EP1926440A1

EP1926440A1 - Container for accommodating clamps

Info

Publication number: EP1926440A1
Application number: EP06753277A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wolfgang Wiedenbein
Original assignee: Cardiomedical GmbH
Current assignee: Cardiomedical GmbH
Priority date: 2005-09-21
Filing date: 2006-06-20
Publication date: 2008-06-04
Also published as: DE102005045006B3; US7628272B2; US20080164169A1; WO2007033628A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a container (1) for accommodating a multiplicity of objects, in particular ligature clamps (12), which can be stored therein and can be removed therefrom individually and each of which is designed in a certain shape and can be grasped by a positioning tool (15), wherein the container (1) has the following: a lower part (2) with a multiplicity of clamp compartments (4), each of which contains at least one side wall (5) for bounding the clamping element (7) and a bearing bracket (10) for the loose storage of the clamp (12), wherein the bearing bracket (10) corresponds to the contour (11) of the clamp (12), an upper part (3) with a multiplicity of clamping elements (7) for securing the clamp (12) in each of the clamp compartments (4), wherein a clamping element (7) has two retaining means (8) which surround the bearing bracket (10) in each of the clamp compartments (4) and of which each retaining means (8) has a contact section (34) which retains the clamp (12) in question, wherein the lower part (2) is designed with a multiplicity of webs (14), and two webs (14) are arranged per clamp compartment (4) and the webs (14) are used to guide the positioning tool (15) for the safe removal of the clamp (12).

Description

Title Container for holding clips

Background of the invention

Technical area

The present invention relates generally to the field of medicine in the surgical field. In the surgical field, containers are used using attachment tools to attach objects. Containers which are especially suitable for holding special objects, in particular hemostatic clips. Hemostatic braces are also referred to as ligating clips. Ligature clips are used to ligate or pinch blood vessels during surgical procedures and are stored in containers. These containers are usually. from holders, cassettes or magazines. The invention is such a magazine.

Background in the art

Ligature clips have been used in surgery for many years. They perform two basic functions, the ligating of vessels, nerves or fluid-carrying vessels of the human body or the marking of a special surgical site, typically, for example, the periphery of a tumor, which can be seen later in the X-ray. The ligature clips (hereinafter called clips) are available in three basic sizes small, medium and large, as well as in two special sizes from the combination small / medium and medium / large. The ligating clips can be permanently implanted in the body and are radiopaque. In the early period of application brackets were made in V-shape. However, such a shaped clip has the disadvantage that it pushed the vessel away from the clip or cut into the vessel rather than pinching it off. This problem has been solved by the use of preformed horseshoe-shaped staples described in U.S. Patents 3,323,216 and 3,363,628, which are now commonly used. The horseshoe-shaped bracket consists of two substantially parallel legs, the When closing the vessel, first fix it between the ends and hold it between the ends between the actual ligature.

In a typical magazine for storing and providing staples according to the known prior art, a plurality of juxtaposed staples, for example ten, are pressed onto a rigid center bar or bearing block. The outer shape of the bearing block corresponds to the inner shape of the horseshoe-shaped brackets. However, the clamps are slightly smaller than the bearing block so that the contact pressure between the parallel legs of the clamp and the bearing block clamps during the lo transport and when turning over or dropping the magazine and prevents the falling out of the staples from the magazine. However, this contact pressure has several disadvantages. First, the contact pressure prevents the clamp from being gripped easily by the gripping jaws or sectors of a placement tool, in particular the special pliers, and secondly makes the removal a highly unsafe process, although the application tool has two

I ₅ mutually movable branches, which carry at their free end on the sides facing each other parallel to the branches running, opposite to the opposite industry each longitudinal grooves. Investment tools with a narrow gripping jaw width complicate the detection of the clip, especially since the clip is already close to the bearing block and therefore can not be compressed. This increases the friction between the

