Surgery – Endoscope – With protective sheath
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-02
2001-09-25
Hirsch, Paul J. (Department: 3732)
Surgery
Endoscope
With protective sheath
C600S124000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293909
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical assemblies, and more particularly, to assemblies for enclosing surgical scopes in flexible sheaths.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of surgical scopes are used in medical procedures within a patient's body. For example, endoscopes are used for viewing the interior of a body cavity or a hollow organ. They are often categorized by the part of the body they are used to examine, such as the esophagus, stomach, colon, and blood vessels. Endoscopes have been combined with complementary devices into endoscopic assemblies to perform various functions within a patient's body more efficiently. A sheath is often used to enclose the endoscope with these other devices into a unitary endoscopic assembly.
In addition to a sheath, the endoscopic assembly may include multiple channels or passages, sometimes referred to as working channels, that allow several functions to be performed at the distal end of the assembly. The endoscope and working channels are often disposed within the sheath, with the working channels arranged around the perimeter of the endoscope. The endoscope itself does not necessarily have working channels, but may contain a visual imaging device, illumination devices, and control wires that bend the distal end of the endoscope and any working channels attached to it. Various functions can be performed with, endoscopic assemblies having channels, including providing air, water and suction, or the taking of biopsies when the appropriate instruments are introduced through the channels of the endoscopic assembly. Accessories such as those used when taking a specimen typically have an elongated flexible shaft and jaws or other cutting instruments operatively connected to the shaft's distal end.
Sheaths may serve several additional purposes in a surgical assembly, including enclosing endoscopic assemblies. For example, the endoscope, as well as any working channels, need to remain together, in a single unit, when in the patient to allow for easy movement through the interior of a patient. Sheaths can be used to hold the assembly together within the body, with the endoscope and any working channels disposed within the sheath. In addition, sheaths are used to protect the assembly from contamination that can occur during an endoscopic procedure wherein the assembly contacts body tissues and fluids within the patient. Proper cleaning and sterilization of the assembly is very laborious and costly, which reduces the cost effectiveness of performing the endoscopic procedures. In response to the contamination problem, disposable endoscopic sheaths have been developed. The disposable sheaths fit over the endoscope and completely isolate it from the contaminating environment. The distal ends of the working channels are left open to allow for the passage of air, water, suction or endoscopic accessories through the channels to the patient.
Existing assemblies with sheaths, some containing multiple channels, can allow more than one task to be performed at the same time. For example, the sheath can reduce contamination while the channels are used to perform a biopsy. However, additional tasks cannot be completed without first removing the endoscope from the patient and then inserting another instrument or instruments to perform the additional task. For example, to dilate a passageway, an endoscope may be used to view the area to be dilated, but then the endoscope would have to be removed and another instrument such as a balloon catheter would need to be inserted to carry out the dilation procedure. Such processes increase the likelihood of contamination, the time required to complete a procedure and the cost due to the need to purchase separate instruments for each procedure. Accordingly, there is a need for an endoscopic assembly that can carry out multiple tasks without requiring the removal of instruments from the body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a surgical assembly that provides improved capability to perform other functions while the assembly remains in the patient. The present invention accomplishes this result by increasing the capabilities and functionality of a sheath used to enclose an endoscope and/or other surgical devices being placed internally in a patient.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention, in one embodiment, comprises a sheath for enclosing a surgical scope, the sheath comprising an elongated flexible tube adapted to coaxially surround a surgical scope; one or more elongated passages aligned axially within the tube; the elongated tube being adapted for axial extension or contraction to either lengthen or shorten the length of the tube while respectively diminishing or enlarging the radial dimensions thereof.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a surgical assembly comprising an elongated flexible outer tube; a scope coaxially disposed within the elongated tube; one or more elongated passages aligned axially within the outer tube; the elongated outer tube being adapted for axial extension to lengthen or retraction to shorten the length of the tube while respectively diminishing or enlarging the radial dimensions thereof. The assembly may also include channels running alongside the endoscope that are open on each end to allow for medical instruments to be used at the distal end of the assembly within the patient. A distal housing may also be disposed at a distal end of the assembly, the housing having a suction chamber and an endoscope entry chamber. The mesh sheath may be hermetically sealed to reduce contamination of the assembly and channels.
The present invention also provides a method of using a surgical assembly having an elongated flexible outer tube, the outer tube being adapted for axial extension to lengthen or retraction to shorten the length of the tube while respectively diminishing or enlarging the radial dimensions thereof, comprising the steps of placing an endoscope having a distal end within an elongated flexible tube; inserting the tube, with the endoscope disposed within it, into a body cavity of a patient for viewing the interior of the body cavity; and using the endoscope to view through a window in a distal housing disposed at the distal end of the assembly. Another method of using the assembly includes using the channels within the assembly to perform procedures within the body cavity of the patient. Additional methods expand the diameter of the mesh sheath by dilating the sheath with cylindrical rods in place of the endoscope, with a dilation balloon, or by compressing the sheath longitudinally to cause the sheath to expand laterally.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
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Chin Yem
Chu Michael S. H.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Hirsch Paul J.
Sci-Med Life Systems, Inc.
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