Expandable medical access sheath

• US 10,426,451 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Carroux, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramana, Anu
• Application Number:
  US15/068,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00154 using guiding arrangements for insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/307 for the urinary organs, e.g. urethroscopes, cystoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0218 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0281, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3439 with means for changing the inner diameter of the cannula, e.g. expandable A61B17/3423, A61B17/3431 take precedence; catheters A61M25/0662
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00871 polymeric
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0225 flexible, e.g. fabrics, meshes, or membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/345 for introduction into a natural body opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0024 Expandable catheters or sheaths
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1089 Urethra
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0023 by the form of the lumen, e.g. cross-section, variable diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 Guide tubes

Abstract

A medical access sheath including a first member and a second member. The first member has a gap through a wall of the first member. The second member is connected to the first member. The first and second members form a tube. The wall of the first member forms a first wall portion of the tube. The second member extends across the gap such that the second member forms a second wall portion of the tube at the gap.

Claims

1. A medical access sheath comprising:

a first member, where the first member comprises a gap through a wall of the first member, where the first member comprises a first material; and

a second member connected to the first member, where the second member comprises a different second material,

where the first and second members form a tube, where the gap extends along a length of the tube measured along a longitudinal axis of the tube, where the wall of the first member forms a first wall portion of the tube along the length of the tube, and where the second member extends across the gap such that the second member forms a second wall portion of the tube at the gap along the length of the tube.

2. The medical access sheath as in claim 1 where the first member comprises a shape memory material, and where the second member comprises a polymer material.

3. The medical access sheath as in claim 1 where the second member comprises a foil, where the foil is substantially folded in a first configuration, and where the foil is substantially unfolded as a second configuration.

4. The medical access sheath as in claim 1 where the medical access sheath is reconfigurable between an expanded configuration and a deformed collapsed configuration, where in the expanded configuration the tube has a first cross-sectional size and in the deformed collapsed configuration the tube has a smaller second cross-sectional size, where the medical access sheath is configured to reconfigure from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration by an internal resilience force in the tube.

5. The medical access sheath as in claim 1 where the first member comprises a semi-circular portion and two movable flap portions extending from opposite sides of the semi-circular portion.

6. The medical access sheath as in claim 1 where the first and second members form a tube having a wall at least partially defining a channel through the tube, where the wall comprises:

the first member at a first side of the channel, and

the second member at a second side of the channel directly opposite the first side.

7. A medical access sheath comprising:

a tube, where the tube comprises a wall at least partially defining a channel through the tube, where the wall comprises;

a first member at a first side of the channel, where the first member comprises a gap therein, and

a second member at a second side of the channel, where the second member is connected to the first member to span across the gap at the second side of the channel,

where, when the second member is in a collapsed configuration, the second member is configured to retain the first member in a resiliently deformed collapsed shape, and

where, when the first member is in an expanded shape, the first member is configured to bias the second member in an expanded configuration of the second member across the gap.

8. The medical access sheath as in claim 7 where the first member comprises a first material, and where the second member comprises a different second material.

9. The medical access sheath as in claim 8 where the first member comprises a shape memory material, and where the second member comprises a polymer material.

10. The medical access sheath as in claim 7 where the second member comprises a foil, where the foil is substantially folded in the collapsed configuration, and where the foil is substantially unfolded in the expanded configuration.

11. The medical access sheath as in claim 7 where the medical access sheath is reconfigurable between a first configuration and a deformed second configuration, where in the first configuration the tube has a first cross-sectional size and in the deformed second configuration the tube has a smaller second cross-sectional size, where the medical access sheath is configured to reconfigure from the second configuration to the first configuration by an internal resilience force in the tube.

12. The medical access sheath as in claim 7 where the first member comprises a substantial semi-circular portion and two movable flap portions extending from opposite sides of the substantial semi-circular portion.

13. The medical access sheath as in claim 7, where the gap extends along a length of the first member measured along a longitudinal axis of the first member, and where the second member spans across the gap along the length.

14. A method comprising:

providing a first member, where the first member forms a channel with a gap through a wall of the first member into the channel; and

connecting a second member to the first member, where the second member extends across the gap of the first member, where the second member is deformable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration,

where the second member is connected to the first member such that, when the second member is in the collapsed configuration, the second member is configured to spring bias opposite sides of the wall of the first member at the gap towards each other to retain the first member in a resiliently deformed compressed shape.

15. The method as in claim 14 where the first member comprises a first material, and where the second member comprises a different second material.

16. The method as in claim 15 where the first member comprises a shape memory material, and where the second member comprises a polymer material.

17. The method as in claim 15 where the second member comprises a foil, where the foil is substantially folded in the collapsed configuration, and where the foil is substantially unfolded in the expanded configuration.

18. The method as in claim 14 where the first and second members form a tube at least partially defining a conduit including the channel, where the tube comprises:

the first member at a first side of the conduit, and

the second member at a second side of the conduit directly opposite the first side.

19. The method as in claim 14 where the gap extends along a length of the first member measured along a longitudinal axis of the first member, and where connecting the second member to the first member comprises connecting the second member at the gap along the length.