Ultrasonic method and apparatus for tissue grafting

Claim 3

engaging said output edge of said vibrating tool member with the surface of said tissue to transmit said vibrations to the tissue in engagement therewith, and

Claim 4

engaging said output edge of said vibrating tool member with the surface of said tissue to transmit said vibrations to the tissue in engagement therewith, and

Claim 5

vibration generating means coupled to said tool member to effect vibration of the latter at a high frequency and with peak accelerations of at least 50,000 g, so as to microchop said tissue into particles as the vibrating tool is moved relative to said tissue surface, and B. means for selecting and controlling the frequency and intensity of said ultrasonic means at a level below which permanent damage will occur to said removed cells and the surrounding tissue, C. means for supplying a treatment fluid to said portion of the human adapted to be treated with ultrasonic energy for enhancing the removal of said cells and forming a fluidized suspension, D. means for transferring said cells of said fluidized suspension to a grafting site, including means for applying suction to said ultrasonically treated portion to remove said fluidized suspension therefrom, E. means communicating with said means for transferring said cells and adapted for depositing same on said grafting site, and F. means adapted for draining said treatment fluid from said grafting site to leave a substantial concentration said cells thereon, whereby the grafted cells form a new layer of tissue on said grafting site.

Claim 6

vibration generating means coupled to said tool member to effect vibration of the latter at a high frequency and with peak accelerations of at least 50,000 g, so as to microchop said tissue into particles as the vibrating tool is moved relative to said tissue surface, and B. means for selecting and controlling the frequency and intensity of said ultrasonic means at a level below which permanent damage will occur to said removed cells and the surrounding tissue, C. means for supplying a treatment fluid to said portion of the human adapted to be treated with ultrasonic energy for enhancing the removal of said cells and forming a fluidized suspension, D. means for transferring said cells of said fluidized suspension to a grafting site, including means for applying suction to said ultrasonically treated portion to remove said fluidized suspension therefrom, E. means communicating with said means for transferring said cells and adapted for depositing same on said grafting site, and F. means adapted for draining said treatment fluid from said grafting site to leave a substantial concentration said cells thereon, whereby the grafted cells form a new layer of tissue on said grafting site.

Claim 7

vibration generating means coupled to said tool member to effect vibration of the latter at a high frequency and with peak accelerations of at least 50,000g, so as to microchop said tissue into particles as the vibrating tool is moved relative to said tissue surface, and B. means for forming a fluidized suspension containing said cells, said means of forming said fluidized suspension includes means for supplying a treatment fluid to the tissue surface adjacent said vibrated tool member so that contact of said vibrated tool member pressurizes the liquid for enhancing the effectiveness of the fluid in mixing with the microchopped tissue particles and forming said fluidized suspension, C. means for transferring said cells in said fluidized suspension to a grafting site adapted to receive said cells thereon, and D. means communicating with said transferring means adapted for depositing a layer of said cells on said grafting site to form a new layer of tissue thereon.

Claim 8

vibration generating means coupled to said tool member to effect vibration of the latter at a high frequency and with peak accelerations of at least 50,000g, so as to microchop said tissue into particles as the vibrating tool is moved relative to said tissue surface, and B. means for forming a fluidized suspension containing said cells, said means of forming said fluidized suspension includes means for supplying a treatment fluid to the tissue surface adjacent said vibrated tool member so that contact of said vibrated tool member pressurizes the liquid for enhancing the effectiveness of the fluid in mixing with the microchopped tissue particles and forming said fluidized suspension, C. means for transferring said cells in said fluidized suspension to a grafting site adapted to receive said cells thereon, and D. means communicating with said transferring means adapted for depositing a layer of said cells on said grafting site to form a new layer of tissue thereon.

Claim 9

A method as in claim 1, further including the step of selecting and maintaining the frequency and intensity of said ultrasonic energy at a level below which substantial damage will occur to said cells during removal thereof.