20 application tool and the clamp considerably and it may happen that metal is scraped off the clamp. If the application tool has too wide gripping jaws, the staple is sometimes not reliably grasped by the gripping jaws after removal from the magazine. As a result, the clip can slip away from the operating position within the application tool or fall out of the application tool. Another disadvantage is that the contact tension makes it difficult to pull the clip out of the magazine holding device. The tight fit of the bracket on the bracket creates significant friction between the bracket and bracket and the relatively small magazine must be held to allow removal. The thus required handling of staple and magazine involves further disadvantages. 0

Further developments in the prior art are intended to remedy the aforementioned disadvantages. For example, from US Pat. No. 4,936,447 a cassette for holding ligature clips is known in which the ligature clips are inserted with their downwardly open end over a central web into a free compartment and on their outer contours on both sides of one each elastic, at the end with a notch provided holding device are held. The holding device is formed with a special insert part that must be additionally connected to the main body of the cassette. The indentations on the holding device must reliably hold the ligature clips, but should easily release them again when they are removed by means of a suitable placement tool. In the known cassette, the holding devices must be made very accurate with respect to their dimensions and their spring force. They are also suitable only for holding a single type of ligature clips. Although this embodiment of magazine allows to remedy the aforementioned disadvantages of friction, yet raises the problem of mutual interference of the application tool and the retaining tabs, since these bear against the legs of the clip, which just form the areas in which the pliers intervenes. This is cause for errors. Another serious disadvantage of this cassette is that there is no guide for removing the ligature clips on the cassette for the application tool. The handling when gripping the ligature clips is thus provided with disadvantages, ie the ligature clip is not optimally positioned in the placement tool for further use, so that errors can occur when it is set from the vessel.

In the magazine which is the subject of WO 98/05260 A1 and the publications cited therein, each clip is mounted astride (inverted position with opening of the "U" turned down) on a solid element of complementary shape, that of a pair solid Transverse walls are lined, which serve to hold the bracket. The brackets received in such a magazine are sometimes very small, for example, the dimensions are on the order of 1.5 mm, so that the handling of the brackets is extremely difficult. In the known magazines, the brackets are held so that a forceps-like application tool when immersed in a magazine can detect the brackets and then pull out of the magazine. It is disadvantageous in the known magazines that the brackets are fixed laterally by elastic resilient clamping elements, which rest only in the central region of the web and are canceled when inserting a placement tool. It can therefore come when inserting the application tool to a tilting or even jamming of the clips in the magazine, and then it is no longer possible to introduce the clip in the intended manner in the investment tool. Still another problem arises with clips in prior art clip magazines. In order to ensure that the application tool comprises the clamp, the gripping jaws of the application tool must be made stronger than the clamp. Thus, the insertion tool can engage in the staple compartment, this compartment must therefore be wider than the clip. The wider compartment allows the bracket to be positioned differently in the compartment upon engagement of the application tool and not centered so that the bracket is not accurately captured by the center of the application tool. A clip that is not properly gripped by the gripping jaws of the applying tool can result in uneven closing of the clip. The principle of removing the staples from a magazine is identical for all known staple sizes. The magazines for the different clip sizes are marked different colors to distinguish. For example, for the small size of the clip, the associated magazine is yellow, the size medium is blue, and the size is orange.

The invention is therefore an object of the invention to provide a generic container of the type mentioned, which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages of the known arrangements and to provide a technical solution that allows a cost-effective, equipped with simple functional geometry container for receiving hemostatic brackets, to provide with increased demands on the safe storage and removal and thus the setting of vessels, which has a design that is suitable for the safe removal of staples by a surgical instrument. According to the invention this problem is solved by the characterizing features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention will become apparent from the following Unterahsprüchen and the following descriptions.

