U.S. Patent 8684250 was awarded to Covidien LP on 2014-04-01 and describes a “Annular adhesive structure.” This patent has been cited 240 times by other U.S. patents which places it in the top 500 cited patents since 2010 according to our law firm research, and makes it of the most innovative medical technology patents in the field of instruments. The abstract states:

An apparatus for forming an anastomosis between adjacent intestinal sections of tissue is provided. The apparatus includes a circular surgical stapler having an anvil assembly with an anvil shaft and an anvil, the circular surgical stapler further having a tubular body portion with an annular knife and a body portion shaft selectively attachable to the anvil shaft; and a seal structure for deposition between the intestinal sections of tissue including a hub configured to engage attachment structure on at least one of the anvil shaft and the body portion shaft. The attachment structure is positioned so that the seal structure is located between the intestinal sections of tissue when the circular surgical stapler is disposed within the intestinal sections of tissue. Link: U.S. Patent 8684250

This patent was originally filed on 2011-10-03 which gives it a processing time of 911 days, compared to an average processing time of 837 in the field. Covidien LP has 3582 total patents. The first named inventor is Frank J. Viola of Sandy, UT. The primary examiner was Robert Long.

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