Space ensuring device

• US 8,808,173 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Okazaki, Yoshiro, Sugahara, Michihiro, Kaneko, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Ellen C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRAY, STUART SAMUEL
• Application Number:
  US12/884,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20110071342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 600/201, 600204-207, 600/212, 600/214, 600/219, 600/245, 600/246, 600237-244, 606248-249
• US Class Current: 600/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0218 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0281, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3431 being collapsible, e.g. made of thin flexible material A61B17/3423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3478 Endoscopic needles, e.g. for infusion biopsy needles A61B10/0233; catheters with injection needles A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00247 Making holes in the wall of the heart, e.g. laser Myocardial revascularization
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00876 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0237 for heart surgery endoscopic heart surgery A61B2017/00243; endoscopic access devices, i.e. trocars, A61B17/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/308 with suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/3449 whereby the instrument channels merge into one single channel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00392 Transmyocardial revascularisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3618 with a mirror
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1047 having centering means, e.g. balloons having an appropriate shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/04 in the body, e.g. expansible A61M25/10, A61M16/0488 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1011 Multiple balloon catheters

Abstract

In a pericardioscopic procedure, without providing an endoscope or surgical instrument with special space ensuring means and without unnecessarily dilating the pericardial space, a space necessary for operation of the endoscope or surgical instrument is ensured, so that maneuverability is improved while suppressing complications. Provided is a space ensuring device comprising: a pericardium pressing part for pressing a pericardium from the pericardial space side; a heart pressing part for pressing the surface of a heart from the pericardial space side; and an interconnecting part interconnecting the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part, wherein the interconnecting part generates the resilient force enabling expansion against a pressure applied by a pericardium and a heart so as to ensure a space between the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part.

Claims

1. A space ensuring device for a pericardial space between a pericardium and a heart, the space ensuring device comprising:

a pericardium pressing part for pressing the pericardium from the pericardial space side;

a heart pressing part for pressing a surface of the heart from the pericardial space side; and

an interconnecting part interconnecting the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part,

wherein the interconnecting part is configured to generate a resilient force enabling expansion of the interconnecting part against a pressure applied by the pericardium and the heart so as to ensure a space between the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part,

wherein the interconnecting part comprises an interior surface facing the space, an exterior surface substantially opposite the interior surface, a first opening communicating the interior surface and the exterior surface, and a second opening communicating the interior surface and the exterior surface,

wherein from the exterior surface toward the interior surface, the first opening is inclined in a direction away from the heart pressing part such that a first instrument inserted through the first opening from the exterior surface toward the interior surface is oriented away from the heart pressing part, and

wherein from the exterior surface toward the interior surface, the second opening is inclined in a direction away from the pericardium pressing part such that a second instrument inserted through the second opening from the exterior surface toward the interior surface is oriented away from the pericardium pressing part.

2. The space ensuring device according to claim 1, wherein the pericardium pressing part is formed in a plate shape comprising:

a first face that comes into contact with the pericardium; and

a second face, substantially opposite the first face, having a reflecting surface that reflects illuminating light.

3. The space ensuring device according to claim 1, wherein the heart pressing part is formed in a substantially U shape surrounding a part of the space.

4. The space ensuring device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the pericardium pressing part, the heart pressing part and the interconnecting part is formed of a biocompatible plastic material.

5. The space ensuring device according to claim 1, wherein the interconnecting part is deformable between:

a contracted state in which the space ensuring device is accommodated inside a guide tube that is inserted into the pericardial space against the resilient force generated by the interconnecting part, and

an expanded state in which the space ensuring device is released out of the guide tube and is thereby expanded by the resilient force generated by the interconnecting part to ensure the space between the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part.

6. The space ensuring device according to claim 1,

wherein the pericardium pressing part is provided on a first plane,

wherein the heart pressing part is provided on a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane,

wherein the interconnecting part expands in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the first plane and the second plane to ensure the space between the pericardium pressing part and the heart pressing part.