Ligating clip applier

• US 5,769,857 A
• Filed: 06/11/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sentron Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MGF Group Inc.
• Inventors: Karpov, Evgeniy Alekseevich, Reztzov, Alexander Vladimirovich
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, THUY D
• Application Number:
  US08/661,499
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 606/143, 606/142, 606/139, 606/151, 606/157, 606/158, 227/901, 227/902
• US Class Current: 606/143
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/081 Tissue approximator A61B2017/1103, A61B17/8866 take precedence

Abstract

This document discloses a ligating clip applier which initially closes and locks a pair of complementary jaws around tissue to be ligated allowing the isolation of tissue for inspection, with the option to reposition, to ensure appropriate ligation. Upon further activation, a U-shaped clip having a flat crown perpendicular to a pair of parallel legs with rounded ends is advanced into the locked jaws of the instrument and converged around the isolated tissue until ligation is completed.

Claims

1. A ligating clip applier that permits the isolation and inspection of the tissue to be ligated and produces a ligature that inflicts minimal tissue damage which comprises:

a handle assembly, including an activating mechanism,

an elongated shaft, containing a clip driver, connected to said activating mechanism and extending distally from said handle, and

a pair of jaws connected to the distal end of said elongated shaft said jaws including means, at the distal end of each jaw, for interlocking with each other and being responsive to sequential activation to close then to interlock, forming an enclosure for the isolation of tissue to be ligated, and coordinated tracks on said jaws for guiding a clip advanced by said driver into the distal end of said interlocked jaws where the distal ends of said clip are converged and pass unopposed to encircle and ligate tissue.

2. A ligating clip applier according to claim 1 further comprising a clip size adjustment means to control the distance between the distal end of the locked jaws and the distal end of the clip driver.

3. A ligating clip applier according to claim 1 wherein the jaws are closed by distal movement of an outer tube of the elongated shaft.

4. A ligating clip applier according to claim 1 wherein the shaft contains a supply of clips.

5. A ligating clip applier according to claim 1 wherein the clip driver includes means for advancing the clip into the interlocked jaws.

6. A ligating clip applier according to claim 1 wherein one of said pair of jaws has a double track so as to accommodate the unopposed, converging clip leg.

8. A ligating clip applier according to claim 1 wherein the activating mechanism further comprises a clip-size adjustment means which simultaneously transforms a single trigger motion into a jaw interlocking action, a clip advancing action and a clip forming action, said clip forming action being adjustable, controlling the distance between the distal end of the interlocked jaws and the distal end of the clip driver in its full forward position.

7. A method of applying a ligating clip to tissue structure said method comprising:

enclosing the tissue within a pair of jaws attached to the distal end of a ligating instrument,

interlocking said jaws at a distal point on each jaw,

forming the clip around the tissue structure by advancing the clip through guiding tracks within the inner surface of said jaws, and

converging and passing, unopposed, the distal ends of said clip around the tissue structure by continuing to advance the clip into the inner distal surface of said interlocked jaws.