Phlebectomy illumination device and methods
First Claim
1. An apparatus for subcutaneous illumination of a blood vessel, said apparatus comprising:
- a handle;
an illuminator portion extending distally from said handle, said illuminator portion comprising an elongate member configured for insertion into subcutaneous tissue;
said illuminator portion comprising an elongate electroluminescent device extending along said illuminator portion, said electroluminescent device being configured to generate and emit light primarily in a generally radial direction, outward and away from a longitudinal axis of said illuminator portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure relates to the use of subcutaneous illumination during phlebectomy procedures, and to devices and methods for performing hook phlebectomy while visualizing veins and surrounding tissue using light emitted subcutaneously and beneath the surgical area. An apparatus comprises, in one embodiment, a handle, an illuminator portion extending distally from the handle, the illuminator portion comprising an elongate member configured for insertion into subcutaneous tissue, the illuminator portion comprising an elongate electroluminescent device extending along the illuminator portion, the electroluminescent device being configured to generate and emit light primarily in a generally radial direction, outward and away from a longitudinal axis of the illuminator portion. Furthermore, a phlebectomy hook is provided that comprises, in one embodiment, a shaft, a bend extending generally laterally from the shaft, the bend terminating in a tip of the phlebectomy hook, and an illuminator, the illuminator configured to propagate a visible light beam near the bend, generally outward relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. An apparatus for subcutaneous illumination of a blood vessel, said apparatus comprising:
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a handle;
an illuminator portion extending distally from said handle, said illuminator portion comprising an elongate member configured for insertion into subcutaneous tissue;
said illuminator portion comprising an elongate electroluminescent device extending along said illuminator portion, said electroluminescent device being configured to generate and emit light primarily in a generally radial direction, outward and away from a longitudinal axis of said illuminator portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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4. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said solid state light emitters comprise LEDs.
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12. A method of enhancing visibility of a blood vessel in subcutaneous tissue, said method comprising:
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passing light through said tissue and said blood vessel;
with said light, highlighting said blood vessel against a surrounding portion of said subcutaneous tissue. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A phlebectomy hook comprising:
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a shaft;
a bend extending generally laterally from said shaft, said bend terminating in a tip of said phlebectomy hook; and
an illuminator, said illuminator configured to propagate a visible light beam near said bend, generally outward relative to a longitudinal axis of said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification