Surgery – Instruments – Surgical mesh – connector – clip – clamp or band
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-16
2001-04-03
Jackson, Gary (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Surgical mesh, connector, clip, clamp or band
C606S120000, C606S151000, C606S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210419
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a U-shaped surgical clip having two arms that are connected to one another via a deformable web.
Such surgical clips are used to clamp vessels. In the case of known surgical clips, the arms, which on the inside are constructed as clamping jaws, are laid against both sides of a vessel and are compressed, deforming the clip. Thus the webs firstly have to be easily deformable for the application of the clips. Secondly, in the case of conventional clips, they have to absorb the clamping forces. In order to remain in this clamping position, the web connecting the arms has to have a very strong construction, since it has to retain the already assumed position after deformation. As a result, different demands on the webs are produced, which are to some extent difficult to meet. In many cases the strength of a clip whose arms are held together just by the web is not sufficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to develop a generic surgical clip so that on the one hand it can be easily deformed upon application, whereas on the other hand it produces high retention forces in the applied state.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention with a surgical clip of the type described at the beginning in that, via the junction point of the arms with the web, the arms comprise rearwardly projecting extensions and in that disposed at these extensions and/or at the deformable web are interacting catch means, which fix the extensions to one another and/or to the web that is deformed during the compression of the arms and is forced against the extension. As a result, the arms are securely retained in the clamping position.
In a preferred exemplified embodiment, it is specified that the interacting catch means is disposed along the extensions and along the deformable web, such that upon compression of the clip the web is deformed and forced against the extensions thereby fixing the web to the extensions.
As a result, it is ensured that the holding together of the arms that have been brought closer together has been achieved not just by the web, but also by the catch means.
By this fixing of the deformed arms at the extensions, a large part of the length of the webs is securely connected by these catch means to the arms, so that in this manner considerable retention forces can be exerted on the closed clip, even if the web itself has an easily deformable and accordingly flexible construction.
The catch means securing the deformed web to the extensions may be projections or recesses that engage in one another, in particular by friction or by positive locking.
It is favorable if the catch means comprise elastically deformable undercuts, which engage with one another upon the dipping of the projections into the recesses. As a result, a permanent fixing of the portions of the webs that are applied to the extensions is ensured, and thus the possibility of the arms moving away from one another in the region of the webs fixed in this manner is safely avoided.
In a preferred exemplified embodiment, it is specified that the projections have a ledge-shaped construction and the recesses have a groove-shaped construction. Ledge-shaped projections, which are disposed for example on the outside of the web, then result in the web being reinforced over the length of the projections. Flexibility then occurs only in the region between the ledge-shaped projections, and in this region the web can be constructed in the manner of an integral hinge joint.
In a preferred embodiment, it is specified that at least one catch projection is disposed at the web as catch means on either side of its center. In this case, it is favorable if the web comprises a flexible central portion in the region between the two central projections.
With such a configuration, in accordance with another preferred embodiment it can be specified that next to the flexible central portion there is at least one secondary web, the end of which is connected to the web or to the adjacent projections. Such a secondary web stabilizes the web in the region of the flexible central portion, so that before the deformation this flexible central portion is reinforced. The two arms are therefore kept by the web at a fixed distance, and this is favorable when the clips are to be inserted into a magazine in a manner known per se and are to be guided therein, in which case the guidance occurs by placing the arms against external guides.
In another preferred embodiment, it is specified that the web comprises a lug on its outside which on each opposite side bears at least one catch means. In this case the web remains flexibly constructed over its entire length, and the catch means are borne by the lug which connects the webs with the extensions of the arms when the clip is compressed. In this configuration, it is also favorable if the lug or the catch means disposed thereon are connected via a secondary web with regions of the web lying closer to the arms, and thereby a stabilization and reinforcement of the web is also produced before the compression of the clip.
It is particularly favorable if these secondary webs have a weaker construction than the web itself, so that the secondary webs break upon the bending together of the web. As a result, stabilization is produced only during the non-deformed initial state of the clip. As soon as the clip is deformed by bringing the two arms closer together, the secondary webs break and the web becomes flexible until the clip is completely compressed and the two arms are fixed in relation to one another by the locking of the flexible web with the extensions.
It is favorable if the web is constructed as a flexible strip at least in its central portion.
In another preferred embodiment, it is specified that the extensions bear further catch means which upon the compression of the arms fix the extensions themselves to one another. Thus, not only the web sections are fixed on the extension, but by further catch means the two extensions are also directly connected with one another in the deformed state of the clip. In this case it is favorable if the catch means fixing the extensions to one another are disposed at the rear end of the extensions, and thus there remains a sufficient length of the arms for the fixing of the web sections between the junction of the web into the arms on the one hand and these further catch means on the other hand.
In another preferred embodiment, it is specified that only the extensions bear catch means disposed at the rear end of the extensions, which upon the compression of the arms fix the extensions themselves to one another. Furthermore, it may be specified that at the front end of the clip the arms bear catch means, which upon the compression of the arms fix the arms to one another. Thus, an annular enclosure of the vessel surrounded by the clip occurs, and in particular in the case of clips which bear such catch means both at the front and also at the rear end, the arms can be permanently connected to one another at both ends, in which case the web portions may be additionally connected to the arms so that a particularly strong and secure holding together of the arms in the clamping position is guaranteed.
The clip is preferably made from plastics material, in particular from reabsorbable plastics material.
It is favorable if both arms are outwardly curved and the convex sides are faced towards one another. As a result, the central regions are outwardly curved upon the application of the clip and receive a tensile force. This effect is reinforced if, in accordance with another preferred embodiment, the arms have a smaller cross section in the central region than in the front region and than in the rear region. As a result, a very uniform clamping of the vessel enclosed between the arms is produced.
The following description of preferred embodiments of the invention serves for further explanation in conjunction with the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2988314 (1961-06-01), Urich
patent: 3616497 (1971-11-
Mayenberger Rupert
Weisshaupt Dieter
Aesculap AG & Co. KG
Jackson Gary
Lipsitz Barry R.
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