Surgery – Instruments – Suture – ligature – elastic band or clip applier
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-21
2001-05-22
Recla, Henry J. (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Suture, ligature, elastic band or clip applier
Reexamination Certificate
active
06235040
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of tissue ligation, and more particularly to an improved device for dispensing ligating bands.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Physicians have used elastic ligating bands to treat lesions, including internal hemorrhoids and mucositis and for performing mechanical hemostasis. The object of such ligation is to position a ligating band, which is usually elastic, over the targeted lesion or blood vessel section by first stretching the band beyond its undeformed diameter and then drawing the tissue to be ligated within the band. Thereafter the band is released so that it contracts, applying inward pressure on the section of tissue caught within the band. The effect of the inward pressure applied by the band is to stop all circulation through the targeted tissue, thereby causing the tissue to die. The body then sloughs off the dead tissue and the tissue passes naturally through the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,844 to Zaslavsky et al. (“the Zaslavsky patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,416 to Chu et al. (“the Chu patent”), which are incorporated herein by reference, describe ligating band dispensing devices each including a substantially cylindrical support surface over which elastic ligating bands are stretched. The cylindrical support surface is typically attached to the distal end of an endoscope which is advanced into the body to a target area. A user then applies suction through the endoscope to draw the tissue to be ligated into the cylindrical support surface and releases a ligating band to contract around the tissue.
Previous ligating band dispensers allowed a user to dispense only a single ligating band at a time. That is, after a single ligating band was dispensed, if a user wanted to ligate another portion of tissue, the user would remove the device from the patient's body, load a new ligating band on the device and reinsert the device to the desired area within the patient's body. The devices of the Zaslavsky and Chu patents allow a user to place several ligating bands at desired locations without removing the device from the patient's body to reload ligating bands. However, the Zaslavsky patent teaches the use of multiple strings to deploy the multiple bands (i.e. a separate pull string for each band), while the Chu patent teaches a ligator including multiple housing and piston segments to deploy the multiple bands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,453 to Ahmed shows a device in which multiple cords
103
extend from a line element
105
to engage each of a plurality of ligating bands
50
. Specifically, each of the cords
103
includes a plurality of knots
109
which are located proximally of each band
50
so that, when the line
105
is drawn proximally, each of the cords
103
is drawn proximally with one knot
109
on each cord
103
being moved distally an equal distance. Each of the knots
109
is substantially equally spaced about the circumference of the adapter
102
so that the force applied via the line
105
is distributed around the circumference of each of the bands
50
and an incrementally increasing amount of slack ensures that when the distal most remaining band
50
is deployed, none of the remaining bands is moved toward the edge of the adapter
102
.
However, the multiple cords
103
extend distally across the field of vision of the endoscope impairing the vision of the operator. In addition, these symmetrically distributed cords
103
cause the line
105
to extend substantially centrally through the lumen of the endoscope, thereby limiting the operator's ability to use this lumen to operate other devices. Finally, as seen in
FIG. 18
, the cords
103
extend within the adapter
102
in a substantially cone shaped form, coming together at the connector
106
. This may impede the drawing of lesion tissue into the adapter
102
under suction or, alternatively, may result in unintended deployment of the bands
50
as the tissue drawn into the adapter
102
pushes the connector
106
proximally. Finally, assembling a device as described in this patent can be very labor intensive—requiring proper placement of all of the multiple cords
103
and the corresponding slack segments with each of the cords being arranged so that the knots
109
are properly positioned with respect to the bands
50
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a ligating band dispenser, comprising a substantially cylindrical support surface capable of holding a plurality of ligating bands, the support surface having a channel extending substantially axially therethrough, wherein a plurality of slots extend away from a distal end of the support surface through at least a portion of the support surface. The ligating band dispenser includes a pull line having a plurality of increased diameter abutting portions, each of the abutting portions having a diameter greater than a diameter of the pull line, the abutting portions defining a plurality of segments therebetween, wherein the pull line extends through the slots with each of the abutting portions being retained within the channel by contact with a corresponding one of the slots and wherein each of the segment segments loops around a corresponding one of the ligating bands.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5968056 (1999-10-01), Chu et al.
Chin Yem
Chu Michael S. H.
Bui Vy Q.
Kenyon & Kenyon
Recla Henry J.
Sci-Med Life Systems, Inc.
LandOfFree
Single pull wire multiple band ligator does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Single pull wire multiple band ligator, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Single pull wire multiple band ligator will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2465384