Verivas rapid vein harvester

A method for harvesting of a subcutaneous blood vessel, the method comprising the steps of:

• (i) making a distal incision in a skin surface over a distal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel;
• (ii) transecting the subcutaneous blood vessel exposed through the distal incision and ligating the distal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel;
• (iii) inserting an intra-vascular catheter into the subcutaneous blood vessel through the distal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel and advancing the intra-vascular catheter towards a proximal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel;
• (iv) receiving a guidewire having an angled tip inside the intra-vascular catheter, extending therein from the distal end portion to the proximal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel;
• (v) positioning a lateral orifice in the intra-vascular catheter at the proximal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel, with the lateral orifice facing anteriorly toward the skin surface;
• (vi) exiting the distal end of the guidewire from the lateral orifice in the intra-vascular catheter to cause the angled tip of the guidewire to perforate the subcutaneous blood vessel at a determined longitudinal and radial orientation and making a proximal incision in the skin surface to allow the angled tip of the guidewire to exit therefrom;
• (vii) withdrawing the intra-vascular catheter;
• (viii) advancing a flexible pulling device over the guidewire from the proximal end of the guidewire to the distal end thereof until a distal end of the flexible pulling device reaches near the proximal incision in the skin surface to be pulled out therefrom;
• (ix) transecting and ligating the proximal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel;
• (x) securing the distal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel to a circumferential groove near a proximal end of the flexible pulling device;
• (xi) pulling the flexible pulling device towards the proximal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel causing inversion thereof;
• (xii) advancing a flexible pushing device over the guidewire from the proximal end of the guidewire to the distal end thereof to facilitate pushing of a folded edge of an inverted end of the subcutaneous blood vessel secured with the circumferential groove of the flexible pulling device towards the proximal incision, keeping the flexible pushing device external to the subcutaneous blood vessel being harvested;
• (xiii) introducing a fluid inside a fluid lumen of the flexible pushing device to facilitate a separation of the subcutaneous blood vessel from surrounding tissues;
• and
• (xiv) advancing a flexible cutting sheath device from the distal incision towards the proximal end portion of the subcutaneous blood vessel by sliding over the flexible pushing device to transect the side branches of the subcutaneous blood vessel engaged in a notch of the flexible pushing device by a sharpened notch of the flexible cutting sheath device by rotation of the flexible cutting sheath device and the flexible pushing device in opposing directions, to facilitate with harvesting of the subcutaneous blood vessel.