US 12,660,986 B2 · Repositionable tissue-engagement member and associated systems and methods

Abstract

A tissue-engagement member having a pair of jaws movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, an actuator movable to shift the jaws between the closed and open configurations, and a biasing element biasing the jaws into a closed configuration. The biasing element may be provided over a portion of the tissue-engagement member. A cam mechanism may be provided in operative association with at least one of the jaws and/or the actuator. The biasing element may operatively engage at least one of the jaws and/or the actuator to actuate the cam mechanism to return the jaws to a closed configuration from an open configuration. A manipulator having an actuator-engagement element may be provided to engage an actuation element operatively associated with the actuator. The actuator-engagement element may operatively engage the actuation element in a range of orientations.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A tissue-engagement member comprising:

a pair of jaw members pivotably coupled together about a pivot point and each pivotable between a closed configuration with distal ends thereof engaging each other to grasp tissue against surfaces of the jaw members facing each other, and an open configuration with the distal ends spaced apart from each other to receive tissue between the jaws or to release tissue from between the jaws;
an actuator operatively engaged with said pair of jaw members to shift said jaw members between the closed configuration and the open configuration;
a biasing element encircling the exterior of a portion of at least one of said jaw members or a distal portion of said actuator to cause said jaw members to be biased into the closed configuration;
and
a cam mechanism proximal to the pivot point and operatively associated with at least one of said actuator, said biasing element, or at least one of said jaw members and including a first cam element movable with respect to a second cam element to shift said jaw members between the closed configuration and the open configuration.

2 more elements

A tissue-engagement system comprising:

a tissue-engagement member having a distal end and a proximal end, said tissue-engagement member comprising jaws along the distal end pivotably coupled about a pivot point, an actuator along the proximal end, and a biasing element positioned proximal to the pivot point and encircling the exterior of a portion of at least one of said jaws or a distal portion of said actuator, wherein said jaws are shiftable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, said actuator is operatively engaged with said jaws via a cam mechanism to move said jaws between the closed and open configurations, and said biasing element shifts configurations as said jaws shift between the closed and open configurations and biases said jaws into the closed configuration;
a tissue-engagement-member manipulator having a distal end configured to operatively engage with said tissue-engagement member to move said actuator axially to shift said jaws between the closed and open configurations;
and a manipulator deployment system configured to deliver and to maneuver said tissue-engagement-member manipulator to move said actuator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Repositionable tissue-engagement member and associated systems and methods

Life of this patent

Repositionable tissue-engagement member and associated systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19