Surgery – Instruments – Means for inserting or removing conduit within body
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-02
2003-05-06
Robert, Eduardo C. (Department: 3732)
Surgery
Instruments
Means for inserting or removing conduit within body
C623S001110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06558396
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE ART
This invention relates to a collapsing device for an appliance to be implanted which belongs to a field of medical devices and, more particularly, for artificial blood vessels or the like and a method of using the collapsing device.
BACKGROUND ART
With the recent progress of medical technique, a technique enabling transvascular use of a variety of appliances such as artificial blood vessel without ventrotomy has reached a clinical stage. Specific examples of such a technique include a method of transferring and fixing an artificial blood vessel using a catheter which has been invented by the inventor of present claimed invention and disclosed in the paper A.(for example, PCT/JP96/01347 which has been published with International Publication No. WO96/36387). This method includes; inserting a catheter into a human body through an inguinal artery to position a front end thereof near an affected portion in which an aneurysm or the like is present, inserting a tubular artificial blood vessel provided with collapsible/restorable elasticity into the catheter in a collapsed condition, transporting the artificial blood vessel to a predetermined location near the affected portion by the use of a transporting device or a hauling device, and releasing the artificial blood vessel from the catheter at the location, thereby to position the artificial blood vessel in an affected blood vessel having the aneurysm.
In the above-described document a collapsing device for keeping the artificial blood vessel in a collapsed condition during transportation works as follows; the artificial blood vessel is bound by a string at given portions of an outer circumference thereof, a retaining rod is passed into the string to keep the artificial blood vessel in a collapsed condition so as to release the collapsed condition from a remote place, the artificial blood vessel is transported to a target position and subsequently the retaining rod is drawn out of the string to release the string so as to restore the artificial blood vessel.
However, in order to make it possible to transport the artificial blood vessel smoothly, it is preferable to collapse the artificial blood vessel in a more appropriate condition. For example, in the artificial blood vessel described in the above document collapsible/restorable ring members are arranged intermittently along an axial direction. Due to this arrangement of the ring member, a protuberance is made locally on an outer face of the artificial blood vessel when the artificial blood vessel is collapsed by means of a string. Consequently, a dragging resistance will be generated while transporting the artificial blood vessel in a catheter. As a result, in order to reduce the dragging resistance, it is more preferable to make protuberances generate as least as possible on the outer face of the collapsed artificial blood vessel.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above problems a collapsing device for an appliance in accordance with the invention comprises a wrapping member which is generally flat when spread and a retaining member which holds the wrapping member in a condition of being rolled in order to keep a collapsible/restorable elastic appliance in a collapsed condition, to transport the appliance to a target position and subsequently to restore the appliance into a predetermined shape by releasing it from the collapsed condition, and is characterized by that the appliance is contained inside the wrapping member which is held by the retaining member in a collapsed condition and then the retaining member is separated from the wrapping member at the target position to spread the wrapping member so as to release the appliance.
It is effective if the wrapping member is made of an expansible material. For further improve a stretching properties it is effective if the wrapping member is in a shape of a mesh, and especially it is preferable that the mesh is woven with wefts and warps or the wrapping member is made of polyurethane fibers.
As a concrete embodiment to facilitate holding or spreading the wrapping member, it is represented that the retaining member is a wire rod which sews overwrapped edges of the wrapping member. As a concrete example of the wire rod it is preferable to use a wire made of nickel titanium. The wire rod may be a string which sews the overwrapped edges of the wrapping member and so arranged that a retaining member is passed through a loop formed at an end portion of the string.
As a preferable example to which the present claimed invention is applied it is represented that the appliance is in a shape of a tube and so arranged as to be contained inside the wrapping member held by the retaining member in a collapsed condition. Among the above, it can be a more preferable example to which the present claimed invention is applied that the appliance is so arranged that intermittently arranged ring members are bridged by a flexible cover and each of the ring members is collapsed into a wavy shape having a peak and a valley alternately and repeatedly along a circumferential direction thereof.
As another preferable example to which the present claimed invention is applied, it is represented that the appliance comprises a tubular body portion and a tubular branch portion which branches from a part of the tubular body portion with its internal space communicating with the body portion and so arranged that the body portion of the appliance is contained in a first wrapping member held by a first retaining member in a collapsed condition and the branch portion is contained in a second wrapping member held by a second retaining member in a collapsed condition. Among the above, it can be a more preferable example that the appliance is so arranged that the body portion is so made that intermittently arranged ring members are bridged by a flexible cover and the branch portion is so made that intermittently arranged ring members are bridged by a flexible cover with its internal space communicating with a part of the body portion, wherein the body portion and the branch portion of the appliance are so arranged that each of the ring members is folded into a wavy shape having a peak and a valley alternately and repeatedly along a circumferential direction thereof.
As a simple method of using the collapsing device in accordance with the present claimed invention, it is preferable that the wrapping member is mounted on near an end portion of an outer circumference of a pipe member, the appliance is inserted into inside of the pipe member at a position corresponding to the position where the wrapping member is mounted and the wrapping member and the appliance are simultaneously drawn out of the pipe member in a condition that both of the wrapping member and the appliance are restrained from moving interactively at the end portion so as to contain the appliance inside of the wrapping member.
If the appliance has a branch, the following step is preferable; the first wrapping member is mounted on near an end portion of an outer circumference of a pipe member, the body portion and the branch portion of the appliance are inserted together into inside of the pipe member at a position corresponding to the position where the first wrapping member is mounted, the first wrapping member and the body portion are drawn simultaneously out of the pipe member in a condition that both of the first wrapping member and the body portion are restrained from moving interactively at the end portion so as to contain the body portion and the branch portion of the appliance together inside of the first wrapping member, subsequently a part of the first wrapping member is released from a condition of being held by the first retaining member, the branch portion is drawn out through the part of the first wrapping member, then the second wrapping member is mounted on near an end portion of an outer circumference of a pipe member, the branch portion is inserted into inside of the pipe member at a position corresponding to the position where the second wrapping member is mo
Banner & Witcoff , Ltd.
Robert Eduardo C.
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