Surgery – Instruments – Suture – ligature – elastic band or clip applier
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-26
2002-03-12
Jackson, Gary (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Suture, ligature, elastic band or clip applier
C606S139000, C606S148000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06355050
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for the suturing of tissue in various applications such as closure of arterial and venous puncture sites, suturing a graft anastomosis to an aperture in a vessel wall or other types of tissue, and the like. More particularly, the inventive devices and methods provide for suturing the tissue of a vessel even though the vessel may be under physiological flow and while preferably maintaining hemostasis.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of diagnostic and interventional vascular procedures are now performed transluminally, where a catheter is introduced to the vascular system at a convenient access location and guided through the vascular system to a target location using established techniques. Such procedures require vascular access which is usually established using the well known Seldinger technique, as described, for example, in William Grossman's “Cardiac Catheterization and Angiography,” 3rd Ed., Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, 1986, incorporated herein by reference.
When vascular access is no longer required, the introducer sheath must be removed and bleeding at the puncture site stopped. One common approach to attempt providing hemostasis (the cessation of bleeding) is to apply external force near and upstream from the puncture site, typically by manual or “digital” compression. This approach suffers from a number of disadvantages. It is time-consuming, frequently requiring one-half hour or more of compression before hemostasis is assured. This procedure is uncomfortable for the patient and frequently requires administering analgesics to be tolerable. Moreover, the application of excessive pressure can at times totally occlude the underlying blood vessel, resulting in ischemia and/or thrombosis. Following manual compression the patient is required to remain recumbent for at least six and at times as long as eighteen hours under close observation to assure continued hemostasis. During this time renewed bleeding may occur resulting in bleeding through the tract, hematoma and/or pseudoaneurism formation as well as arteriovenous fistula formation. These complications may require blood transfusion and/or surgical intervention. The incidence of these complications increases when the sheath size is increased and when the patient is anti-coagulated. It is clear that the standard technique for arterial closure can be risky, and is expensive and onerous to the patient. While the risk of such conditions can be reduced by using highly trained individuals, such use is both expensive and inefficient.
To overcome the problems associated with manual compression, the use of bioabsorbable fasteners to stop bleeding has been proposed by several groups. Generally, these approaches rely on the placement of a thrombogenic and bioabsorbable material, such as collagen, at the superficial arterial wall over the puncture site. While potentially effective, this approach suffers from a number of problems. It can be difficult to properly locate the interface of the overlying tissue and the adventitial surface of the blood vessel, and locating the fastener too far from that surface can result in failure to provide hemostasis and subsequent hematoma and/or pseudo aneurism formation. Conversely, if the fastener intrudes into the arterial lumen, intravascular clots and/or collagen pieces with thrombus attached can form and embolize downstream causing vascular occlusion. Also, thrombus formation on the surface of a fastener protruding into the lumen can cause a stenosis which can obstruct normal blood flow. Other possible complications include infection as well as adverse reactions to the collagen implant.
Catheters are also used to treat heart disease which is a major medical ailment wherein arteries become narrowed or blocked with a build-up of atherosclerotic plaque or clot which reduces flow to tissues downstream or “distal” to the blockage. When this flow reduction becomes significant, a patient's quality of life may be significantly reduced. In fact, heart disease patients often die when critical arteries, such as the coronary arteries, become significantly blocked.
However, technology has been developed to open some blocked arteries in the treatment of heart disease. For example, balloon angioplasty has become a well accepted treatment wherein a balloon is inflated within the narrowed vessel to stretch or otherwise deform the blockage into a larger lumen. Alternatively, the blockage can even be removed, such as in a procedure known as atherectomy. In general, these treatments use percutaneous catheters which are inserted into the patients' vessels at a peripheral artery or vein puncture site and guided to the internal blockage site via x-ray visualization. The blockage is then treated remotely by use of hydraulic pressure in the case of balloon angioplasty, or by other actuating means to cause remote cutting or ablation of the blockage in the case of atherectomy.
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (“CABG”)
In the alternative to using catheters to treat heart disease, or when such catheterizations are contraindicated, some blocked vessels can be treated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (“CABG”). In conventional CABG techniques, a tubular graft is affixed to a port or aperture in an artery wall distally of the blockage. When the opposite end of the tube is in fluid communication with a pressurized arterial blood supply, such as the aorta, the tubular graft provides a conduit for flow into the vessel lumen distally of the blockage.
Conventional CABG surgery is generally initiated by directly exposing the heart to the surgeon. This is accomplished by opening the patient's chest using known stemotomy and retraction techniques that cut the sternum and spread the rib cage open. Then, one or both lungs are usually deflated and the patient is connected to a respiratory assist machine.
Once the heart is exposed, the patient is connected to a coronary bypass machine so that the blood supply circumvents the heart. In this way, the heart is depressurized so that apertures can be cut into the walls of the vessels for surgical graft attachment. The right atrium (or vena cava) and the aorta each is intubated with cannulas which are connected to an artificial pump and oxygenator. Once these major vessels are cannulated, cardioplegia is delivered to slow or stop the beating motion of the heart. The aorta is then clamped proximally of the aortic bypass cannula, thereby isolating the proximal aortic root from the blood that is being circulated by the bypass machine.
After the heart is isolated from blood pressure, conventional bypass grafting is performed. The required grafts are implanted to feed the coronary arteries distal to the blockage, the clamp is removed from the aorta, the lungs are restored, and the patient is then taken off of the bypass pump.
In one type of CABG method, the bypass grafting is achieved between the aorta and one of the three major coronary arteries or their sub-branches, the left anterior descending artery (LAD), the circumflex artery (CIRC), or the right coronary artery (RCA). In such a case, a saphenous vein is usually taken from the patient's leg and is transplanted as a “homograft” to connect these vessels in the same patient's chest. Artificial grafts have also been disclosed as providing potential utility for this purpose and are herein collectively included in the general discussion of “saphenous veins” as used in CABG procedures.
An alternative CABG method uses the internal mammary artery (IMA) alone or in conjunction with the saphenous vein graft. The IMA is severed at a chosen location and is then connected to an aperture, in a coronary artery.
In either case of using saphenous vein homografts or artificial grafts in CABG surgery, the proximal end of the graft is generally sutured or otherwise is affixed circumferentially to the tissue surrounding an aperture that is punched into the wall of the aorta. In this arrangement, the lumen of the graft communi
Andreas Bernard H.
Barrett Michael
Foley Mark J.
Gore Brian
Isbell Lewis
Abbott Laboratories
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Jackson Gary
LandOfFree
Device and method for suturing tissue does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device and method for suturing tissue, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device and method for suturing tissue will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2839312