blockage is cleared, the system can be used to flush the sinus with saline or deliver medication.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This technology provides a more nuanced and less traumatic approach to treating chronic sinusitis, a very common and debilitating condition.

Less Traumatic Sinus Treatment: Traditional sinus surgery (FESS) involves cutting and removing bone and tissue, which can be painful and lead to scarring. This method avoids cutting bone by using a combination of gentle dilation and non-traumatic resection of the soft tissue blockage. This can lead to faster recovery, less pain, and fewer complications for the patient.

Combined Dilation and Clearance: The dual-balloon design allows a physician to perform two critical actions—dilating the passage and removing the blockage—with a single device in a single procedure. This is more efficient than using separate tools and reduces the overall time of the intervention.

Improved Drainage and Long-Term Relief: By effectively clearing the obstruction and dilating the natural drainage pathway, the procedure restores normal sinus function. This provides long-term relief from the symptoms of chronic sinusitis, such as congestion, facial pain, and headaches.

Platform for Further Treatment: Once the ostium is cleared, the catheter's lumens can be used to flush the sinus with saline or deliver therapeutic agents like antibiotics or anti-inflammatories directly to the site of inflammation, further improving treatment outcomes.

Sinus Ostia Dilatation System

Patent Number: US 10,682,503 B2

Filing Date: April 4, 2012

Inventors: Lawrence J. Gerrans, Erhan H. Gunday

Summary of Invention 👃

This invention provides a "smart" balloon catheter system for dilating a patient's sinus ostia (the natural openings to the sinus cavities) to treat chronic sinusitis. The system uses a non-compliant balloon, which inflates to a predictable and specific size. The core of the invention is a biofeedback system. A pump inflates the balloon while sensors measure the pressure, volume, and flow rate of the fluid. A controller uses this real-time data, along with the known physical properties of the specific balloon being used, to calculate the diameter and compliance (stretchiness) of the patient's tissue as it is being dilated. This allows the system to gently dilate the ostium to a precise target diameter without exceeding the tissue's fracture point.

Impact on Patient Care ✅

This technology provides a more controlled, data-driven, and less traumatic way to perform balloon sinuplasty.

Safer and More Precise Dilation: The main impact is the prevention of tissue fracture. By providing real-time feedback on how the patient's tissue is responding, the system allows the physician to dilate the sinus opening precisely without causing the micro-fractures that can occur with less controlled methods. This leads to less pain, reduced scarring, and a lower risk of the sinus closing up again.

More Effective and Durable Treatment: By achieving a controlled, atraumatic dilation of the natural sinus opening, the procedure provides a more durable and long-lasting solution for chronic sinusitis compared to methods that rely on "feel" or brute force.

Reduced Need for More Invasive Surgery: This technology provides a highly effective, minimally invasive treatment for chronic sinusitis, offering many patients a successful alternative to traditional sinus surgery (FESS), which involves cutting and removing tissue and bone.

Personalized Treatment: The biofeedback system tailors the procedure to the individual patient's unique anatomy and tissue properties, ensuring that the optimal level of dilation is achieved safely and effectively for that specific person.

System and Method for Monetized Electronic Mobile Commerce

Patent Application: US 2011/0112866 A1
Filing Date: November 9, 2009
Inventor: Lawrence J. Gerrans

Summary of Invention 💡

Scanning a Product: A consumer uses their mobile device to scan a product's identifier, which could be a barcode, QR code, or even a direct image of the product itself.
Information Retrieval: The application communicates with a central database to retrieve detailed information about the scanned product. This includes specifications, user reviews, and, crucially, price comparisons from a variety of merchants, including both online retailers and local brick-and-mortar stores.
In-App Purchasing: The consumer can then initiate and complete a purchase directly through the mobile application, choosing the merchant that offers the best value or convenience.
Monetization System: A key component is the monetization system, which processes the transaction. Uniquely, this system is designed to distribute revenue among multiple participants in the commerce ecosystem. This means that a portion of the sales revenue can be shared with the application provider, the merchant who fulfills the order, and even the original retailer where the product was scanned, thus creating a collaborative commercial network.

Impact on Commerce for the Merchant 🏪

This technology directly addresses the challenges of modern retail, particularly the phenomenon of "showrooming," while creating new opportunities.

Solving the "Showrooming" Problem: The monetization system provides a direct solution to showrooming, where a customer examines a product in a physical store and then buys it online from a competitor. By giving the physical retailer a share of the revenue from the final sale (even if they didn't make it), the system incentivizes them to embrace mobile technology rather than fight it.
Increased Sales Channels: The platform allows any participating merchant, regardless of size or location, to compete for a sale at the moment a consumer has the highest purchase intent. An online retailer or a competing local store can present a better offer directly to a consumer standing in a competitor's aisle.
Valuable Data and Analytics: The system captures a wealth of data on consumer behavior, such as which products are being scanned most frequently, where scans are occurring, and what price differences trigger a purchase. Merchants can leverage this data for dynamic pricing, inventory management, and targeted marketing strategies.
Reduced Friction for Impulse Buys: By enabling an immediate, in-aisle transaction, merchants can capture impulse purchases that might otherwise be lost if the customer decides to go home and "think about it."

Impact on Commerce for the Consumer 🛒

The system empowers consumers with information and convenience, fundamentally changing the shopping experience.

Immediate Price Transparency and Savings: The most significant impact is providing consumers with instant price transparency. They can immediately see if a product is available for less money online or at another nearby store, allowing them to make the most cost-effective decision and save money on their purchases.
Empowerment Through Information: Consumers are no longer limited to the information on a product's tag. With a simple scan, they gain access to comprehensive product details, specifications, and user reviews, allowing them to make a more informed purchasing decision on the spot.
Unprecedented Convenience: The entire shopping journey—from discovery and research to price comparison and final purchase—is streamlined into a single, easy-to-use application on a device consumers already carry. They can choose to have the item shipped to their home or check local inventory for immediate pickup.
Blended Online and Offline Experience: The system seamlessly merges the benefits of physical and digital retail. Consumers can physically inspect a product in a store while simultaneously leveraging the vast information and competitive pricing of the online marketplace, creating a more efficient and satisfying shopping experience.

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