System comprising endoscope and endoscopic instruments

• US 20030139752A1
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Onuki, Yoshio, Yamamoto, Tetsuya, Pasricha, Pankaj Jay, Kawashima, Koichi, Suzuki, Keita, Arai, Keiichi, Kimura, Koh, Kobayashi, Tsukasa, Sugi, Yoshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,142,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/139
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0467 Instruments for cutting sutures surgical cutting instruments A61B17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0482 Needle or suture guides guides for drills, pins or wire A61B17/17; for puncturing needles A61B17/3403
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0483 Hand-held instruments for holding sutures A61B17/0469 takes precedence; other holders for needles or sutures A61B17/06061; surgical forceps A61B17/28; surgical pincettes A61B17/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0485 Devices or means, e.g. loops, for capturing the suture thread and threading it through an opening of a suturing instrument or needle eyelet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32056 Surgical snare instruments for removing or smashing calculi A61B2017/2212; tonsillotomes A61B17/26
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0464 for soft tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/047 having at least one proximally pointing needle located at the distal end of the instrument, e.g. for suturing trocar puncture wounds starting from inside the body J-shaped suture needles A61B2017/0608
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0472 Multiple-needled, e.g. double-needled, instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0474 Knot pushers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0475 using sutures having a slip knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06052 Needle-suture combinations in which a suture is extending inside a hollow tubular needle, e.g. over the entire length of the needle hollow suture needles A61B2017/061
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/061 hollow or tubular suture extending inside a hollow needle A61B2017/06052; hollow sutures A61B2017/06185
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2905 flexible

Abstract

A tissue puncturing system used to suture tissues in a body cavity including: an endoscope; a flexible sheath having a distal portion provided with at least a side opening and a lumen, through which an endoscope may pass; at least one mechanism for puncturing tissue disposed in the flexible sheath, and having a pointed end, which is movable from a first position to a second position; and an operation mechanism for moving the mechanism for puncturing between the first and second positions.

Claims

1. A tissue puncturing system used to suture tissues in a body cavity comprising:

an endoscope;

a flexible sheath having a distal portion provided with at least a side opening, and a lumen through which the endoscope may pass;

at least one puncturing member disposed in the flexible sheath, and having a pointed end, which end is movable from a first position to a second position;

an operating puncture member for moving the puncturing member between the first and second positions; and

a suction system for creating a negative pressure on an interior of the flexible sheath to suck a living tissue from the side opening to the interior of the flexible sheath.

2. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein the suction system comprises a suction channel provided in the. endoscope and a suction source connected to a proximal end of the suction channel.

3. A tissue puncturing system according to Claim 1, wherein the suction system comprises a suction channel connected to a proximal end of the flexible sheath and a suction source connected to a proximal end of the suction channel.

4. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheath is transparent in the vicinity of the side opening.

5. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein the distal portion of the flexible sheath is detachable.

6. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the at least one puncturing member has an inner cavity.

7. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1 further comprising:

an airtight valve provided at the distal end of the flexible sheath, the airtight valve is closed when the endoscope is brought within the flexible sheath, and the airtight valve is open when the endoscope is extracted from the flexible sheath; and

wherein the tissue puncturing system is constructed to maintain air-tightness between the interior and an exterior except for the side opening when the airtight valve is closed.

8. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein the first position is located proximal to the side opening and the second position is distal to the side opening.

9. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein the first position is located distal to the side opening and the second position is proximal to the side opening.

10. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one puncturing member comprises two puncturing members which are provided substantially parallel and maintained at a fixed distance with each other in the flexible sheath.

11. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 10, wherein at least a portion of one of the two puncturing members is detachably provided with at least a portion of the suture;

and

wherein the other of the two puncturing members is provided with a holding suture member for receiving and holding the suture.

12. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the at least one puncturing members is detachably provided with at least a portion of the suture, and a suture holding member for receiving and holding the suture is provided in one of the flexible sheath or the endoscope.

13. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 10,

wherein the flexible sheath contains a suture at least a portion of it is detachable, holding suture members provided for each of the two puncturing members for receiving and holding the suture;

and

wherein the suture and the holding suture members are arranged so that one of the holding suture members holds one end of the suture and the other of the holding suture members holds another end of the suture.

14. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one puncturing member contains detachable distal puncturing portions, each of the distal puncturing portions is connected to a suture;

and

wherein a suture holding member for receiving and holding the suture is provided in one of the flexible sheath or the endoscope.

15. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 1 further comprising:

tissue fixing members, each of which is adapted to be set in the vicinity of a pointed end of the at least one puncturing member and having a length greater than the diameter of the puncture hole created after the at least one puncturing member penetrates body tissue;

sutures respectively connected to the tissue fixing members and passing through the internal channel of the at least one puncturing member; and

a pusher for pushing the tissue fixing members inserted through an internal channel of the at least one puncturing member out of the pointed end.

16. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the at least one puncturing member has an inner cavity.

17. A tissue puncturing system according to claim 15, wherein each of the sutures is connected to a center of a surface of the tissue fixing members.