Surgical method and prosthetic strip therefor

• US 5,922,026 A
• Filed: 05/01/1997
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Origin Medsystems Inc. (Eli Lilly and Company)
• Original Assignee: Origin Medsystems Inc. (Eli Lilly and Company)
• Inventors: Chin, Albert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David J.
• Application Number:
  US08/847,075
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 623/11, 623/12, 623/13, 606/151, 606/152, 606/213
• US Class Current: 623/23.72
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0057 Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1146 of tendons
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0045 Support slings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0063 Implantable repair or support meshes, e.g. hernia meshes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0068 having a special mesh pattern

Abstract

A prosthetic strip or patch and associated surgical procedures allow a surgeon to maneuver the strip or patch without the use of laparoscopic graspers. The prosthetic strip or patch includes pockets into which a fastener tool, used to secure the strip or patch to tissue or to ligaments in the body, is inserted in order to maneuver the strip or patch into selected position and then to tack or otherwise attach the strip or patch to tissue at the selected position.

Claims

1. A prosthetic strip for use in surgery to repair and/or augment soft tissue, comprising:

a length of material having at least two ends and two sides; and

two pockets situated on the material, each pocket located on a different one of the two ends and on a different one of the two sides, and each pocket being of a size and shape to receive a fastener tool.

2. The prosthetic strip according to claim 1, wherein the strip has a plurality of pockets on each one of the two sides of the strip, spaced along the length of the material.

3. The prosthetic strip according to claim 1, wherein the material is polypropylene mesh.

4. A prosthetic patch for use in surgery to repair and/or augment soft tissue comprising:

a substantially quadrilateral patch of material; and

four pockets each situated on a different corner of the material and each being of a size and shape to receive a fastener tool.

5. The prosthetic patch according to claim 4, wherein the material is polypropylene.