Blood vessel clip applicator

• US 6,537,289 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Surgical Innovations Incorporated (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: General Surgical Innovations Incorporated (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Jervis, James E., Kayan, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/689,220
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 606/157, 606/158
• US Class Current: 606/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/122 Clamps or clips , e.g. for the umbilical cord for the vas deferens A61F6/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1227 Spring clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0042 with special provisions for gripping
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00429 with a roughened portion

Abstract

A blood vessel clip, preferably comprising spring quality material, has a head connected to a first leg and a second leg. Preferably, the two legs of the blood vessel clip are in a “V” configuration so that a blood vessel can be located therebetween. The blood vessel clip is adapted so that, when forced axially through a constricted region of a clip applicator, a compressive force is exerted on the head by the constricted region. This compressive force causes the legs of the clip to move closer relative to one another, thereby closing the clip and occluding a blood vessel located between the two legs. A variety of blood vessel clips having different shapes, cross-sections and grooves suitable for occluding a blood vessel are described.

Claims

1. A blood vessel clip, comprising:

a head defining first and second planes;

a first leg extending from the head and comprising spring-quality material, a proximal end, and a distal end; and

a second leg extending from the head and comprising spring-quality material, a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the first leg substantially crossing the proximal end of the second leg such that the first leg and the second leg lie in planes separate from the planes defined by the head, and the first leg and the second leg define a space adapted to receive a blood vessel;

wherein the blood vessel clip has a resting, normally open state and a closed state, the distal ends of the first and second legs being biased away from each other in the open state when a compressive force is not applied to the head, the blood vessel clip being compressible from the open state to the closed state by application of a compressive force to the head.

2. The blood vessel clip of claim 1, further comprising:

a first curled member extending from the distal end of the first leg; and

a second curled member extending from the distal end of the second leg.

3. The blood vessel clip of claim 2, wherein the first and second curled members intersect.

4. The blood vessel clip of claim 1, wherein the head is substantially circular.

5. The blood vessel clip of claim 1, wherein, in the closed state, the first and second legs occlude a blood vessel located in the space therebetween.

6. The blood vessel clip of claim 1, wherein the head has a maximum width greater than a width defined by the first and second legs where the first and second legs extend from the head.

7. A blood vessel clip, comprising:

a head having a proximal end, a first member, and a second member, the first and second members extending from the proximal end substantially linearly outward to a maximum width, and extending from the maximum width substantially linearly inward, the first member connecting to a first leg and the second member connecting to a second leg;

a first leg having a distal end, and a proximal end connected to the first member of the head; and

a second leg having a distal end, and a proximal end connected to the second member of the head, the first and second legs forming a space to receive a blood vessel;

wherein the blood vessel clip has a resting, normally open state and a closed state, the blood vessel clip compressible from the open state to the closed state by application of a compressive force to the head, the distal ends of the first and second legs being apart in the open state in the absence of the compressive force, and the blood vessel clip comprising substantially annealed metal.

8. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein the first leg, second leg, and head have a substantially triangular cross section.

9. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein the first leg has a grooved first leg inner surface and the second leg has a grooved second leg inner surface substantially facing the first leg inner surface.

10. The blood vessel clip of claim 9, wherein the grooved portions of the first leg inner surface are offset relative to the grooved portions of the second leg inner surface.

11. The blood vessel clip of claim 9, wherein the first and second legs each have a longitudinal axis, and the grooved first and second leg inner surfaces are oriented transaxially to the respective longitudinal axis of each leg.

12. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein the first leg has a first leg inner surface having a plurality of sawteeth angled substantially toward the head, and the second leg has a second leg inner surface in opposing relation to the first leg inner surface and having a plurality of sawteeth angled substantially toward the head.

13. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, further comprising:

a first leg inner surface on the first leg comprising a first section having a plurality of sawteeth angled substantially toward the head, and a second section having a plurality of sawteeth angled substantially away from the head, the second section located closer to the head than the first section; and

a second leg inner surface on the second leg and facing the first leg inner surface, comprising a first section having a plurality of sawteeth angled substantially toward the head, and a second section having a plurality of sawteeth angled substantially away from the head, the second section located closer to the head than the first section.

14. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein the head substantially has the shape of a diamond missing one corner.

15. The blood vessel clip of claim 14, further comprising:

a grooved first leg inner surface on the first leg; and

a grooved second leg inner surface on the second leg, the grooved second leg inner surface substantially facing and diagonally opposed to the grooved first leg inner surface.

16. The blood vessel clip of claim 14, further comprising:

a vertically grooved first leg inner surface on the first leg;

a vertically grooved second leg inner surface on the second leg; and

a keyway in the first leg inner surface, the head, and the second leg inner surface, wherein the keyway lies in a plane that substantially bisects the blood vessel clip.

17. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein the first leg, the second leg and the head each have a substantially circular cross section.

18. The blood vessel clip of claim 17, further comprising vertical grooves cut into the first leg and the second leg, the vertical grooves on the first leg substantially facing the vertical grooves cut into the second leg.

19. The blood vessel clip of claim 17, wherein the first leg has a substantially planar, vertically-grooved first leg inner surface and the second leg has a substantially planar, vertically-grooved second leg inner surface substantially facing the first leg inner surface.

20. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, further comprising:

a mating bend extending laterally from the first leg and having an inner surface; and

a mating surface on the second leg adapted to fit substantially into the inner surface of the mating bend when the blood vessel clip is in the closed state.

21. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein the head is wider than the distance between the first and second legs at a location where the first and second legs connect to the head.

22. The blood vessel clip of claim 7, wherein, in the closed state, the head is deformed.