Description of the invention

In order to provide a container equipped with these features of the invention for receiving hemostatic clips, in particular ligature clips, for surgery, it is proposed according to the invention to design a container in such a way that the clip is kept completely, unambiguously and without tilting in the container in each phase, in particular also when inserting a surgical instrument (hereinafter referred to as a placement tool) in the container. This object is achieved in that the container consists of two components, for receiving a variety storable and individually removable therefrom objects, in particular ligature clips, each of which is formed in a specific shape and can be detected by a placement tool. The two components

5 consist of a lower and upper part. The base is provided with a plurality of staple compartments, each of which includes at least one sidewall for defining the clamping members and a bearing block for loosely supporting the staple. The upper part is provided with a plurality of clamping elements for holding the clamp in each of the staple compartments, wherein a clamping element consists of two movable holding means surrounding each one of the Klemmmerfacher the bearing block and each of which holding means has a contact portion, the respective clip on the Lagerbock stops.

The use of the device according to the invention is carried out in practical use as described below. This description is not to be taken as limiting, but I ₅ serves the purpose of describing the general principle of the invention.

In general, the present invention has a container consisting of a lower and upper part, wherein the lower part is the base part and the upper part of the holding device. The base part is equipped with a variety of staplers, advantageously with six to

»0 ten subjects, each of which can hold a prefabricated ligating clip. Each compartment therefore has a bearing block sized to approximately match the internal dimensions of a ligating clip and which loosely holds the clip in the clip compartment. In order to avoid holding the clip by friction, the bearing block according to the invention has a groove. The groove is arranged transversely to the bearing block and on the outer contour of the

5 bearing blocks trained, uzw. on the center line of the bearing block, wherein the center line of the bearing block is also the center line of the staple compartment. The further advantage of the groove is that the clamp can be arranged centered on the bearing block when the base part is loaded. This is also necessary because the staple compartment with the bearing block contained therein is larger than the ligature clip. The size of the clip compartment results

) depends on the size of the application tool to be used, which necessarily has to be larger for gripping the ligature clip. The application tool thus determines the size of the staple compartment and the groove determines the position of the staple on the bearing block and so in the staple compartment. Is the base part of the container in the staple compartments equipped with one clip per staple compartment, which due to the simple and advantageous Construction of the base part can also be done automatically, such as by a placement machine, known from the SMD technology, the assembly of the base part is carried out with the holding device.

During manufacture, the webs and partitions arranged on the base part pass through the openings arranged in the holding device, wherein the holding device can be fastened to the base part in various ways, for example by gluing or latching on connecting pins which protrude at the corners of the upper side of the base part the holding device at the corners contains the corresponding holes. Alternatively, lo the pins can also be arranged on the underside of the holding device and the holes in the base part. Other mounting options or connections between the base part and the holding device are conceivable.

From the preferred embodiment of the container shows that in the groove of the I ₅ bearing block of the base member centered clip is held by a clamping element, wherein the clamping element is formed of two holding means per staple compartment, which surround the bearing block in the assembled state. The holding means is designed to u-shaped. The clamping element, which is thus formed from a pair of retaining means, holds the clip between these two. The clamp is clamped from both sides. : q The clamping takes place in that the holding means are formed in the contact area with a latching lug. The locking lug is located at the apex of the holding means and points in the direction of the clip. Thus, the attachment of the clip in the groove of the bearing block results in a releasable clamping, the U-shaped holding means are arranged flexibly on the holding device. The flexibility results from the fact that the legs of the holding means 5 are formed relatively thin and are attached only at their ends to the holding device, resulting in a certain mobility of the holding means. Due to the inclination of the u-shaped bracket of the holding means acts due to the material, a certain tension (spring force) on the inserted in the groove bracket. For advantageous removal of a clip from a staple compartment of a container, the i base part according to the invention on the one hand equipped with webs, which are arranged on the two longitudinal sides of the base part and on the other hand, located in the staple compartment bearing blocks are provided with a base. The webs serve the application tool for guiding the jaws and the base serve the end faces of the application tool as a fixed stop. The removal of a clip by means of the application tool is carried out in that the application tool is inserted on the one hand from above between the webs of a staple compartment and on the other hand between the two holding means of a clamping element. Due to the oblique guide surface according to the invention on the webs, the application tool is guided against the U-shaped bracket of the holding means, while the holding means are pushed apart and fixed the application tool against the clamp. The application tool has reached its end position when the end faces of the two gripping jaws encounter the stop of the base, ie the insertion depth of the application tool is limited by the stop which results from the base on the bearing block. Once the application tool has been inserted, the gripping jaws of the application tool are optimally positioned to the clamp. The two legs of the clamp are in this position of the application tool exactly defined in the grooves of the two gripping jaws. The leg ends of the clamp are now flush with the ends of the gripping jaws of the application tool. By erfϊndungsgemäßen webs of u-fb ^' shaped holding means and the base stop on the bearing block a smooth removal of the clip from the bearing block is given and there is no friction when importing the application tool between the clamp and the gripping jaws.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. It shows

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container for receiving a plurality of hemostatic clips and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the base part and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the holding device and

Figure 4 is a sectional view A-A through the container of Fig.1

Fig.l shows a perspective view of a container 1 for Ligaturldammern 12, consisting of a lower 2 and upper part 3, wherein the lower part 2, the base part and the upper part 3 the

Holding device represents. The base part 2 is equipped with a plurality of staple shafts 4 (see also Fig. 2) ₅ each of which includes at least one side wall 5 for defining the clamping elements 7 and a bearing block 10 for loosely supporting the clip 12 the bearing block 10 of the contour 11 of the clip 12 corresponds. Furthermore, the base part 2 is formed with a plurality of webs 14, wherein each clamp compartment 4 two webs 14,14 'are arranged and the webs 14,14' of the guide of the application tool 15 (see Figure 4) for safe removal of the clip 12th serve. The webs 14,14 'are on the long sides 16,16' of the

5 base part 2 at a certain distance X in the longitudinal direction 17 to each other and at a certain distance Y in the transverse direction 18 of the transverse side 19 to the bearing block 10. By this arrangement of the webs 14,14 'in longitudinal 17 and transverse direction 18 arise for each staple compartment 4 two webs 14,14', which are arranged centrally to the staple compartment 4 and stand on the center line Z of the transverse direction 18 to the bearing block 10. On the center line Z in the area lo of the bearing block 10 is in the outer contour 11, a groove 13. The groove 13 serves to center the bracket 12 on the bearing block 10 and the inner contour 9 of the bracket 12 (not shown) adapted. The clip 12 is loosely mounted in the groove 13. The height of the bearing block 10 and the height of the side wall 5 correspond to the height of the webs 14,14 '. The base part 2 is made in one piece and can be made of different materials, i ₅ advantageously made of a plastic, which corresponds to medical purposes and is resistant to sterilization. The sectional view AA through the container 1 can be seen in FIG.

The base part 2 according to Figure 2 shows that the bearing block 10 is another invention

, o function comes. The function is that the bearing block 10 is equipped with a base 20. The base 20 is in the longitudinal direction 17 of the base part 2 on both sides of the bearing block

10 trained. The top 21 of the base 20 serves the end faces 23 of the gripping jaws 22 of the application tool 15 (see Figure 4) as a stop. Furthermore, the surface 24 of the webs

14,14 'at the bearing block 10 side facing obliquely. The foot 25 of the

5 webs 14,14 'is therefore larger than the top surface 26, i. that the course of the inclined surface 24, the webs 14, 14 'tapers towards the head end. It follows that the distance of the webs

14,14 'in a clamping compartment 4, viewed in the transverse direction 18, due to the inclined surface 24 in the foot area is less than in the head area. By shortening the distance between the two webs 14,14 'of a staple tray 4, the application tool 15 is automatically in

