Medical grafting methods and apparatus

Title: Medical grafting methods and apparatus

Related Patent Categories: Surgery, Instruments, Cutting, Puncturing Or Piercing, Puncturing Or Piercing

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Claims

The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060161195, Medical grafting methods and apparatus.

1. An instrument for creating an aperture through a side wall of a patient's tubular body organ structure at a point along that structure which is remote from the location at which the instrument is inserted into said tubular structure and from which the instrument is controlled comprising: an elongated guide structure longitudinally insertable into said tubular structure at said location and extendable along the interior of said tubular structure to said point; and a longitudinal structure substantially aligned with and guided by said guide structure and longitudinally movable relative thereto, a distal portion of said longitudinal structure being adapted to penetrate said side wall when forced against said side wall by a sufficient amount of distal motion of said longitudinal structure relative to said guide structure; wherein both the elongated guide structure and the longitudinal structure are deflectable toward the side wall at the remote point, and wherein the distal portion of the longitudinal structure is resiliently biased to deflect laterally toward the side wall when the distal portion of the longitudinal structure is released from guidance by the guide structure while a distal portion of the guide structure is substantially parallel to the tubular structure adjacent the remote point.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure includes an expandable structure for stabilizing said guide structure in said tubular structure.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said expandable structure comprises an inflatable balloon.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said balloon is a perfusion balloon.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure has a distal portion adapted to deflect said distal portion of said longitudinal structure laterally toward said side wall.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure has a distal portion which includes a laterally expandable structure for urging said distal portion of said guide structure into contact with said side wall.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein said laterally expandable structure comprises an inflatable balloon.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein said balloon is a perfusion balloon.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein said laterally expandable structure is disposed on a first lateral side of said distal portion of said guide structure, and wherein said distal portion of said guide structure is adapted to deflect said distal portion of said longitudinal structure laterally toward a second lateral side of said distal portion which faces away from said first lateral side.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure comprises: a radiologic marker on a distal portion of said guide structure.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure comprises a tube through which said longitudinal structure extends longitudinally.

12-13. (canceled)

14. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said distal portion of said longitudinal structure is externally threaded to facilitate penetration of said side wall when said distal portion of said longitudinal structure is rotated about its longitudinal axis.

15. (canceled)

16. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said distal portion of said longitudinal structure comprises: a substantially central longitudinal member having a distal portion which is adapted to make an initial penetration of said side wall; and a tubular member disposed substantially concentrically about said central member and longitudinally movable relative thereto for circumferentially enlarging said initial penetration when forced through said side wall after said central longitudinal member has made said initial penetration.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 16 wherein said tubular member is externally threaded to facilitate passage of said tubular member through said side wall when said tubular member is rotated about its longitudinal axis.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure comprises: a tubular member insertable through said aperture, said tubular member having a selectively enlargeable structure disposed on its exterior at a predetermined distance proximally from its distal end for selectively preventing more than the portion of said tubular member which is distal of said enlargeable structure from passing out of said tubular structure via said aperture.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 18 wherein said enlargeable structure comprises an inflatable balloon.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19 wherein said balloon extends annularly around the exterior of said tubular member and projects radially outwardly from said tubular member in all radially outward directions when inflated.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure comprises: a tubular member insertable through said aperture, said tubular member having a selectively enlargeable structure disposed on its exterior at a predetermined distance proximally from its distal end for selectively preventing the portion of said tubular member which is distal of said enlargeable structure from moving proximally back though said aperture.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 21 wherein said enlargeable structure comprises an inflatable balloon.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 22 wherein said balloon extends annularly around the exterior of said tubular member and projects radially outwardly from said tubular member in all radially outward directions when inflated.

24. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said guide structure comprises: a tubular member insertable through said aperture, said tubular member having first and second selectively inflatable balloons disposed on the exterior thereof, said balloons being spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis of said tubular member, and each of said balloons extending annularly around said tubular member so that each of said balloons forms an enlarged ring around the outside of said tubular member when inflated, the spacing between said balloons being such that said first and second balloons can be located adjacent respective interior and exterior surfaces of said side wall when said tubular member is inserted through said aperture.

25. The apparatus defined in claim 24 wherein said spacing between said balloons is further such that said balloons resiliently compress said side wall between them when inflated.

26. The apparatus defined in claim 24 wherein said balloons substantially prevent longitudinal motion of said tubular member through said aperture when inflated.

27. The apparatus defined in claim 24 wherein said balloons help to prevent fluid leakage through said aperture around said tubular member when inflated.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Claims

Click on the above for other options relating to this Medical grafting methods and apparatus patent application.
###

How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents
1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored.
3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords.
Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Medical grafting methods and apparatus or other areas of interest.
###

Previous Patent Application:
Low pain penetrating member
Next Patent Application:
Wound needle with composite cutting edge
Industry Class:
Surgery

###

Design/code © 2009 FreshContext LLC/Freshpatents.com. Website Terms and Conditions - Also read: About this Page
Patent data source: patents published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Information published here is for research/educational purposes only (and in conjunction with our Keyword Monitor) and is not meant to be used in place of the full USPTO patent document/images or a comprehensive patent archive search. Complete official applications are on file at the USPTO and often contain additional data/images (Freshpatents is currently text-only). FreshPatents.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO or firms/individuals or products/designs/ideas related to listed patents.

FreshPatents.com Support
Thank you for viewing the Medical grafting methods and apparatus patent info.
IP-related news and info

Results in 0.52163 seconds

Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories:
Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , 174

* Protect your Inventions
* US Patent Office filing

Provisional Patent
Utility Patent

PATENT INFO