SPACE ENSURING DEVICE

• US 20110071342A1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: OKAZAKI, Yoshiro, Sugahara, Michihiro, Kaneko, Mamoru
• Granted Patent: US 8,808,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/37
• 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 17/3431 being collapsible, e.g. made of thin flexible material A61B17/3423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3478 Endoscopic needles, e.g. for infusion biopsy needles A61B10/0233; catheters with injection needles A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00247 Making holes in the wall of the heart, e.g. laser Myocardial revascularization
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00876 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0237 for heart surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/308 with suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/3449 whereby the instrument channels merge into one single channel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00392 Transmyocardial revascularisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3618 with a mirror
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1047 having centering means, e.g. balloons having an appropriate shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/04 in the body, e.g. expansible A61M25/10, A61M16/0488 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1011 Multiple balloon catheters

Abstract

In a pericardioscopic procedure, without providing an endoscope or surgical instrument with special space ensuring means and without unnecessarily dilating the pericardial space, a space necessary for operation of the endoscope or surgical instrument is ensured, so that maneuverability is improved while suppressing complications. Provided is a space ensuring device comprising: a pericardium pressing part for pressing a pericardium from the pericardial space side; a heart pressing part for pressing the surface of a heart from the pericardial space side; and an interconnecting part interconnecting the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part, wherein the interconnecting part generates the resilient force enabling expansion against a pressure applied by a pericardium and a heart so as to ensure a space between the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part.

Claims

1. A space ensuring device comprising:

a pericardium pressing part for pressing a pericardium from the pericardial space side;

a heart pressing part for pressing the surface of a heart from the pericardial space side; and

an interconnecting part interconnecting the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part,

wherein the interconnecting part generates the resilient force enabling expansion against a pressure applied by a pericardium and a heart so as to ensure a space between the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part.

2. A space ensuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the pericardium pressing part is formed in a plate shape, and

wherein a reflecting surface that reflects illuminating light is provided on a face of the pericardium pressing part opposite the side that comes into contact with the pericardium.

3. A space ensuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the pericardium pressing part has a pericardium-side opening through which the space is opened to the pericardium side,

wherein the heart pressing part has a heart-side opening through which the space is opened to the heart side, and

wherein the interconnecting part is formed in a ring shape that becomes progressively wider from the pericardium pressing part toward the heart pressing part.

4. A space ensuring device according to claim 3, wherein the interconnecting part has an outer surface formed of an outward convex curved surface at least in the vicinity of the pericardium pressing part.

5. A space ensuring device according to claim 3, wherein the interconnecting part has an outer surface formed of an outward concave curved surface at least in the vicinity of the heart pressing part.

6. A space ensuring device according to claim 4, wherein one or more grooves extending from an outer edge of the heart pressing part to an inner edge of the pericardium-side opening are provided on the outer surface.

7. A space ensuring device according to claim 5, wherein one or more grooves extending from an outer edge of the heart pressing part to an inner edge of the pericardium-side opening are provided on the outer surface.

8. A space ensuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the heart pressing part is formed in a substantially U shape surrounding a part of the space, and

wherein the interconnecting part has an opening communicating between the interior and exterior of the space.

9. A space ensuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the interconnecting part has an opening communicating between the interior and exterior of the space, and

wherein the heart pressing part, at least on a part thereof, has an inclined surface that becomes higher from the outside toward the inside of the opening.

10. A space ensuring device according to claim 1, having a plurality of division lines for dividing the space ensuring device into a plurality of segments.

11. A space ensuring device according to claim 1, formed of a biocompatible plastic or metallic material.

12. A space ensuring device according to claim 1, formed of a biocompatible plastic or metallic material.

13. A space ensuring device according to claim 8, formed of a biocompatible plastic or metallic material.

14. A space ensuring device according to claim 1, comprising attaching means for attaching the heart pressing part to the surface of the heart.

15. A space ensuring device according to claim 14, wherein the attaching means attaches the heart pressing part to the surface of the heart by using a negative pressure.

16. A space ensuring device according to claim 14, wherein the attaching means includes a magnet that is provided at a location either inside the heart or at the heart pressing part and a magnet or magnetic material provided at the other location.

17. A space ensuring device according to claim 1, wherein deformable between a contracted state in which the space ensuring device can be accommodated inside a guide tube that is inserted into a pericardial space and an expanded state in which the space ensuring device is released out of the guide tube and is thereby expanded.

18. A space ensuring method comprising:

inserting a space ensuring device according to claim 1 that is accommodated inside a guide tube into a pericardial space; and

releasing the space ensuring device out of the guide tube to expand so as to ensure a space between a heart and a pericardium.