) First step against the holding means 8 is pressed to open these and in the second step against the clamp 12, which is located between the two holding means 8 to remove them. From FIG. 3 it can be seen that the holding device 3 contains openings 30 in which the webs 14, 14 'of the base part 2 can pass through and openings 31 which receive partitions 6. The openings 30 are arranged on the two longitudinal sides of the holding device 3 at a certain distance X in the longitudinal direction to each other and at a certain distance Y in the transverse direction analogous to the webs 14,14 'in the base part 2, wherein the shape of the openings 30 for receiving the webs 14,14 'corresponds to their shape. Further openings 31 in the holding device 3 are used in the assembly of the recording of the partitions 6 of the base part 2. The openings 31 are arranged between the adjacent clamping elements 7, a partition 6 has two side walls 5.5 ^Λ the holding means 8,8 'serve as a side stop (see Fig.2). Furthermore, the holding device 3 is equipped with a plurality of clamping elements 7, wherein each clamping compartment 4, a clamping element 7 is associated. A clamping element 7 consists of two holding means 8,8 ', which are arranged in pairs, wherein a pair comes to a staple compartment 4. The holding means 8,8 'are U-shaped, wherein the legs 32 of the U-shaped bracket 33 emerge from the holding device 3. At the apex 34 or in the contact region of the U-shaped bracket 33, a detent 35 is arranged, which takes over the holding of the clip 12 on the bearing block 10. The holding means 8,8 'are arranged obliquely and converge towards one another at the apex 34. The distance "U" of the pair of holding means 8,8 'in the foot region 36 of the bracket 23 is selected such that the gripping jaws 22 of the application tool 15 can be easily inserted therebetween. The engagement of the jaws 22 between the holding means 8,8 'is carried out according to the invention from the horizontal direction, so that no forces act on the container in the tangential direction. Upon further imports of the gripping jaws 22, the holding means 8,8 'are bent apart in the apex region 34, whereby the latching noses 35 release the clamp 12. The maximum distance that a holding element 8, 8 'can move from the closed position back into the open position is limited by the side walls 5, 5' of the dividing wall 6. An overbending of the holding means 8,8 'is thus excluded. If the holding means 8,8 'on the side walls 5,5', the clip 12 is exposed and can be smoothly removed by the application tool 15 from the bearing block 10.

4 shows a sectional view A - A equipped with a clamp 12 container 1 according to Fig.l, consisting of the base part 2 and the holding device 3, wherein the upper part 3 is advantageously provided with a border 38. The border 38 can on the one hand improve the reception of the base part 2 and on the other hand the handling of the user. On the bottom 39 of the base part 2 or on the underside 40 of the border 38 may be a Fixing means 41 (not shown) may be provided. The fastening means 41 consists of a carrier, which is provided on both sides with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, preferably consisting of a double-sided adhesive tape or alternatively a hard foam point. Furthermore, it is apparent from the sectional view AA that the staple compartment 4 in the transverse direction 18 through the webs

5 14,14 'and is limited in the longitudinal direction 17 by a side wall 5. In the middle of the staple compartment 4, the bearing block 10 can be seen on the base 20, wherein the bearing block 10 carries a clamp 12. The clamp 12 is clamped by the latching lug 35 of a holding means 8. On the inclined surface 24 of the webs 14,14 'jaws 22 of a jigging tool 15 are shown schematically, which have not yet reached the end position for removing the clip 12 lo. In the end position, the end faces 23 of the gripping jaws 22 would rest on the upper side 21 of the base 20 and the clamp 12 would be engaged by the grooves of the gripping jaws 22, so that the removal of the loose clamp can be done smoothly.

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0 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 container 25 feet

2 base (base) 26 top surface

3 upper part (device) 27 Free

4 clamp compartment 28 free

5 side wall 29 Free

5 'side wall 30 openings (bars)

6 partition wall 31 openings (side wall)

7 clamping element 32 legs

8 holding means 33 stirrups

8 'holding means 34 vertex

9 inner contour 35 locking lug

10 bearing block 36 foot area

11 Contour 37 Free

12 bracket 38 border

13 groove 39 bottom (zu2)

14 bar 40 bottom (zu3)

14 'bridge 41 fasteners

15 application tool

16 long side

16 'long side

17 longitudinal direction

18 transverse direction

19 transverse side

20 sockets

21 top

22 gripping jaws

23 face

24 inclined surface

Claims

claims

1. Container (1) for receiving a plurality of storable and individually removable therefrom objects, in particular Ligaturklammern (12), each of which is formed in a specific shape and by a application tool (15) can be detected, wherein the container (1)