Claim 10

engaging said output edge of said vibrating tool member with the surface of said tissue to transmit said vibrations to the tissue in engagement therewith,

Claim 11

engaging said output edge of said vibrating tool member with the surface of said tissue to transmit said vibrations to the tissue in engagement therewith,

Claim 12

microchopping said tissue from said human by progressively moving said output edge relative to the surface of said tissue such that there is a substantial component of relative motion perpendicular to said edge, whereby said layer of tissue is removed from said human,

Claim 13

microchopping said tissue from said human by progressively moving said output edge relative to the surface of said tissue such that there is a substantial component of relative motion perpendicular to said edge, whereby said layer of tissue is removed from said human,

Claim 14

maintaining the tissue to be removed under tension to obtain a substantially continuous depth of removal, and

Claim 15

maintaining the tissue to be removed under tension to obtain a substantially continuous depth of removal, and

Claim 16

microchopping said tissue from said human by progressively moving said output edge relative to the surface of said tissue such that there is a substantial component of relative motion perpendicular to said edge, whereby said layer of tissue is removed from said human,

Claim 17

microchopping said tissue from said human by progressively moving said output edge relative to the surface of said tissue such that there is a substantial component of relative motion perpendicular to said edge, whereby said layer of tissue is removed from said human,

Claim 18

A method as in claim 1, further including the step of transferring said fluidized suspension to said grafting site prior to depositing said cells thereon.

Claim 19

microchopping said tissue from said human portion by progressively moving said output edge relative to the surface of said tissue such that there is a substantial component of relative motion perpendicular to said edge, whereby said layer of tissue is removed from said human, B. forming a fluidized suspension containing said cells, and C. depositing said cells of said fluidized suspension on a grafting site to form a new layer of tissue on said human.

Claim 20

microchopping said tissue from said human portion by progressively moving said output edge relative to the surface of said tissue such that there is a substantial component of relative motion perpendicular to said edge, whereby said layer of tissue is removed from said human, B. forming a fluidized suspension containing said cells, and C. depositing said cells of said fluidized suspension on a grafting site to form a new layer of tissue on said human.

Claim 21

A method as in claim 3, wherein the step of transferring said cells includes simultaneously applying suction to said ultrasonically treated portion to remove said fluidized suspension therefrom.

Claim 22

maintaining the tissue to be removed under tension to obtain a substantially continuous depth of removal, and

Claim 23

maintaining the tissue to be removed under tension to obtain a substantially continuous depth of removal, and

Claim 24

controlling the depth of removal of said layer of tissue during the relative movement between said human and tool member, D. forming a fluidized suspension containing said removed cells by providing a treatment fluid to said work site for forming said suspension, E. transferring said suspension containing said cells to a grafting site adapted to receive said cells thereon, and F. depositing said cells on said grafting site, whereby the grafted cells will form a new layer of tissue on said grafting site.

Claim 25

controlling the depth of removal of said layer of tissue during the relative movement between said human and tool member, D. forming a fluidized suspension containing said removed cells by providing a treatment fluid to said work site for forming said suspension, E. transferring said suspension containing said cells to a grafting site adapted to receive said cells thereon, and F. depositing said cells on said grafting site, whereby the grafted cells will form a new layer of tissue on said grafting site.

Claim 26

controlling the depth of removal of said layer of tissue during the relative movement between said human and tool member, B. selecting and maintaining the frequency and intensity of said ultrasonic energy at a level below which permanent damage will occur to said removed cells and the surrounding tissue, C. supplying a treatment fluid to said portion of the human treated with ultrasonic energy for enhancing the removal of said cells and forming a fluidized suspension containing a mixture of said cells and treatment fluid, D. transferring said fluidized suspension to a grafting site by applying a suction force to said ultrasonically treated portion to remove said treatment fluid therefrom, and E. depositing said cells on said grafting site whereby said grafted cells form a new layer of tissue on said grafting site.

Claim 27

controlling the depth of removal of said layer of tissue during the relative movement between said human and tool member, B. selecting and maintaining the frequency and intensity of said ultrasonic energy at a level below which permanent damage will occur to said removed cells and the surrounding tissue, C. supplying a treatment fluid to said portion of the human treated with ultrasonic energy for enhancing the removal of said cells and forming a fluidized suspension containing a mixture of said cells and treatment fluid, D. transferring said fluidized suspension to a grafting site by applying a suction force to said ultrasonically treated portion to remove said treatment fluid therefrom, and E. depositing said cells on said grafting site whereby said grafted cells form a new layer of tissue on said grafting site.

Claim 28

A method as in claim 3, further including the step of draining the fluid of said fluidized suspension from said grafting site to leave a substantial concentration of said cells thereon.

Claim 29

A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of depositing said cells includes spraying the fluidized suspension onto the grafting site so as to obtain a dispersion of said cells thereon.

