Method for applying a ligation clip

• US 6,652,539 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microline Surgical, Inc. (Hoya Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Surgicon, Inc.
• Inventors: Satterfield, James A., Shepard, Steven Y., Shipp, John I.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEHNER, CARY ELLEN
• Application Number:
  US10/082,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 606/139, 606/142, 606/143, 606/151, 606/157, 606/158
• US Class Current: 606/143
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1227 Spring clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery

Abstract

The ligation clip applicator and ligation clip design are provided which are particularly applicable to placement of a surgical ligation clip during a laparoscopic surgical procedure. The clip includes a support member and a clamping arm having enlarged portions thereon. The applicator device has a magazine including first and second longitudinally extending partially closed channels within which the enlarged portions of the support member and the clamping arm are received with the clip held in an open position. First and second articulated jaws are attached to the magazine and have first and second channel extensions therein aligned with the first and second channels of the magazine, so that a clip can be received from the magazine in the jaws with the first and second enlarged portions of the support member and the clamping arm being received in the first and second channel extensions of the jaws. The channel extensions include first and second releasing openings. The jaws are closed about a vessel to pre-clamp the vessel. The clip is pushed forward into the jaws to a position where the enlarged portions of the support member and the clamping arm are aligned with the releasing openings and the support member and the clamping arm are released allowing the support member and the clamping arm to move toward each other to ligate the vessel therebetween.

Claims

1. A method of ligating a lumen, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) loading a spring clip in a magazine, the magazine having first and second partially closed channels, and the spring clips having first and second enlarged portions received in the first and second partially closed channels so that the spring clip is held in an open position;

(b) advancing the spring clips in the magazine with the spring clips in the open position;

(c) preventing rotation of the spring clips by containing the first and second enlarged portions in the first and second partially closed channels of the magazine;

(d) pre-clamping the lumen;

(e) placing the spring clip over the lumen; and

(f) clamping the lumen with the spring clip.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises pre-clamping the lumen by movement of clamping surfaces in planes substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the lumen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

step (d) includes pre-clamping the lumen between a pair of jaws, each jaw being bifurcated to include first and second spaced jaw sides;

step (e) includes moving the spring clip from the magazine into the jaws; and

step (f) includes releasing the spring clip from the jaws.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of pre-clamping the lumen includes pre-clamping the lumen at first and second spaced clamping points along the length of the lumen.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of clamping the lumen includes clamping the lumen at a third point located between the first and second points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a height that is less than a height of the proximal end when the clip is in a closed position, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a transverse width that is greater than a transverse width of the proximal end of the clip, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

8. A method of ligating a stub end of a lumen, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a spring clip having a length and having two transversely extending clamping surfaces extending transverse to the length of the clip;

(b) orienting the clip with its length at an angle of less than 450 to a length of the stub end;

(c) extending the clip in a lengthwise direction to a position where the stub end of the lumen is located between the two transversely extending clamping surfaces; and

(d) releasing the clip and clamping the stub end of the lumen between the two transversely extending clamping surfaces.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of pre-clamping the stub end of the lumen between the blunt nose ends of a pair of articulated jaws prior to step (c).

10. A method of ligating a vessel, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) loading a resilient clip in a magazine with the clip in an open position, the clip having a support member and a clamping arm, the magazine having first and second partially closed channels adapted to hold the support member and clamping arm, respectively;

(b) advancing the clip through the magazine while the clip is held in the open position;

(c) placing the clip over the vessel to be ligated; and

(d) releasing the clip so that it moves toward a closed position thereby ligating the vessel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of loading the clip includes providing a frictional resistance to movement of the clips relative to the magazine.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the magazine has a plurality of resilient clips and the step of advancing the clip includes separately engaging each of a majority of the plurality of clips in the magazine, and separately simultaneously advancing each of the separately engaged clips.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a height that is less than a height of the proximal end when the clip is in a closed position, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a transverse width that is greater than a transverse width of the proximal end of the clip, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of pre-clamping the tissue before placing the clip over the tissue.

16. A method of ligating a vessel, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) loading a resilient clip in a magazine with the clip in an open position, the magazine having a plurality of resilient clips;

(b) separately engaging each of a majority of the plurality of clips in the magazine;

(c) separately simultaneously advancing each of the separately engaged clips through the magazine while the clip is held in the open position;

(d) placing the clip over the vessel to be ligated; and

(e) releasing the clip so that it moves toward a closed position thereby ligating the vessel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein during the step of loading the clip, the clip resiliently grips the magazine to provide a frictional resistance to movement of the clip relative to the magazine.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a height that is less than a height of the proximal end when the clip is in a closed position, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a transverse width that is greater than a transverse width of the proximal end of the clip, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of pre-clamping the tissue before placing the clip over the tissue.

21. A method of ligating tissue of the human body, the method comprising the steps of:

loading a resilient clip in a magazine with the clip in an open position, the clip having a support member and a clamping arm, the magazine having first and second partially closed channels adapted to hold the support member and clamping arm, respectively;

advancing the clip through the magazine while the clip is held in the open position;

placing the clip over the tissue to be ligated; and

releasing the clip so that it moves toward a closed position thereby ligating the tissue.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein during the step of loading the clip, the clip resiliently grips the magazine to provide a frictional resistance to movement of the clip relative to the magazine.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the magazine has a plurality of resilient clips and the step of advancing the clip includes separately engaging each of a majority of the plurality of clips in the magazine, and separately simultaneously advancing each of the separately engaged clips.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of placing the clip includes placing the clip over a cystic duct.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a height that is less than a height of the proximal end when the clip is in a closed position, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a transverse width that is greater than a transverse width of the proximal end of the clip, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of pre-clamping the tissue before placing the clip over the tissue.

28. A method of ligating tissue of the human body, the method comprising the steps of:

loading a resilient clip in a magazine with the clip in an open position, the magazine having a plurality of resilient clips;

separately engaging each of a majority of the plurality of clips in the magazine;

separately simultaneously advancing each of the separately engaged clips through the magazine while the clip is held in the open position;

placing the clip over the tissue to be ligated; and

releasing the clip so that it moves toward a closed position thereby ligating the tissue.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein during the step of loading the clip, the clip resiliently grips the magazine to provide a frictional resistance to movement of the clip relative to the magazine.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of placing the clip includes placing the clip over a cystic duct.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a height that is less than a height of the proximal end when the clip is in a closed position, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

32. The method of claims 28, wherein the step of loading includes loading a clip having a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the distal end having a transverse width that is greater than a transverse width of the proximal end of the clip, the distal end of the clip being loaded first into the magazine.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of pre-clamping the tissue before placing the clip over the tissue.