Annuloplasty ring delivery system
DCFirst Claim
1. A holder in combination with an annuloplasty ring, comprising:
- an annuloplasty ring;
a rigid body defining at least a partial circumferential edge about which the annuloplasty ring may be fitted, the body having a visibility window defined within the circumferential edge;
a plurality of cutting guides formed in the body adjacent the circumferential edge; and
a plurality of sutures tautly attaching the annuloplasty ring about the circumferential edge, both ends of each suture being secured to the rigid body with a middle portion threaded through the annuloplasty ring.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An assembly for holding a substantially flexible suture guide of predetermined length in a substantially taut position used to achieve a suture line having a dimension equal to the length of the suture guide, such as the circumference about a heart valve annulus. The assembly includes a rigid suture guide holder having a surface against which the length of suture guide is releasably positioned. The guide holder can have a shape or geometry, such as a circumference or circumferential segment, equivalent to the shape or geometry of the intended suture line. The shape of the guide holder can therefore be selected to hold the suture guide in the shape most advantageous to placing the desired suture line. The assembly further includes a mechanism for releasably binding the suture guide to the surface of the holder and a detachable handle extendibly attached to the holder by means of a lanyard so that the handle can be detached to afford an unobstructed view of the surgical site, but cannot be removed from the surgical site until the holder has also been removed.
253 Citations
55 Claims
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1. A holder in combination with an annuloplasty ring, comprising:
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an annuloplasty ring;
a rigid body defining at least a partial circumferential edge about which the annuloplasty ring may be fitted, the body having a visibility window defined within the circumferential edge;
a plurality of cutting guides formed in the body adjacent the circumferential edge; and
a plurality of sutures tautly attaching the annuloplasty ring about the circumferential edge, both ends of each suture being secured to the rigid body with a middle portion threaded through the annuloplasty ring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A substantially rigid holder in combination with an annuloplasty ring, comprising:
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a flexible annuloplasty ring;
a body having an outer edge for holding the flexible annuloplasty ring in a plane around the outer edge;
at least one thread releasably retaining the annuloplasty ring around the outer edge in a taut fashion;
a thread guide on the body spaced from the plane of the annuloplasty ring and including a surface supporting the thread, the thread guide having a cutting guide groove opening at the surface for insertion of a cutting tool therein to cut the thread and thereby release the annuloplasty ring from the holder. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
a plurality of apertures formed in the outer edge;
a plurality of the thread guides formed in the body adjacent the outer edge; and
wherein there are a plurality of the threads passing through the apertures and releasably attaching the annuloplasty ring about the outer edge.
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27. The holder of claim 26, wherein the apertures are disposed so that the sutures extend generally from the body through an inner circumference of the annuloplasty ring so that the outer circumference of the annuloplasty ring is unobstructed to aid in implantation.
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28. The holder of claim 26, wherein both ends of each thread are secured to the rigid body with a middle portion threaded through the annuloplasty ring.
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29. The holder of claim 20, further including a ring mounting surface, the annuloplasty ring being tautly positioned against the ring mounting surface by the thread.
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30. The holder of claim 29, wherein the ring mounting surface comprises an outwardly facing channel into which the annuloplasty ring is at least partially fitted.
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31. The holder of claim 30, wherein the outwardly facing channel comprises a groove against which the annuloplasty ring is releasably retained by the thread, and wherein the thread is affixed at both ends to the body with a first portion passing through the annuloplasty ring and a second portion passing across the thread guide, the thread being subdivided into two pieces when a cutting tool is inserted in the thread guide, each piece of the thread remaining affixed at one end to the body, with a free portion being pulled from within the annuloplasty ring by displacing the holder away from the annuloplasty ring, thereby releasing the ring from the groove.
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32. The holder of claim 20, further including a handle coupled to the body and formed to be gripped during the placement of sutures through the annuloplasty ring.
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33. The holder of claim 32, wherein a second thread releasably couples the body to the handle.
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34. The holder of claim 33, including a member positioned between the handle and the body and having a handle release groove accessible by a cutting tool to enable the tool to cut the second thread and un-couple the handle from the body.
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35. The holder of claim 34, wherein the member includes a raised platform on the body, the platform including the handle release groove.
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36. The holder of claim 32, further including a tether extendibly tethering the handle to the body.
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37. The holder of claim 36, wherein the tether comprises a spool of a length of filamentous material secured at one end to the body and at an opposite end to the handle.
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38. The holder of claim 37, wherein the handle includes a spool housing having a cavity for housing the spool.
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39. The holder of claim 38, wherein the spool housing includes first and second opposed slots for receiving dog ears provided on the spool.
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40. The combination of claim 20, wherein the outer edge is a groove.
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41. The combination of claim 20, wherein the outer edge is a trough.
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42. The combination of claim 20, wherein the outer edge is a depression.
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43. The combination of claim 20, wherein the outer edge is a channel.
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44. The combination of claim 20, wherein the outer edge is generally flat.
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45. A holder in combination with an annuloplasty ring, comprising:
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an annuloplasty ring;
a body having an outer circumferential edge shaped to match the shape of a healthy anatomical heart valve annulus;
a plurality of apertures in the body spaced around the circumferential edge;
a plurality of cutting guides spaced around the circumferential edge; and
a plurality of sutures securing the annuloplasty ring to the circumferential edge of the body, each suture being secured at both ends to the body and being threaded therebetween through a first aperture, through the annuloplasty ring, through a second aperture, across one of the cutting guides, through a third aperture, again through the annuloplasty ring, and through a fourth aperture. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification