Venous valve cutter
US5601580A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 9, 1995 |
| Grant date | Feb 11, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 9, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2017/22097
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improved valve cutter for in-situ incision of valve leaflets which safely, efficiently, and consistently renders venous valves incompetent while minimizing frictional forces on the endothelium of the vessel and preventing inadvertent contact between cutting surfaces and the intima of the vein wall. The valve cutter includes a plurality of proximally directed prongs presenting sharp edges, where the prongs are separated by slots similarly presenting sharp edges to pierce the valve leaflets so that the cutting head is provided with a continuous cutting surface in multiple planes running along the entire forward edge of the cutting head. Fiber optics provided for viewing the valves as they are penetrated by the sharp cutting edges.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.