US20030055443A1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Tripod knife for venous access
Assignee: Columbia University
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Filing: 2002-07-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2022-07-01
Abstract
Abstract A surgical cutting device according to the invention which permits the precise slitting of a human vein in situ. The cutting device is supported and guided over the centerline of the vein to be slit by two generally opposing guides which serve to precisely orient the knife along the centerline of the vein. The cutting device can comprise a blade or a functionally equivalent cutting edge or surface and is useful to cut other human vessels such as arteries or ducts.
Inventors
- 👤 Henry Spotnitz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:45
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/32; A61B17/3209; A61B17/3211; A61B17/34; A61B17/3415; A61B18/00; A61B18/18; A61B18/20; A61B2017/320052; A61B90/00; A61B90/03; A61B2090/033
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
63 words
1 . A surgical device for slitting a human vessel having a centerline lengthwise comprising: a surgical cutting means having a cutting edge or surface, and two generally opposing guides oriented with relation to said cutting means such that the two opposing guides support and precisely orient the cutting edge or surface of the cutting means directly over the centerline of the vessel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
63 words
1 . A surgical device for slitting a human vessel having a centerline lengthwise comprising: a surgical cutting means having a cutting edge or surface, and two generally opposing guides oriented with relation to said cutting means such that the two opposing guides support and precisely orient the cutting edge or surface of the cutting means directly over the centerline of the vessel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
2 . The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting means is a blade housing a cutting edge.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
3 . The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein two opposing guides are attached to the body of the device at a point above the cutting edge or surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
4 . The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting edge or surface has a tip.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
78 words
5 . The surgical device according to claim 4 , wherein the cutting edge or surface is angled with relation to the plane of an operative surface of the vessel to be slit and the two opposing supporting guides are attached to the body of the device at a point above the cutting edge or surface, such that the tip of the cutting edge or surface and the ends of the two support guides create a tripod arrangement.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
6 . The surgical device of claim 4 , wherein the two supporting guides are oriented such that they form an opening between them, which opening lies directly above and is centered upon the tip of the cutting edge or surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
7 . The surgical device of claim 4 , wherein the two supporting guides are attached to the body of the device at a point above the cutting edge or surface, such that the tip of the cutting edge or surface has free access to the surface of the vessel to be slit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
8 . The surgical device of to claim 4 , wherein the ends of the two supporting guides and the tip of the cutting edge or surface creates a tripod arrangement whose geometry is such that when the ends of the guides are resting upon the outer surface of the vessel to be slit, the tip of the cutting edge is positioned along the center line of said vessel.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
9 . The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the vessel is an artery, vein, or duct.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
10 . The surgical device of claim 9 , wherein the vessel is a vein.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
11 . The surgical device of claim 2 , wherein the knife blade is constructed from a material selected from the group comprising stainless steel and stainless steel alloys
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
12 . The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting means comprises a laser, thermal, or electrothermal cutter.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
13 . The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the supporting guides are constructed of a physiologically acceptable inert material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
14 . The surgical device of claim 13 , wherein the supporting guides are constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, nylon, TEFLON®, and co-polymers thereof and other similar materials.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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