Claim 30

A method as in claim 8, wherein the step of forming said concentration includes the steps of a. delivering said fluidized suspension to a reservoir, and b. extracting from said reservoir said cells at a greater concentration per given volume than initially pumped into said reservoir per said given volume in said fluidized suspension.

Claim 31

A method as in claim 1, further including the step of first preparing the grafting site for the application of said cells thereon to enhance the grafting operation.

Claim 32

A method as in claim 1, further including the step of maintaining the tissue to be removed under tension to obtain a substantially continuous depth of reMoval.

Claim 33

A method as in claim 1, further including the step of controlling the depth of removal of said layer of tissue during the relative movement between said human and tool member.

Claim 34

A method as in claim 12, wherein said thickness of tissue removed is controlled by providing a guard having a bottom end in substantially parallel spaced relation to the output edge of said tool member, whereby the thickness of the layer of tissue to be removed is controlled.

Claim 35

A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of forming a fluidized suspension includes the steps of a. supplying a treatment fluid to the treated surface so that contact of said output edge with the treated surface pressurizes the fluid for enhancing the effectiveness of the liquid in mixing with the microchopped tissue and forming a suspension thereof, and b. simultaneously applying suction to said treated surface adjacent said tool member to remove said suspension from the surface.

Claim 36

A method as in claim 14, wherein the treatment fluid is supplied to the tissue surface and the suction is applied to the tissue surface at spaced apart locations between which at least a portion of the vibrated tool member is interposed so that the suction induces the treatment fluid to flow between said vibrated tool member and the tissue surface for ensuring the continuous mixing and the removal of said suspension.

Claim 39

A method as in claim 16, further including the steps of a. first preparing the grafting site for the application of said cells thereon to enhance the grafting operation, and b. extracting from said fluidized suspension concentration of said cells prior to transferring said cells to said grafting site.

Claim 40

A method as in claim 17, wherein the step of depositing said cells includes spraying said fluidized suspension onto said grafting site so as to obtain a dispersion of said cells thereon.

Claim 43

Apparatus for grafting tissue to a human, comprising A. means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue from a portion of a human in the form of cells, said means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue includes

Claim 44

Apparatus for grafting tissue to a human, comprising A. means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue from a portion of a human in the form of cells, said means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue includes

Claim 45

Apparatus as in claim 20, further including means for selecting and controlling the frequency and intensity of said ultrasonic means at a level below which substantial permanent damage will occur to said cells during removal thereof.

Claim 46

Apparatus as in claim 20, wherein said means adapted for depositing said cells includes means for spraying the fluidized suspension onto said grafting site so as to obtain a dispersion of said cells thereon to form said new layer of tissue.

Claim 47

Apparatus as in claim 22, further including means adapted for draining the fluid of said fluidized suspension from said grafting site to leave a substantial concentration of said cells thereon.

Claim 48

Apparatus as in claim 20, wherein said means for forming said fluidized suspension includes means adapted for supplying a treatment fluid to said portion of the human adapted to be treated with said ultrasonic energy for enhancing the removal of said cells, and forming said fluidized suspension.

Claim 49

Apparatus as in claim 24, wherein said means for transferring said cells includes means adapted for applying suction to said ultrasonically treated portion to remove said fluidized suspension therefrom.

Claim 50

Apparatus as in claiM 20, further including means communicating with said transferring means for forming a concentration of said cells prior to depositing said cells on said grafting site.

Claim 51

Apparatus as in claim 26, wherein said means for forming said concentration includes a. a reservoir for retaining said fluidized suspension, and b. means for extracting from said reservoir said cells for transferring to said grafting site at a greater concentration per given volume than initially pumped into said reservoir per said given volume.

Claim 52

Apparatus as in claim 20, and further including control means engageable with said vibration generating means for controlling the thickness of said layer of tissue microchopped from the surface of the human.

Claim 53

Apparatus in claim 28, and further including means adapted for maintaining the tissue to be removed under tension during movement of said tool member relative thereto, to obtain a substantially continuous depth of removal.

Claim 54

Apparatus for grafting tissue to a human, comprising A. means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue from a portion of a human in the form of cells, said means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue includes

Claim 55

Apparatus for grafting tissue to a human, comprising A. means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue from a portion of a human in the form of cells, said means for ultrasonically removing a layer of tissue includes

Claim 56

Apparatus as in claim 30, wherein said means for depositing said cells includes a nozzle adapted to be moved relative to the grafting site so as to obtain a dispersion of said cells thereon.