Methods and devices for blood vessel harvesting

US5601581A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• General Surgical Innovations, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Thomas J. Fogarty · Portola Valley, US
• Kenneth H. Mollenauer · Portola Valley, US
• Michelle Y. Monfort · Clovis, US
• George D. Hermann · Los Gatos, US
• Allan Will · Atherton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 19, 1995
• Grant date: Feb 11, 1997
• Expiry date: May 19, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B2017/3419
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods and devices for harvesting veins from the body. The methods and devices allow vein harvesting using endoscopic procedures. A working space is created over the vein using standard endoscopic procedures and a side-hooked wire is inserted into the working space and twisted to insert the side-hook under the vein. The wire is then pulled or drawn along the vein to separate the vein from the surrounding tissue. In an alternative embodiment, vein separation is accomplished by threading a soft rubber tube under the vein, grasping the ends of the tube so as to surround the vein, and then pulling the tube along the vein. In other embodiments, the working space is created with everting balloons.