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Minimally invasive methods and apparatus

  • US 8,734,362 B2
  • Filed: 07/26/2006
  • Issued: 05/27/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A lung biopsy device for use in extracting target tissue from the lung by passing through the intercostal region of a patient'"'"'s chest wall and passing through the plural space of the patient'"'"'s chest, the device comprising:

  • a biopsy tool and a bladed pull-type cutting device having a first reduced diameter with blades retracted and a second inflated enlarged diameter with blades deployed;

    the biopsy tool comprising;

    a set of sequentially applied hollow needles each needle having a needle distal end; and

    a deployable and retractable snare, the needle distal end sharpened so as to pass through tissue, the needle defining a needle bore, the snare including a snare shaft and a snare head at a distal end of the snare shaft, the snare head adapted to collapse to a low-profile state when housed within the needle bore and deploy to a higher profile when extended from the needle bore, the snare adapted to be advanced beyond the needle distal end after the needle distal end is advanced beyond the target tissue, and extends through said tissue, hereby defining a tissue track, and thereby anchoring the snare proximate said target tissue, thereby permitting over the snare shaft exchange of sequential hollow needles to enlarge and dilate said tissue track by passage through said intercostal regionthe snare having a snare coupling element;

    the pull-type cutting device comprising;

    a shaft having a shaft distal end and a shaft proximal end and a lumen extending there through;

    a cutting head disposed about the shaft distal end, the cutting head including an expandable portion having a bladed cutting portion proximal from the shaft distal end, the expandable portion in fluid communication with a fluid lumen which is adapted to supply fluid to the expandable portion so as to inflate the expandable portion to a second enlarged diameter from a collapsed uninflated diameter, the lumen adapted to pass over a guide wire or snare shaft, at the shaft distal end the expandable portion defining a cavity, extending from the cutting portion are a plurality of cutting elements, the expandable portion distal end including a cutting device coupling element adapted to couple with the snare coupling element, the expandable portion adapted to couple with the snare head and remove tissue along said tissue track defined by said snare location, by the retrograde retraction of the pull-type cutting device without moving said snare head.

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