Deformable plastic surgical clip

• US 4,983,176 A
• Filed: 03/06/1989
• Issued: 01/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Spinnaker R&D Associates, The University of New Mexico
• Original Assignee: The University of New Mexico
• Inventors: Cushman, Robert, Zhu, Yong H., Kirsch, Wolff M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/319,297
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 128/325, 128/337, 128/346, 128/335, 606/139, 606/142, 606/157, 606/158, 606/151
• US Class Current: 606/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/083 Clips, e.g. resilient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/10 for applying or removing wound clamps, e.g. containing only one clamp or staple A61B17/076 takes precedence; containing multiple wound clamps A61B17/068; Wound clamp magazines containers, packaging elements or packages specially adapted for particular articles or with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00, B65D85/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/11 for performing anastomosis; Buttons for anastomosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1114 of the digestive tract, e.g. bowels or oesophagus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1107 for blood vessels

Abstract

A plastic surgical clip comprises a pair of arms having inturned opposing tips, the arms being joined by a bridge having a lesser cross-section to provide a locus for bending by drawing the ears in parallel directions against an intermediate support.

Claims

1. A method of joining tissue edges with a surgical clip having holding ears thereon, comprising steps of

holding said clip by its ears with a tool,

supporting said clip against rearward movement at a point midway between its ears, while

pulling back on said ears to open said clip,

placing said arms over said tissue edges, and then

releasing said ears from said tool, thereby allowing the clip to spring back in position over said tissues.

2. A surgical clipping system, comprising a surgical clip comprising

a unitary body made of plastic, said body including

a pair of arms having opposed inturned tips,

a bridge interconnecting said arms, the arms extending in a forward direction from opposite edges of the bridge, and

a pair of ears extending in opposite directions from the ends of said bridge, said bridge having a substantially flat rearward edge, in combination with

a tool having a pair of spaced jaws with opposed grooves therein for engaging said clip ears, and an anvil between said jaws and relatively movable with respect thereto, for applying bending forces to said bridge between said ears so as to open said clip,

said grooves and ears being complementary and configured to allow said clip to escape from said grooves after a predetermined amount of bending of said bridge.