Medical Device Developer Granted Patent

August 27, 1999 ,SALT LAKE CITY —MedQuest Products Inc., a leading developer of medical devices, has been recently awarded U.S. Patent #5,925,043 ‘Electrosurgical Electrode with a Conductive, Non-Stick Coating’.

MedQuest co-developed this technology with the University of Utah, from whom it has obtained an exclusive license. The inventors are Dr. B. Ajit Kumar, Dr. S. Guruswamy, Dr. Don B. Olsen, and Mr. Pratap Khanwilkar. Patents on this technology in other countries are pending. The patent was prosecuted by Morriss, Bateman, O’Bryant and Compagni of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Electrosurgery, commonly known as electrocautery, is used in about 80% of the 18 million surgical procedures each year in the U.S. Electrocautery is a surgical technique in which high-frequency, low-voltage electrical energy delivered by an electrosurgical electrode is used to cut tissue and stop bleeding at the same time. Disadvantages of existing electrocautery blades are: 1) charred tissue builds up on uncoated blades, leading to more cutting force required, difficult blade cleaning, increased smoke, and frequent blade changes; and 2) existing coated blades either can’t be bent without damaging the coating or the coating burns off quickly.

MedQuest’s unique coating, QuestCoat, the only known flexible ceramic coating, is applied on electrocautery electrodes to provide significant advantages over existing technology: 1) Reduced pain, scarring, and healing time for the patient because the blade cuts easier with reduced charred tissue build up; 2) Reduced pain, scarring, and healing time for the patient because the blade can be bent into different shapes for certain cuts; 3) Improved safety for surgical teams and for patients because less smoke is generated and less electrical power is required due to reduced charred tissue build up; 4) Reduced surgical cost and time since the coating does not burn off, the blade is more easily cleaned, and not replaced as frequently.

MedQuest was started five years ago as a private Utah corporation by artificial heart scientists, engineers, and surgeons who were committed to developing Utah-based technology for widespread clinical use. Work on a revolutionary artificial heart, the HeartQuest, has led to other significant discoveries such as the QuestCoat coating. This flexible ceramic coating has won a national scientific award for its unique properties. The QuestCoat coating can be used for a variety of other medical and non-medical applications including stents, catheters, blood filters, computer disk drives and media, and high energy magnets. Vector Resources and Excel Management, two Salt Lake City-based firms, are advisors to MedQuest for commercializing the QuestCoat coating.

MedQuest has recently received 510(k) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell disposable electrocautery electrodes coated with QuestCoat.



Company Background
MedQuest is a pioneer in the development of implantable ventricular assist devices (VADs). The HeartQuest™ VAD is an implantable, centrifugal pump that utilizes a magnetically suspended impeller to provide a frictionless, wear-free pumping action. A VAD boosts the output of a failing heart to normal levels. Congestive heart failure is the fastest growing segment of the cardiovascular disease market and is diagnosed in 550,000 Americans each year; over 200,000 deaths annually are attributed to congestive heart failure according to American Heart Association 2002 statistics .

MedQuest®, HeartQuest™, and MagLev™ are trademarks of MedQuest® Products Inc.