US 2009/0152147 A1 · HEMOSTATIC CLIP CARTRIDGE

Abstract

Hemostatic clip cartridge having a plurality of individual compartments for holding preformed hemostatic clips. Each individual compartment progressively increases in width from the centerline of the cartridge. Flexible retaining fingers extend into each individual compartment and secure the hemostatic clip to a pedestal. Harvesting the hemostatic clip from that particular individual compartment by a clip applicator moves at least one of the retaining fingers from a first position to a post-harvest position. Subsequent removal of the clip applicator with the harvested hemostatic clip from that particular individual compartment leaves at least one of the retaining fingers in the post-harvest position different from the first position so that the post-harvest position of the at least one of the retaining fingers indicates that the particular individual compartment has been accessed by the clip applicator.

Claims36

Dependent claims

An improved hemostatic clip cartridge for storing and dispensing hemostatic clips which are preformed into the proper shape for engagement by a clip applicator, the hemostatic clip cartridge comprising:

a plurality of individual compartments, each of the individual compartments comprising:
a pair of compartment side walls, and
a pedestal for loosely supporting a hemostatic clip;
and
retaining means for retaining a hemostatic clip in each of the individual compartments comprising:
a pair of fingers extending into each of the individual compartments wherein each of the fingers has a contacting end that contacts the hemostatic clip, and a groove formed in the contacting end of each of the fingers;
whereby the groove maintains the hemostatic clip centered in the individual compartment;
wherein the improvement comprises:
laterally extending compartment locking tabs protruding into the individual compartment from each compartment side wall and finger locking tabs extending laterally from each finger towards each compartment side wall,
the compartment locking tabs and finger locking tabs adapted for engagement such that force imparted by the clip applicator during engagement of a hemostatic clip by the clip applicator causes the movement of the finger locking tabs past the compartment locking tabs but subsequent removal of the force imparted by the clip applicator as the clip applicator is removed with the engaged hemostatic clip does not cause reversal of the movement of the finger locking tabs past the compartment locking tabs;
whereby a user may look at the position of the pair of fingers in a particular individual compartment as an indicator of whether the clip applicator has already been inserted into that individual compartment.

8 more elements

a plurality of individual compartments, each of the individual compartments comprising:
a pair of compartment side walls, and
a pedestal for loosely supporting the hemostatic clip;
and
retaining means for retaining a hemostatic clip in each of the individual compartments comprising:
a pair of fingers extending into each of the individual compartments wherein each of the fingers has a contacting end at a distal end of the finger that contacts the hemostatic clip, and a groove formed in the contacting end of each of the fingers;
whereby the groove maintains the hemostatic clip centered in the individual compartment;
wherein the improvement comprises:
at least one platform tab protruding into the individual compartment from the direction of the pedestal,
the platform tab and the distal end of the finger adapted for engagement such that force imparted by the clip applicator during engagement of a hemostatic clip by the clip applicator causes the movement of the distal end of the finger tabs past the platform tab but subsequent removal of the force imparted by the clip applicator as the clip applicator is removed with the engaged hemostatic clip does not cause reversal of the movement of the distal end of the finger past the platform tab;
whereby a user may look at the position of the pair of fingers in a particular individual compartment as an indicator of whether the clip applicator has already been inserted into that individual compartment.

8 more elements

a plurality of individual compartments, each of the individual compartments comprising:
a pair of compartment side walls, and
a pedestal for loosely supporting the hemostatic clip;
and
retaining means for retaining a hemostatic clip in each of the individual compartments comprising:
a pair of fingers extending into each of the individual compartments wherein each of the fingers has a contacting end that contacts the hemostatic clip, and a groove formed in the contacting end of each of the fingers;
whereby the groove maintains the hemostatic clip centered in the individual compartment;
wherein the improvement comprises:
the pair of compartment side walls adapted for engagement with at least one of the pair of fingers such that force imparted by the clip applicator during engagement of a hemostatic clip by the clip applicator causes the movement of at least one of the pair of fingers but subsequent removal of the force imparted by the clip applicator as the clip applicator is removed with the engaged hemostatic clip does not cause reversal of the movement of the at least one of the pair of fingers as at least one of the pair of fingers is now retained by the pair of compartment side walls;
whereby a user may look at the position of the pair of fingers in a particular individual compartment as an indicator of whether the clip applicator has already been inserted into that individual compartment.

7 more elements

A hemostatic clip cartridge for storing and dispensing hemostatic clips which are harvested from individual compartments by a clip applicator, the hemostatic clip cartridge comprising:

at least one individual compartment for holding a hemostatic clip until harvested by a clip applicator, each individual compartment comprising:
a pair of compartment side walls,
a clip sub-compartment for loosely supporting the hemostatic clip;
an applier sub-compartment for guiding the clip applicator;
a pair of retaining fingers in a first position before the hemostatic clip is harvested from that individual compartment, each retaining finger having a first end and a clip retaining end, the first end attached to the hemostatic clip cartridge and the clip retaining end contacting the hemostatic clip contained in that individual compartment before the hemostatic clip is harvested by the clip applicator, the retaining fingers helping to maintain the hemostatic clip in the hemostatic clip cartridge, and
a means for preventing at least one of the pair of retaining fingers from returning to approximately the first position after the hemostatic clip is harvested from that individual compartment so that at least one of the pair of retaining fingers is in the post-harvest position which provides a visual indication that the clip applicator has accessed that individual compartment.

3 more elements

A method of marking an individual compartment in a hemostatic clip cartridge to indicate that the individual compartment has been accessed by a clip applicator to harvest a hemostatic clip previously contained in that particular individual compartment, the method comprising:

inserting a pair of applicator jaws on a distal end of the clip applicator into the particular individual compartment to harvest the hemostatic clip from that particular individual compartment and moving a pair of retaining fingers relative to that particular individual compartment to move at least one of the retaining fingers from a first position to a post-harvest position;
and
removing the pair of applicator jaws with the harvested hemostatic clip from that particular individual compartment while leaving at least one of the retaining fingers in the post-harvest position different from the first position so that the post-harvest position of the at least one of the retaining fingers indicates that particular individual compartment has been accessed by the clip applicator to harvest the hemostatic clip previously contained in that particular individual compartment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hemostatic clip cartridge

Life of this patent

Hemostatic clip cartridge

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims36