Surgical stapling systems
AssigneeQuickRing Medical Technologies, Ltd.
InventorSimcha MILO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Interengaging surgical staples (11, 31, 51, 71) are provided that are useful in systems for the surgical correction of defects in cardiac valves and/or supporting weaknesses in abdominal regions. The staples are constructed with at least one ring (21, 41, 61, 81) extending laterally from the upper end of one staple leg (15, 35, 55, 75), which once implanted provides for interengagement with the next staple by passage of the other leg (13, 33, 53, 73) of it therethrough. Either shape-memory staple design or an implantation tool causes the two staple legs to curve respectively toward each other once having penetrated the tissue, thus gathering and constricting the tissue in a region below the surface thereof. Elastic sections (67, 83) may be provided in the crown connectors to allow flex in the plane thereof.
Claims20
A surgical staple which comprises
- two spaced apart legs, and
- a crown connector which joins said legs to each other at upper ends thereof and spaces said legs a predetermined fixed distance apart from each other at their upper ends,
- said legs having a substantially constant cross section in the region above their lower ends which are pointed,
- one of said legs being formed with an integral ring extending laterally therefrom in a direction away from said other leg, said ring being oriented perpendicular to said leg and having an aperture proportioned to receive one leg of a similar surgical staple,
- said staple being designed to allow said two legs to become bent toward each other once said pointed lower ends have penetrated the tissue surface so as to assume a curved configuration and gather tissue below said surface and constrict same.
A method of implanting surgical staples to form a ring-like arrangement for an annuloplasty operation, which method comprises
- implanting a first staple having two spaced apart legs and a crown connector which joins said legs to each other at upper ends thereof and spaces said legs a predetermined fixed distance apart from each other at their upper ends, with at least one of said legs being formed with an integral apertured ring extending laterally therefrom in a direction away from said other leg,
- implanting a second surgical staple, which also has first and second such legs joined by a crown connector that spaces them a predetermined fixed distance apart at their upper ends and has an integral ring extending laterally from said second leg, by passing said first leg through the aperture in the ring of said first implanted staple so as to interengage the two staples, and
- implanting a plurality of additional staples similar to said second staple with the first leg of each passing through the aperture in the ring of the last implanted staple to create a ring-like arrangement in the tissue at the perimeter of an atrioventricular valve,
- said respective legs of each said staple becoming bent toward each other below the surface of the tissue to achieve a curved configuration toward each other and thereby gather tissue below the surface and constrict same.
A method of herniorrhaphy, which method comprises the steps of:
- placing a flexible textile patch on the abdominal region of a patient where weakness has occurred,
- implanting a first staple having two spaced apart first and second legs and a crown connector which joins said legs to each other at upper ends thereof and spaces said legs a predetermined fixed distance apart from each other at their upper ends so that both legs pass through the textile patch, each of said legs being formed with an integral apertured ring extending laterally therefrom in a direction away from said other leg and said crown connector includes a nonlinear elastic section,
- implanting a second surgical staple, which also has first and second such legs joined by a crown connector that spaces them a predetermined fixed distance apart at their upper ends by passing said first leg through the aperture in the ring associated with the second leg of said first implanted staple and then through the textile patch so as to interengage the two staples, which staple has an integral ring extending laterally from said second leg and a nonlinear elastic section in its crown connector, and
- implanting a plurality of additional staples similar to said second staple with the first leg of each passing through the aperture in the ring of the last implanted staple and then through the textile patch to create a ring-like arrangement in the tissue that borders the area of weakness of the patent,
- said respective legs of each said staple becoming bent toward each other below the surface of the tissue to achieve a curved configuration toward each other and thereby gather tissue below the surface and constrict same.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.