Nerve Elevator and Method of Use
AssigneeAxogen Corporation
InventorOrlando Merced-O'Neill
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nerve elevator tool is disclosed for the recovery of nerve tissue from living or cadaveric donors with minimal or no damage to internal tissues or the external integrity of the body. The elevator tool includes a dissecting head affixed to a shaft with a handle. Advancing the dissecting head through the body with the attached shaft and handle causes the elevator to “strip” tissues and structures from around the nerve and transect or rupture nerve branches with minimal avulsion, which then pass over and around the dissecting head. Once a sufficient section of nerve has been stripped, the second end of the nerve can be transected to completely free the nerve section, which can then be removed.
Claims23
A nerve extraction tool comprising:
- a dissecting head having
- an elevator with a distal end and a proximal end, where the diameter of the distal end is less than the diameter of the proximal end;
- a lumen extending through the elevator and open to the distal end and the proximal end of the elevator;
- and
- a shaft fixedly attached at or near the proximal end of the elevator, and extending from the elevator in a direction generally parallel to the lumen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.