Surgery – Means for inserting fibrous or foraminous resident packing,...
Reexamination Certificate
1993-09-24
2001-06-19
Ruhl, Dennis (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means for inserting fibrous or foraminous resident packing,...
C600S104000, C600S572000, C128S898000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248088
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to medical packing and, more particularly, to packing devices and methods for endoscopically performed operative procedures.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Endoscopically performed operative procedures are preferred for surgery on the human body due to their least invasive nature and reduced trauma and tissue damage as compared with open surgery. There are many common endoscopically performed operative procedures including, for example, laparoscopy (pelviscopy), gastroentroscopy, laryngobronchoscopy and arthroscopy. While endoscopically performed operative procedures are preferred, there are obstacles to expanding endoscopy to include the various procedures currently performed with open surgery. One of the obstacles is that packing of the internal operative site has not been able to be accomplished in the past due to the fact that access to the operative site is available only through a narrow portal normally including a cylindrical sleeve positioned by means of a puncturing instrument. Without packing, endoscopic procedures are much more difficult and dangerous to perform, even with the use of instruments particularly useful in endoscopy, such as laser and electrosurgical instruments, since the tissue or organ structure cannot be adequately exposed and manipulated, the surrounding tissue and organ structure is not protected during the procedure and body fluids cannot be removed from the operative site without the use of expensive and cumbersome suction equipment.
There is a great need to expand the types of procedures that can be endoscopically performed in order to decrease trauma and recovery time for patients while simultaneously reducing medical costs. Accordingly, much effort has been expended in the development of endoscopic instruments for specific procedures; however, to date, no adequate system has been devised to permit packing during endoscopically performed operative procedures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a packing device for use in endoscopically performed operative procedures to expand the types of procedures that can be performed endoscopically while increasing patient safety and exposure of operative sites in endoscopic procedures presently being performed.
Another object of the present invention is to form a packing device of an elongate strip of absorbable material having a rigid dry state allowing passage through a narrow endoscopic portal and permitting tissue manipulation and precise positioning at an internal operative site to expose tissue and organ structures to be treated, absorb body fluids and protect adjacent tissue and organ structures.
A further object of the present invention is to pack an internal operative site through a narrow endoscopic portal using a strip of absorbent material having a rigid, dry state prior to use and a soft flexible, wet state when exposed to body fluids.
Yet an additional object of the present invention is to endoscopically pack an internal operative site using a strip of absorbent material having a relatively straight configuration in a dry state and assuming a different, non-straight configuration in a wet state to allow the strip of material to have a predetermined configuration when positioned at the operative site to absorb body fluids.
Some of the advantages of the present invention over the prior art are that precise packing at an internal operative site is accomplished via a narrow portal thereby expanding the types of procedures that can be performed endoscopically and, further, increasing safety and efficacy in endoscopic procedures in general, that the packing device is rigid or stiff in a dry state to allow precise placement thereof as well as manipulation of tissue, that the packing device facilitates removal of infected fluids, such as pus, and abnormal fluids, such as cystic fluids, that the packing device serves as a culturing medium to identify specific infected organisms, that the packing device can apply medicaments to tissue, and that, when a plurality of packing devices are used in an endoscopic procedure, each packing device is individually identified externally to facilitate manipulation.
The present invention is generally characterized in a packing device formed of an elongate strip of absorbent, preferably expandable, material having a rigid dry state of a size to permit passage through a narrow endoscopic portal to an internal operative site and having a soft, flexible or rigid, wet state when body fluids are absorbed thereby. A method of packing an internal operative site during an endoscopically performed procedure includes inserting a rigid strip of absorbent, preferably expandable, material through a narrow endoscopic portal and positioning the strip of material at the operative site such that at least a portion of the strip of material absorbs body fluids to soften the material.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP
Ruhl Dennis
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