DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Of the 400,000 Americans living with end stage renal disease, nearly 250,000 undergo hemodialysis treatments 2-3 times each week. The cost of establishing and maintaining vascular access in dialysis patients is a staggering $13,500 per patient per annum. The… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over 7 million catheterization procedures are performed worldwide each year, with a 10-20% complication rate in closing the vascular access site. The routine administration of anticoagulant medication can further delay sealing the vessel. Manual compression… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Surgery of the colon or rectum is often required in patients presenting with penetrating trauma, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. While advances in surgical techniques have improved outcomes in colorectal anastomosis over the years, one of the… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately 400,000 lung surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and non-small cell lung cancer. Postoperative air leakage is the most common complication after lung surgery, occurring in as many of 50% of… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in both men and women in the United States and will cause an estimated 163,510 deaths in 2005, accounting for 29 percent of all cancer deaths. Surgical resections such assegmentectomy, lobectomies, or… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Each year in the United States, 5-20% of the population display symptoms of infection with the influenza virus. More than 110,000 of these persons are hospitalized and about 36,000 die from complications. While the spre ad of infection is generally avoidable… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Of the 400,000 Americans living with end stage renal disease, nearly 250,000 undergo hemodialysis treatments 2-3 times each week. The cost of establishing and maintaining vascular access in dialysis patients is a stagge ring 45,000 per patient per annum. The… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Close to 342,000 Americans die of lung disease each year, particularly from lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This makes lung disease America's number three killer, responsible for one in eve ry seven deaths. In general, for lung… More