A Medical Device Daily

Entellus Medical, (Maple Grove, Minnesotta) that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded U.S. patent No. 7,520,876, titled "Device and Method for Treatment of Sinusitis" related to its FinESS Sinus Treatment. The company said the issuance of this patent "reinforces the significance of this innovative treatment option for ENTs and their patients."

"This notable development is a result of Entellus Medical's research and development strategy to ensure we stay at the forefront of innovation in providing unique treatment options for patients who suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis," said Peter Keith, CTO and co-founder of Entellus.

FinESS Sinus Treatment is a less-invasive treatment option to break the cycle of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). FinESS is for patients whose symptoms persist or return, despite antibiotics and steroids, or for patients who do not need, want or can't have extensive sinus surgery. FinESS can be performed using local anesthetic, with or without mild sedation.

Unlike extensive sinus surgery, FinESS does not require the removal of delicate bone or sinus tissue, resulting in shorter treatment and recovery time with very little pain or bleeding. Most patients resume normal activity within hours of treatment. Clinical study results published in the American Journal of Rhinology prove the effectiveness of FinESS in keeping treated sinuses open with statistically significant quality of life improvements.

In other patent news, Amnis (Seattle), a maker of advanced cell imaging systems, reported that it has received U.S. patent No. 7,522,758. The patent, titled "Blood and Cell Analysis Using an Imaging Flow Cytometer," broadly covers diagnostic uses of multispectral cell imaging in flow or on slides and expands the company's intellectual property estate to 32 issued U.S. patents plus multiple foreign counterparts.

"Amnis' ImageStream platform was designed to achieve tremendous speed and high fluorescence sensitivity while providing rich diagnostic information in the form of multiple images per cell," said William Ortyn, Amnis co-founder/COO. "With its ability to image hundreds of thousands of cells in minutes, directly in flow, ImageStream combines the diagnostic strengths of high resolution microscopy and flow cytometry in a single platform."