Patent · US Expired

Tract measuring device

US5343874A · kind A · utility

50Cited by
9References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 18, 1993
Grant dateSep 6, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 18, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61M2025/0008
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A measuring device and method for determining the length of an incised tract or passage into which gastrostomy appliance is about to be installed. A trocar needle is used to incise a tract or passage extending from the outside surface of a patient's skin into the stomach through the abdominal and stomach walls. The measuring device is positioned in the patient's stomach via a previously endoscopically installed guidewire extending through the patient's mouth, down the esophagus and through the incision. The device is pushed along the guidewire outwardly through the incision until a distal end of the device containing scale indicia is visible. A stop on the device engages the inner wall of the patient's stomach to limit outward movement of the device through the incision, so as to establish an inner stomach wall reference point for the scale indicia. With the device fully inserted into the incision, the distance between the inner wall of t, he patient's stomach and the outer surface of the skin is measured by observation of the scale indicia. The measuring device is removed from the tract or passage, and then a gastrostomy appliance of proper length dimension determined by the foreg…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.