Surgical device for connecting soft tissue

• US 7,981,123 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Evalve, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Evalve, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Séguin, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Kevin T
• Application Number:
  US12/699,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20100191256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 606/16, 606/37, 606/42, 606/139, 606142-144, 606/148, 606/151, 606/157, 606/185, 600/17, 600/37, 623 21- 237, 623/3.1, 623/3.16, 623/3.21
• US Class Current: 606/142
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• 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 17/0643 with separate closing member, e.g. for interlocking with staple
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/10 for applying or removing wound clamps, e.g. containing only one clamp or staple A61B17/076 takes precedence; containing multiple wound clamps A61B17/068; Wound clamp magazines containers, packaging elements or packages specially adapted for particular articles or with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00, B65D85/00
• 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 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/30 Surgical pincettes without pivotal connectionsfor holding suture needles or materials A61B17/0483; wound clamps A61B17/08 ; hand-held gripping tools without pivotal connections in general B25B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00353 one mechanical instrument performing multiple functions, e.g. cutting and grasping channel for multiple instruments A61B2017/3445; instrument channel A61B2017/22072; replaceable heads A61B2017/2931; suction A61M1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00783 Valvuloplasty
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/081 Tissue approximator A61B2017/1103, A61B17/8866 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1103 Approximator
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/306 holding by means of suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/037 with a frangible part, e.g. by reduced diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/03 Automatic limiting or abutting means, e.g. for safety

Abstract

The invention comprises a surgical instrument including an external tube (2) and two elongated members (4) positioned in said tube (2), each of which includes a distal end (10a) for capturing one of the two tissue zones (M1, M2) to be attached. The instrument (1) may further comprise a catching member (22, 25) for each tissue (M1, M2) to be attached; a rod (15, 16) linked to each catching member (22, 25) enabling tension to move axially, said rod (15, 16) being separable from said catching member (22, 25) when a tension is exerted on it beyond a certain threshold; and a member (17a) forming a stop for locking axially each catching member (22, 25) during said tension.

Claims

1. A system for repairing a cardiac valve, said system comprising:

a tube suitable for introduction through a patient'"'"'s vasculature and into a chamber of a heart;

a clipping system comprising a first element adapted to be brought up beneath a pair of valve leaflets from the ventricular side and a second element adapted to be brought down over the pair of valve leaflets from the atrial side, wherein the first element engages the ventricular side of both leaflets and the second element engages the atrial side of both the leaflets to capture both leaflets therebetween and wherein the first and second elements may be left to attach the free edges of the leaflets together; and

a pair of elongate elements each having a distal extremity for grasping or releasing a valve leaflet, the pair of elongate elements in fluid communication with a vacuum source and extensible from a distal end of the tube, wherein the valve leaflets are grasped when vacuum is applied to the elongate elements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube further comprises a lumen therethrough, and wherein the clipping system and the pair of elongate arms may be retracted into, and advanced from the lumen.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first pair of elements comprise a first pair of prongs, and the second pair of elements comprise a second pair of prongs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first pair of prongs project toward the second pair of prongs.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first pair and the second pair of prongs penetrate the pair of valve leaflets.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the pair of elongate elements are spring-biased to diverge outwardly when advanced distally from the tube.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the distal extremity of each of the pair of elongate elements comprise a trumpeted distal extremity.