Expansible tunneling apparatus for creating an anatomic working space
US5496345A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 17, 1994 |
| Grant date | Mar 5, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 17, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F2002/0072
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An expansible tunneling apparatus for tunneling bluntly to a desired location within the human body and for creating an anatomic working space for the performance of a surgical procedure by utilizing an inflatable balloon to dissect tissue along natural separation planes once the desired space has been reached. In a disclosed embodiment, a tubular member has a bore extending therethrough to provide an open distal end. A rigid tunneling shaft is insertable into the bore of the tubular member to provide a blunt tipped obturator. A balloon associated with the apparatus is disposed such that it surrounds the tunneling shaft when the balloon is deflated, as it would be when tunneling bluntly through tissue. A sheath surrounds the balloon and has a weakened region that permits the sheath to be released thereby permitting the balloon to expand to dissect tissue layers and create the anatomic working space. A balloon inflation lumen may be utilized to supply an appropriate balloon inflation medium to inflate the balloon.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.