Medical anastomosis apparatus

• US 6,440,163 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: St Jude Medical ATG Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: St Jude Medical ATG Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Swanson, William J., Galdonik, Jason A., Berg, Todd Allen, Wahlberg, Mark D., Thome, Scott P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, Howard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trinh, (Vikki) Hoa B.
• Application Number:
  US09/955,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20020022853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 606/153, 606/194, 604/96-104, 623/1-5-
• US Class Current: 623/1.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/064 Surgical staples, i.e. penetrating the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/11 for performing anastomosis; Buttons for anastomosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0641 having at least three legs as part of one single body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1135 End-to-side connections, e.g. T- or Y-connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1139 Side-to-side connections, e.g. shunt or X-connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/005 Rosette-shaped, e.g. star-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0067 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products into the body

Abstract

A connector for use in providing an anastomotic connection between two tubular body fluid conduits in a patient. The connector is preferably a single, integral, plastically deformable structure that can be cut from a tube. The connector has axial spaced portions that include members that are radially outwardly deflectable from other portions of the connector. The connector is annularly enlargeable so that it can be initially delivered and installed in the patient in a relatively small annular size and then annularly enlarged to provide the completed anastomosis. The radially outwardly deflected members of the first and second portions respectively engage the two body fluid conduits connected at the anastomosis and hold those two conduits together in fluid-tight engagement. Apparatus for use in delivering and deploying a connector is also disclosed.

Claims

1. Apparatus for inserting an annular graft connector, to which graft tissue is attached, into a side wall of a tubular body tissue conduit from outside the conduit comprising:

a substantially conical tip structure having a cone angle less than about 15°

, configured for passage through the side wall from outside the conduit starting with an apex of the cone, and further configured to receive and annularly surround at least a portion of the connector while leaving at least a portion of the graft tissue exposed and thus external to the confines of the tip structure; and

a shaft structure extending from the tip structure in a direction away from the apex and configured to receive the connector annularly around the shaft structure.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the cone angle is in the range from about 5°

to less than about 15°

.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the cone angle is in the range from about 5°

to about 10°

.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the tip structure is configured to receive and annularly surround at least a portion of the connector.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein an axial portion of the connector is configured to extend through the side wall of the conduit, and wherein the tip structure is configured to axially receive and annularly surround said axial portion of the connector.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a longitudinal guide structure extending axially from the apex in a direction away from the connector, the guide structure being configured to extend through an aperture in the side wall and then axially along a lumen inside the conduit.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein the guide structure is axially fixed to the tip structure.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein the tip structure and the shaft structure are axially reciprocable along the guide structure.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein the guide structure extends axially along a lumen through the tip structure and the shaft structure.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the shaft structure is configured to extend axially from the tip structure farther than the connector, and wherein the shaft structure is connected to the tip structure so that the shaft structure can be used to push the tip structure in the direction of the apex.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a radially expandable structure configured for disposition annularly around the shaft structure and inside the connector around the shaft structure.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 further comprising:

a tubular member configured for disposition around the shaft structure, the radially expandable structure being secured to the tubular member.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the tubular member and the radially expandable structure are reciprocable axially along the shaft structure.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the radially expandable structure comprises:

an inflatable annular balloon.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 4 further comprising:

a tubular member configured for disposition around the shaft structure and further configured for use in keeping the connector received by the tip structure.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 15 wherein the tubular member is further configured to be movable axially along the shaft structure.

17. The method of producing a hollow annular anastomotic connection between a first aperture in a side wall of a body tissue conduit in a patient and a second aperture in a side wall of a graft conduit relocated from elsewhere in the patient'"'"'s body comprising:

introducing a hollow annular connector into the graft conduit so that a first axial portion of the connector is disposed inside the graft conduit and a second axial portion of the connector extends out of the graft conduit via the second aperture and into the body tissue conduit via the first aperture; and

deforming the connector so that it presses together the side walls of the body tissue conduit and the graft conduit annularly around the first and second apertures.

18. The method defined in claim 17 further comprising:

shielding the second axial portion of the connector during at least part of the introducing.

19. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

unshielding the second axial portion of the connector after the shielding but prior to the deforming.

20. The method defined in claim 17 wherein the deforming comprises:

annularly enlarging the connector.

21. The method defined in claim 17 wherein the deforming comprises:

axially shortening the connector.

22. The method defined in claim 17 wherein the connector is disposed annularly around a selectively inflatable balloon, and wherein the deforming comprises:

inflating the balloon.

23. The method defined in claim 22 further comprising:

after the deforming, deflating the balloon.

24. The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:

after the deflating, removing the balloon from inside the connector and from the patient.