Surgery – Instruments – Suture – ligature – elastic band or clip applier
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-04
2002-07-30
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3765)
Surgery
Instruments
Suture, ligature, elastic band or clip applier
C623S002110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06425902
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to the field of heart valve repair and reconstruction. More particularly, this invention relates to a surgical instrument for holding tissue used in heart valve reconstruction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For nearly forty years, since the advent of the heart-lung machine, it has been possible to repair and reconstruct diseased heart valves. The concept of repairing, rather than replacing, diseased heart valves began with the work of Professor Ake Senning of Zurich in 1960. (Senning A.: Fascia Lata Replacement of Aortic Valves.
Journal Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
54: 465-70 (1967).) However, until recently, methods for reconstructing semilunar valves have generally been characterized by lack of precision and reproducibility.
To overcome these and other disadvantages of the prior methods of valve reconstruction, the inventor of the subject invention developed improved, more easily reproducible, less complicated, and generally standardized, methods of reconstructing heart valves. These methods are generally described in Love U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,399 and Love U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,758, and copending U.S. Application Ser. No. 09/330, 689 of Love, et al. (collectively referred to as the “Love Patents”), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The Love Patents generally describe methods for repairing or reconstructing heart valves preferably using a novel unitary trefoil tissue pattern. An embodiment of these methods can preferably include the steps of (a) sizing of the heart valve based on the distance between adjacent commissures of the native valve annulus; (b) cutting a trefoil tissue pattern corresponding in size to the native valve annulus; (c) temporarily mounting the tissue pattern on a surgical instrument for holding the tissue in a configuration of a heart valve to facilitate attachment of the tissue; and (d) suturing the tissue to the native valve annulus.
The Love Patents disclose an innovative surgical instrument for holding the tissue pattern in a configuration of at least one leaflet of a circulatory system valve. An embodiment of the device described therein is shown in prior art FIG.
1
. The instrument generally comprises an upper former
11
having a handle
12
, and a lower former
13
having a handle
14
. The tissue pattern
15
is placed between upper former
11
and the lower former
13
. The formers are brought into complementary engagement by inserting handle
14
into handle
12
and sliding the upper former
11
against the lower former
13
. The tissue pattern
15
is held in the configuration of the a closed or partially closed circulatory system valve to allow the tissue pattern
15
to be surgically attached to the native valve annulus.
The present invention relates to a novel variation of a surgical instrument for holding a piece of tissue in a configuration of a circulatory system valve, which provides a number of desirable features not present in the device described in the Love Patents or any other prior devices. The instrument disclosed herein allows the tissue to be surgically attached in an open valve configuration (rather than in the closed or partially closed configuration required by prior devices). The present invention also avoids rubbing of the two tissue forming surfaces so as to reduce the risk of slippage or damage to the tissue when engaging the tissue forming surfaces. In addition, the tissue holding instrument disclosed herein can be manufactured at relatively low cost because it has few parts, which can be manufactured of low-cost plastic materials. The claimed invention provides a new, useful and unique surgical instrument for holding a piece of tissue in a configuration of one or more leaflets of an open circulatory system valve, which provides these and other advantageous features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a surgical instrument for holding a piece of tissue in a configuration of at least one leaflet of an open circulatory system valve to facilitate surgical attachment of the tissue. The instrument includes an inner member having a proximal end comprising a handle portion and a distal end comprising an inner tissue holding portion. The inner tissue holding portion has of one or more inner leaves. An outer member is disposed about the inner member. The outer member has an outer tissue holding portion comprising one or more of outer leaves. The inner and outer leaves preferably correspond to the shape of leaflets of a circulatory system valve and may be brought together into complementary engagement with a piece of tissue held between the inner and outer leaves. An actuator, such as a collet, moves the outer leaves radially inward and outward with respect to the inner leaves. The outer leaves are separated from the inner leaves to allow placement of the tissue on the inner leaves. The outer leaves are moved radially inward to hold the tissue between the leaves in a configuration of at least one leaflet of an open circulatory system valve to facilitate surgical attachment to the native valve annulus.
The outer member preferably includes a sleeve slidably disposed about the inner member and one or more arms connecting the outer leaves to the sleeve. The outer member is slid axially toward the proximal end of the inner member to facilitate placement of the tissue on the inner leaves and slid axially toward the distal end to engage the inner and outer leaves.
Each arm is preferably positioned within a groove on the collet that cooperates with the arm to actuate movement of the outer leaves when the collet is slid axially along the arms.
The instrument also preferably includes a tissue loading member. One end of the tissue loading member is engaged with the distal end of the inner member. The other end of the tissue loading member includes a rounded portion for facilitating the placement of the tissue on the inner leaves.
The instrument also preferably includes a locking mechanism for retaining the actuator in place to keep the inner and outer leaves pressed together in complementary engagement, and to prevent linear movement and rotation of the outer member relative to the inner member.
The instrument is preferably provided in a kit comprising a plurality of instruments. Each instrument is one of a predetermined range of sizes corresponding to a range of anatomical sizes of normal human heart valves.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3320972 (1967-05-01), High et al.
patent: 3655306 (1972-04-01), Ross et al.
patent: 4470157 (1984-09-01), Love
patent: 4731075 (1988-03-01), Gallo Mezo et al.
patent: 4960424 (1990-10-01), Grooters
patent: 5147391 (1992-09-01), Lane
patent: 5156621 (1992-10-01), Navia et al.
patent: 5163955 (1992-11-01), Love et al.
patent: 5197979 (1993-03-01), Quintero et al.
patent: 5258021 (1993-11-01), Duran
patent: 5297564 (1994-03-01), Love
patent: 5326370 (1994-07-01), Love et al.
patent: 5326371 (1994-07-01), Love et al.
patent: 5336258 (1994-08-01), Quintero et al.
patent: 5344442 (1994-09-01), Deac
patent: 5352240 (1994-10-01), Ross
patent: 5370685 (1994-12-01), Stevens
patent: 5376112 (1994-12-01), Duran
patent: 5411552 (1995-05-01), Andersen et al.
patent: 5423887 (1995-06-01), Love et al.
patent: 5425741 (1995-06-01), Lemp et al.
patent: 5449384 (1995-09-01), Johnson
patent: 5480424 (1996-01-01), Cox
patent: 5489296 (1996-02-01), Love et al.
patent: 5489298 (1996-02-01), Love et al.
patent: 5503638 (1996-04-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 5509930 (1996-04-01), Love
patent: 5522885 (1996-06-01), Love et al.
patent: 5531784 (1996-07-01), Love et al.
patent: 5531785 (1996-07-01), Love et al.
patent: 5571174 (1996-11-01), Love et al.
patent: 5584878 (1996-12-01), Love et al.
patent: 5662705 (1997-09-01), Love et al.
patent: 5716399 (1998-02-01), Love
patent: 5755782 (1998-05-01), Love et al.
patent: 5800531 (1998-09-01), Cosgrove et al.
patent: 5957976 (1999-09-01), Vanney et al.
patent: 6019790 (2000-02-01), Holmberg et al.
patent: 6129758 (2000-10-01), Love
patent: 6197053 (2001-03-01), Cosgrove et al.
patent
Bryan Cave LLP
CardioMend LLC
Worrell Danny
LandOfFree
Surgical instrument for heart valve reconstruction does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Surgical instrument for heart valve reconstruction, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Surgical instrument for heart valve reconstruction will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2878363