WO2010024785A1 - Vascular retractor - Google Patents

Abstract

The vascular retractor is a vascular anastomosis aiding device. The small tool is composed of a plastic base with hooked legs made from flexible steel wire extending from it for safely engaging and pulling vessel wall. It produces optimal protection to vessel layers and provides a better exposure of anastomosis site during surgical procedure. It makes anastomosis easier, decreases the possibility of trauma to a patient, enables less experienced surgeons successfully performing vascular anastomosis and saves time.

Description

VASCULAR RETRACTOR

Prior ail:

The vascular surgeon usually picks and holds the artery's wall once or twice at each suture by a forceps resulting in frequent microscopic traumas .especially to the intima, and consequently produces intimal hypertrophy _<. and sometimes increases the risk of dissection, and may or may not be able to achieve the suitable suture because of loss of good vision of the artery from interior, or may suture the artery's posterior wall resulting in anastomosis stenosis.

. > . Detailed Description:

The vascular Dilator:

It is a small instrument put inside the operated vessel to open its incised mouth at the site of the anastomosis. - It is made of a fine flexible steel wire rolled from the middle (around a plastic globe-shape base (the head) to be held and directed with Fig2).

We shall benefit from the steel flexibility to open the edges of the vessel operated on.

The two distal ends of the wire (the two similar legs) have half-sharp-- pointed tips kincked in acute angle (Figl), a small plastic ball exists near the pointed head (about 1 mm from the peak) to limit the distance of penetration of the pointed head inside the wall's tissue (Fig 1, 4 and 7).

The surgeon presses the two legs, inserts them inside the incised mouth of the vessel, put one pointed tip toward one wall of the vessel near the edge- (Fig4), and lets the other tip fall slowly on the facing point of the other wall

(Fig5). The dilator now (because of its gentle flexibility) will separate and stretch the two walls, enable a clear vision of the inside of the vessel, and create a space at the site of anastomosis.

The surgeon can easily release this dilator out when he achieves more than- 50% of the anastomosis. The rest of the anastomosis is easy because the sutures themselves stretched the artery's walls (as all the vascular surgeons know). So it is a vascular anastomosis helpful device.

We can derive from this instrument the following device:

The vein carrier:

The vein carrier provides better exposure of the intima, and better control on- the vein's edges during the anastomosic procedure.

There are three models the vein carrier:

1- The triple legs model :

This model is composed of three legs attached to the small plastic base (the head) which has a long handle (fig 8).The tips of the three legs doesn't have small balls, so the sharp pointed tips pick and tooth the external layer of the vein (the adventitia) from three corner points (fig 10) to carry, stretch, the vein's edges at the anastomotic site, control, and manipulate easily the vein.- Fig 14, and 15.

2-The four legs model :

Four legs are attached to the plastic base (the head) Fig 12. So the four sharp pointed tips pick and tooth the external layer of the vein (the adventitia) from four corner points (fig 13) to carry, stretch, the vein's- edges at the anastomotic site, control, and manipulate easily the vein. Fig 14, and 15.

3 -Another model may be designed: in this model, the two lateral opposed legs are of internal curve.FigH.

Fig 11 : shows how tips tooth, and pick up the external layer of the vein.- Both devices the dilator and the carrier have three or four different sizes to suit the vessel's size.

The benefits:

The anastomosis becomes very easy, simple, causing no technical defaults, and enables the fresh surgeons to make the vascular anastomosis with no- fear of damaging the vessels, and it saves time. It also ensures suturing the target wall and avoid inadvertent suturing of the posterior wall.

In brief : better vision, easy anastomosis, better accuracy, better result, less time, and less costs .

As a vascular surgeon, I have used this device, and let my colleagues try it,- and we all found marvelous results.

Claims

Claims :

1- The vascular dilator is made of fine flexible steel wire. The steel wire is rolled from the middle around a plastic base in order to be held and directed with the flexible steel wire forms two similar legs (2 - 3 - 4 — 5 or- 6 centimeters long according to the vessel's size).The plastic base forms the head of these two legs.

The two flexible legs can be closed and opened by pressing them between two fingers and can be put inside the wounded vessel (vein or artery).

Each leg has a( half-sharp) pointed tip kincked in acute angle to be 0- hanged to the vessel's internal two walls .A small ball exists near the pointed head(l to 2 mm from the peak) to limit the distance of penetration of the pointed head inside the wall's tissue.

2- The vein carrier that composed of four crossed legs(the leg is described in claim 1) and one head (plastic base) to carry and 5- stretch the vein's edges at the anastomotic site and provide better exposure, good vision, and better control on the vein during the anastomosic procedure.

- 6 -