Unitary endoscopic vessel harvesting devices
AssigneeSaphena Medical, Inc.
InventorsMark J. Orphanos, Michael Glennon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Unitary endoscopic vessel harvesting devices are disclosed. In some embodiments, such devices may comprise an elongated body having a proximal end and a distal end. A conical tip may be disposed at the distal end of the elongated body. In addition, the surgical instrument may include one or more surgical instruments moveable in a longitudinal direction along an axis substantially parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the cannula from a retracted position proximally of a distal end of the tip to an advanced position toward the distal end of the tip to seal and cut a blood vessel.
Claims21
-20. (canceled)
A method of harvesting a blood vessel, comprising:
- advancing a conical dissection tip of an endoscopic cannula along an exterior surface of the blood vessel to separate the blood vessel from surrounding tissue, wherein, during said advancing, a first extendable-retractable cutting element and a second extendable-retractable cutting element of the endoscopic cannula are maintained in a retracted condition in which respective distal ends of the first extendable-retractable cutting element and the second extendable-retractable cutting element are located proximally of a distal-most end of the conical dissection tip;
- viewing the blood vessel through a transparent portion of the conical dissection tip via an endoscope received in the endoscopic cannula;
- moving the respective distal ends of the first extendable-retractable cutting element and the second extendable-retractable cutting element distally in a longitudinal direction from the retracted condition toward the distal-most end of the conical dissection tip;
- and
- activating, as a branch vessel that emanates from the blood vessel is positioned at least partly between the first extendable-retractable cutting element and the second extendable-retractable cutting element, a source of bipolar RF energy to energize at least part of first extendable-retractable cutting element and at least part of the second extendable-retractable cutting element and thereby seal off part of the branch vessel.
A method of harvesting a blood vessel, comprising:
- advancing a conical dissection tip of a cannula along an exterior surface of the blood vessel to separate the blood vessel from surrounding tissue, wherein, during said advancing, a branch vessel emanating from the blood vessel is encountered;
- viewing said branch vessel through a transparent portion of the conical dissection tip via an imaging device received in the cannula;
- manipulating the cannula so that the branch vessel becomes at least partly positioned between a first longitudinal cutting element and a second longitudinal cutting element of the cannula;
- activating a source of bipolar RF energy to energize at least part of first longitudinal cutting element and at least part of the second longitudinal cutting element and thereby seal off part of the branch vessel;
- and
- mechanically cutting through a sealed-off portion of the branch vessel using at least one of the first longitudinal cutting element and the second longitudinal cutting element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.