Methods and devices for cutting and collecting soft tissue

• US 20060224083A1
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Encapsule Medical, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rubicor Medical Incorporated (Encapsule Medical Devices LLC)
• Inventors: Vetter, James W., Chernomorsky, Ary S., Anderson, Scott C., Clifford, Mark J., Brounstein, Daniel M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,615,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/564
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0266 means for severing sample
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00287 Bags for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/008 Removal of tumors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00214 Expandable means emitting energy, e.g. by elements carried thereon
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00898 Alarms or notifications created in response to an abnormal condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/04 Processes

Abstract

Devices and methods for collecting or cutting and collecting a specimen from a mass of tissue within a patient. The device may include a specimen collection assembly including a flexible membrane that isolates collected specimen from the surrounding tissue. The collection device may also include structures that draw the collected specimen toward the shaft and/or otherwise ease the insertion and retraction of the device and the collected specimen from the patient through a small incision.

Claims

1. A device for collecting a specimen from a mass of tissue, comprising:

a shaft;

a specimen collection assembly configured to slide between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft and to selectively assume an expanded configuration and a retracted configuration, the specimen collection assembly including a flexible membrane configured to collect the specimen and to isolate the collected specimen from the mass of tissue.

2. The device of claim 1I, wherein a portion of the flexible membrane is attached to the distal end of the shaft.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the specimen collection assembly includes a cutting portion for cutting the specimen from a surrounding tissue.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible membrane is configured to isolate the collected specimen from the mass of tissue.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the shaft defines a proximal and a distal end and a channel between the proximal and distal ends and wherein the specimen collection assembly is configured to slide within the channel between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the shaft defines a proximal and a distal end and comprises a rail between the proximal and distal ends and wherein the specimen collection assembly is configured to slide on the rail between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft.

7. A method of collecting a specimen from a mass of tissue, comprising the steps of:

providing a tissue collection device comprising a shaft and a specimen collection assembly, the shaft defining a proximal and a distal end, the specimen collection assembly being configured to slide between the proximal and distal ends and to selectively expand away from the shaft and to contract toward the shaft, the specimen collection assembly including a flexible membrane configured to collect the specimen;

inserting the tissue collection device within the mass of tissue;

expanding the specimen collection assembly and collecting the specimen within the flexible membrane;

retracting the specimen collection assembly with the specimen collected within the flexible membrane;

sliding the retracted specimen collection assembly toward the proximal end of the shaft with the specimen collected within the flexible membrane.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tissue collection device in the providing step includes a tissue cutting portion to cut the specimen from the mass of tissue.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the collecting step collects the specimen cut from the cutting portion.

10. The method of claim 7, further including a step of sliding the specimen collection assembly toward the distal end of the shaft before the inserting step.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein, in the inserting step, the tissue collection device is in a configuration in which the specimen collection assembly is slid toward the distal end of the shaft.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of sliding the specimen collection assembly toward the distal end of the shaft before the expanding and collecting steps.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the tissue collection device in the providing step is configured such that a portion of the flexible membrane is attached to the distal end of the shaft, and wherein the sliding step draws the specimen collected within the flexible membrane toward the shaft.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of retracting the tissue collection device from the mass of tissue with the specimen collection assembly near the proximal end of the shaft and the specimen collected within the flexible membrane.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the retracting step isolates the specimen collected within the flexible membrane from the mass of tissue.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein, in the providing step, the shaft defines a channel between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft and wherein the sliding step slides the retracted specimen collection assembly within the channel.

17. The method of claim 7 wherein, in the providing step, the shaft includes a rail between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft and wherein the sliding step slides the retracted specimen collection assembly on the rail.

18. A method of collecting a specimen from a mass of tissue, comprising the steps of:

providing a tissue collection device comprising a shaft defining a proximal and a distal end, a sleeve disposed over at least a portion of the shaft and a specimen collection assembly configured to selectively expand away from the shaft and to retract toward the shaft and including a flexible membrane configured to collect the specimen, at least a portion of the flexible membrane being disposed between the shaft and the sleeve;

inserting the tissue collection device within the mass of tissue with the sleeve covering at least a portion of the sleeve and at least a portion of the specimen collection assembly;

expanding the specimen collection assembly and collecting the specimen within the flexible membrane, the expanding specimen collection assembly pulling the flexible membrane out from between the shaft and the sleeve, and

retracting the specimen collection assembly with the specimen collected within the flexible membrane.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising a step of proximally retracting the sleeve to expose the specimen collection assembly to the mass of tissue prior to the inserting step.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the inserting step is carried out with the sleeve defining a cutout aligned so as to allow the specimen collection assembly to expand and retract therethrough.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the providing step is carried out with at least the portion of the sleeve wrapped around an outer surface of the shaft.