Patent EP0480293A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0480293A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Clamp for approximating tissue sections
Assignee: LSI Solutions Inc
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Filing: 1991-10-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-10-01
Abstract
Abstract A surgical apparatus for welding two segments of living tissue, usually tubular in structure, comprising means for clamping the first tissue section (12, 16), means for clamping the second tissue section (10, 14), means for moving (203) one of said clamping means toward said other clamping means to bring the first and second sections into abutting relationship to form a seam, and means for transmitting laser energy (30, 50) to the seam to weld together the first and second sections.
Inventors
- 👤 Jude S. Sauer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:43
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B18/00; A61B18/18; A61B18/20; A61B17/00; A61B17/11; B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/08; B23K26/10; B23K26/20; B23K26/32; B23K26/324; A61B17/1114; A61B17/00491; A61B2017/00504; A61B2017/00508; A61B2017/1103; A61B17/42; A61B2017/4233; B23K2103/00; B23K2103/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
77 words
Surgical apparatus for laser welding two tissue body sections comprising: means (12, 16) for clamping the first tissue section; means (10, 14) for clamping the second tissue section; means (203) for moving one of said clamping means toward the other clamping means to bring the first and second tissue sections into abutting relationship to form a seam; and means (30, 50) for transmitting laser energy to the seam to weld together the first and second tissue sections.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
77 words
Surgical apparatus for laser welding two tissue body sections comprising: means (12, 16) for clamping the first tissue section; means (10, 14) for clamping the second tissue section; means (203) for moving one of said clamping means toward the other clamping means to bring the first and second tissue sections into abutting relationship to form a seam; and means (30, 50) for transmitting laser energy to the seam to weld together the first and second tissue sections.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
79 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for clamping said first tissue section comprises a first pair of opposed arms (12, 16) and said means for clamping said second tissue section comprises a second pair of opposed arms (10, 14), at least one of said arms of each said pair being pivotably connected to said opposing arm and movable from an open position spaced from said opposing arm to a closed position overlying said opposing arm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an axle (20) and a cap (203) mounted to an end of said axle, said arms being mounted substantially perpendicular to said axle, wherein rotation of said cap slides one of said pairs of arms longitudinally along said axle towards said other pair of arms.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein one arm of said first pair of arms is fixedly secured to said axle and both arms of said second pair of arms are pivotably mounted to said axle, said axle being aligned substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said clamped sections to be welded.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising anchor means (22) for holding said opposing arms of each said pair of arms in said closed position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said anchor means comprises a retainer swivably mounted to one of said arms of each said pair of arms, said retainer having an undercut portion adapted to overlie said opposing arm in said closed position, and further comprising a fastener for tightening said retainer against said arms to secure said opposing arms.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
66 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said opposing arms has an inwardly directed portion (107), each said portion of each said arm having a recess (147) formed therein to cooperate with said inwardly directed portion of said opposing arm when said arms are in the closed position to thereby form a channel to receive the respective tissue section.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
72 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said laser energy transmitting means comprises a housing (1) adapted to be placed over said clamping means, said housing having a plurality of light transmissive elements (30, 50) disposed therein, said distal end of said light transmissive elements terminating near said seam and said proximal end of said light transmissive elements being adapted for connection to an external laser source.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
45 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said housing comprises a first housing section (3) adapted to be placed over one surface of said clamping means and a second housing section (5) adapted to be placed over an opposing surface of said clamping means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein said light transmissive elements extend towards said seam in an arrangement which is adapted simultaneously to transmit laser energy to substantially the entire circumference of the seam.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
83 words
Surgical apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said arms are mounted on an axle (20), and further comprising a center post (18) disposed on said axle intermediate said pairs of arms, and means for tightening said first and second housing sections against said center post, said tightening means comprises a screw extending through an opening in each said housing section wherein rotation of said screw moves said screw inwardly towards said center post to press against said post.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a stent for placement inside the first tissue section before clamping the first section, and inside the second tissue section before clamping the second section.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the stent is comprised of a bioabsorbable material so that it may remain in the welded tissue sections after removal of the clamp.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said arms is mounted substantially perpendicular to an axle, and one of said pair of arms is slidable towards the other pair of arms longitudinally along the axle to move one of the clamped tissue sections relative to the other.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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