5 has the following

a lower part (2) with a multiplicity of staple compartments (4), each of which contains at least one side wall (5) for delimiting the clamping element (7) and a bearing block (10) for the loose bearing of the clamp (12), the bearing block (12) 10) corresponds to the contour (11) of the clamp (12),

Lö - an upper part (3) with a plurality of clamping elements (7) for holding the

Clamp (12) in each of the staple compartments (4), wherein a clamping element (7) has two holding means (8) surrounding in each of the staple compartments (4) the bearing block (10) and each holding means (8) comprises a contact portion (8). 34) holding the respective clamp (12),

15, characterized in that the lower part (2) with a plurality of webs (14) is formed, wherein each clamping compartment (4) two webs (14) are arranged and the webs (14) of the guide of the application tool (15) for safe removal serve the clip (12).

2. Container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the webs (14,14 ") of the 0 base part (2) at a certain distance (X) in the longitudinal direction (17) and at a certain distance (Y) in the transverse direction (18) are arranged to the bearing block (19).

3. Container (l) according to claim 1 to 2, characterized in that the two each staple compartment (4) associated webs (14,14 ') are central to the staple compartment (4).

4. Container (1) according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that each web (14, 14 ') in the transverse direction (18) to the bearing block (10) on the center line (Z) is arranged.

5. Container (1) according to claim 1 to 4, characterized in that each web (14,14 ') is formed with an oblique surface (24) and that the inclined surface (24) corresponds to the bearing block (10) facing side ,

6. Container (1) according to claim 1 to 5, characterized in that on the center line (Z) of the bearing block (10) in the outer contour (11) has a groove (13) for centering the clamp (12) is formed.

7. Container (1) according to claim 1 to 6, characterized in that the bearing block (10) with 5 a base (20) is formed.

8. Container (1) according to claim 1 to 7, characterized in that the height of the web (14,14 ') corresponds to the height of the partition wall (6) and the height of the bearing block (10).

9. Container (1) according to claim 1 to 8, characterized in that the lower part (2) is made in one piece.

lo

10. Container (1) according to claim 1 for receiving a plurality storable therein and individually removable therefrom objects, in particular Ligaturklammern (12), each of which is formed in a specific shape and by a application tool (15) can be detected, wherein the container (1 ) has the following

- A lower part (2) having a plurality of staple compartments (4), each of which i ₅ at least one side wall (5) for limiting the clamping element (7) and a bearing block (10) for loose storage of the clip (12), wherein the bearing block (10) corresponds to the contour (11) of the clamp (12),

- an upper part (3) having a plurality of clamping elements (7) for holding the clip (12) in each of the Klarnmerfächer (4), wherein a clamping element (7) has two 0 holding means (8) in each of the staple compartments (4 ) surround the bearing block (10) and of which each holding means (8) has a contact portion which holds the relevant clamp (12),

characterized in that the upper part (3) openings (30,31), wherein in the openings (30), the webs (14,14 ') of the lower part (2) pass through and into the openings 5 (31) the partitions (6 ) of the lower part (2).

11. Container (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the openings (30) on the longitudinal sides (16) at a certain distance (X) in the longitudinal direction (17) to each other and at a certain distance (Y) in the transverse direction (18 ) are arranged analogously to the webs (14,14 ') in the lower part (2).

12. Container (1) according to claim 10 to 11, characterized in that the openings (31) for receiving the partitions (6) between the clamping elements (8,8 ') are arranged.

13. Container (1) according to claim 10 to 12, characterized in that the bearing block (10) surrounding holding means (8,8 ') are U-shaped.

5 14. Container (1) according to claim 10 to 13, characterized in that the holding means (8,8 ') are arranged to be movable.

15. Container (1) according to claim 10 to 14, characterized in that the upper part (3) is made in one piece.

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