Surgical tool for incontinence sling implantation
AssigneeSecant Medical, LLC
InventorE. Greenhalgh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tool for implantation of a flexible substrate into soft tissue is disclosed. The tool has a shaft with a bore. A penetrator tip is positioned at a distal end of the shaft. A handle is positioned at the proximal end. A push rod extends through the bore and is attached at one end to the penetrator tip, and at the other end to a trigger mounted on the handle. The penetrator tip is biased toward the shaft by a spring and captures the substrate between itself and the shaft. The shaft is inserted into soft tissue, drawing the substrate with it. Pulling the trigger releases the substrate from the tool. The shaft is withdrawn, leaving the substrate within the tissue.
Claims17
A tool for implanting a flexible substrate within soft tissue, said tool comprising:
- an elongated shaft having a bore therethrough;
- a penetrator tip positioned at one end of said shaft, said tip being movable toward and away from said shaft;
- a handle positioned at an opposite end of said shaft facilitating manual grasping of said tool;
- a push rod attached to said tip and extending through said shaft to said handle;
- a trigger movably mounted on said handle and attached to said push rod, motion of said trigger effecting motion of said tip toward and away from said shaft by moving said push rod within said bore;
- and wherein:
- a portion of said substrate being captured between said tip and said shaft by moving said tip toward said shaft with said portion of said substrate positioned therebetween, said shaft being manually insertable into said soft tissue thereby drawing said substrate into said tissue, actuation of said trigger moving said tip away from said shaft and releasing said substrate portion from said shaft, said shaft being withdrawn from said tissue leaving said substrate therein.
A tool for implanting an incontinence sling within soft tissue of an abdomen, said tool comprising:
- an elongated shaft having a bore therethrough;
- a penetrator tip positioned at one end of said shaft, said tip being movable toward and away from said shaft;
- a handle positioned at an opposite end of said shaft facilitating manual grasping of said tool;
- a push rod attached to said tip and extending through said shaft to said handle;
- a trigger movably mounted on said handle and attached to said push rod, motion of said trigger effecting motion of said tip toward and away from said shaft by moving said push rod within said bore;
- a biasing member biasing said penetrator tip toward said shaft;
- and wherein:
- a portion of said sling being captured between said tip and said shaft by moving said tip toward said shaft with said portion of said substrate positioned therebetween, said shaft being manually insertable into said soft tissue thereby drawing said substrate into said abdomen, actuation of said trigger moving said tip away from said shaft and releasing said sling portion from said shaft, said shaft being withdrawn from said tissue leaving said sling therein.
A method of implanting a flexible substrate in soft tissue, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a tool having a shaft with a tip movable toward and away from said shaft;
- capturing said substrate between said tip and said shaft by moving said tip toward said shaft with said substrate positioned therebetween;
- inserting said shaft into said tissue, thereby drawing said substrate into said tissue;
- moving said tip away from said shaft thereby releasing said substrate from said tool;
- and
- withdrawing said shaft from said tissue while leaving said substrate therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.