1. Field of Inventions
The present inventions relate generally to structures for positioning diagnostic and therapeutic elements within the body and, more particularly, to devices which are particularly well suited for the treatment of cardiac conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many instances where diagnostic and therapeutic elements must be inserted into the body. One instance involves the treatment of cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter which lead to an unpleasant, irregular heart beat, called arrhythmia.
Normal sinus rhythm of the heart begins with the sinoatrial node (or “SA node”) generating an electrical impulse. The impulse usually propagates uniformly across the right and left atria and the atrial septum to the atrioventricular node (or “AV node”). This propagation causes the atria to contract in an organized way to transport blood from the atria to the ventricles, and to provide timed stimulation of the ventricles. The AV node regulates the propagation delay to the atrioventricular bundle (or “HIS” bundle). This coordination of the electrical activity of the heart causes atrial systole during ventricular diastole. This, in turn, improves the mechanical function of the heart. Atrial fibrillation occurs when anatomical obstacles in the heart disrupt the normally uniform propagation of electrical impulses in the atria. These anatomical obstacles (called “conduction blocks”) can cause the electrical impulse to degenerate into several circular wavelets that circulate about the obstacles. These wavelets, called “reentry circuits,” disrupt the normally uniform activation of the left and right atria.
Because of a loss of atrioventricular synchrony, the people who suffer from atrial fibrillation and flutter also suffer the consequences of impaired hemodynamics and loss of cardiac efficiency. They are also at greater risk of stroke and other thromboembolic complications because of loss of effective contraction and atrial stasis.
Although pharmacological treatment is available for atrial fibrillation and flutter, the treatment is far from perfect. For example, certain antiarrhythmic drugs, like quinidine and procainamide, can reduce both the incidence and the duration of atrial fibrillation episodes. Yet, these drugs often fail to maintain sinus rhythm in the patient. Cardioactive drugs, like digitalis, Beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers, can also be given to control the ventricular response. However, many people are intolerant to such drugs. Anticoagulant therapy also combats thromboembolic complications, but does not eliminate them. Unfortunately, pharmacological remedies often do not remedy the subjective symptoms associated with an irregular heartbeat. They also do not restore cardiac hemodynamics to normal and remove the risk of thromboembolism.
Many believe that the only way to really treat all three detrimental results of atrial fibrillation and flutter is to actively interrupt all of the potential pathways for atrial reentry circuits.
One surgical method of treating atrial fibrillation by interrupting pathways for reentry circuits is the so-called “maze procedure” which relies on a prescribed pattern of incisions to anatomically create a convoluted path, or maze, for electrical propagation within the left and right atria. The incisions direct the electrical impulse from the SA node along a specified route through all regions of both atria, causing uniform contraction required for normal atrial transport function. The incisions finally direct the impulse to the AV node to activate the ventricles, restoring normal atrioventricular synchrony. The incisions are also carefully placed to interrupt the conduction routes of the most common reentry circuits. The maze procedure has been found very effective in curing atrial fibrillation. However, the maze procedure is technically difficult to do. It also requires open heart surgery and is very expensive. Thus, despite its considerable clinical success, only a few maze procedures are done each year.
Maze-like procedures have also been developed utilizing catheters which can form lesions on the endocardium to effectively create a maze for electrical conduction in a predetermined path. Exemplary catheters are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,609. Typically, the lesions are formed by ablating tissue with an electrode carried by the catheter. Electromagnetic radio frequency (“RF”) energy applied by the electrode heats, and eventually kills (i.e. “ablates”), the tissue to form a lesion. During the ablation of soft tissue (i.e. tissue other than blood, bone and connective tissue), tissue coagulation occurs and it is the coagulation that kills the tissue. Thus, references to the ablation of soft tissue are necessarily references to soft tissue coagulation. “Tissue coagulation” is the process of cross-linking proteins in tissue to cause the tissue to jell. In soft tissue, it is the fluid within the tissue cell membranes that jells to kill the cells, thereby killing the tissue.
Catheters used to create lesions (the lesions being 3 to 15 cm in length) typically include a relatively long and relatively flexible body portion that has an electrode on its distal end. The portion of the catheter body portion that is inserted into the patient is typically from 23 to 55 inches in length and there may be another 8 to 15 inches, including a handle, outside the patient. The proximal end of the catheter body is connected to the handle which includes steering controls. The length and flexibility of the catheter body allow the catheter to be inserted into a main vein or artery (typically the femoral artery), directed into the interior of the heart, and then manipulated such that the electrode contacts the tissue that is to be ablated. Fluoroscopic imaging is used to provide the physician with a visual indication of the location of the catheter.
Catheter-based soft tissue coagulation has proven to be a significant advance in the medical arts generally and in the treatment of cardiac conditions in particular. Nevertheless, the inventors herein have determined that catheter-based procedures are not appropriate in every situation and that conventional catheters are not capable of reliably forming all types of lesions. One lesion that has proven to be difficult to form with conventional catheters is the circumferential lesion that is used to isolate a pulmonary vein and cure ectopic atrial fibrillation. Lesions that isolate the pulmonary vein may be formed within the pulmonary vein itself or in the tissue surrounding the pulmonary vein. These circumferential lesions are formed by dragging a tip electrode around the pulmonary vein or by creating a group of interconnected curvilinear lesions one-by-one around the pulmonary vein. Such techniques have proven to be less than effective because they are slow and gaps of conductive tissue can remain after the procedure. It can also be difficult to achieve adequate tissue contact with conventional catheters.
Endocardial lesions to isolate pulmonary veins have also been formed as a secondary procedure during a primary open heart surgical procedure such as mitral valve replacement. A surgical soft tissue coagulation probe is used to form the endocardial lesions after the heart has been opened, either before or after the valve replacement. This technique does, however, increase the amount of time the patient is on pulmonary bypass, which can be undesirable.
Accordingly, the inventors herein have determined that a need exists for surgical methods and apparatus that can be used to create lesions around bodily structures and, in the context of the treatment of atrial fibrillation, around a pulmonary vein without increasing the amount of time that the patient is on pulmonary bypass.
Accordingly, the general object of the present inventions is to provide methods and apparatus that avoid, for practical purposes, the aforementioned problems. In particular, one object of the present inventions is to provide surgical methods and apparatus that can be used to create lesions around a pulmonary vein or other body structure in a more efficient manner than conventional apparatus. Another object of the present inventions is to provide surgical methods and apparatus that may be used to create lesions around a pulmonary vein without placing the patient on pulmonary bypass or increasing the amount of time that the patient is on pulmonary bypass when a related procedure is being performed. Still another object of the present inventions is to perform a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure, such as the coagulation of tissue around a body structure, without effecting collateral tissue that is not targeted for the procedure.
In order to accomplish some of these and other objectives, a surgical device in accordance with a present invention includes a relatively short outer member, a relatively short shaft located at least partially within the relatively short outer member and slidable relative to the relatively short outer member, and an operative element on the distal portion of the relatively short shaft. The distal portion of the relatively short shaft is adapted to be connected to the distal portion of the relatively short outer member such that the distal portion of the shaft member will form a loop.
In order to accomplish some of these and other objectives, a surgical device in accordance with a present invention includes a relatively short outer member, a relatively short shaft located at least partially within the relatively short outer member and slidable relative to the relatively short outer member, a control element defining a distal portion connected to the distal portion of the relatively short shaft and a proximal portion extending toward the proximal portion of the relatively short outer member, and an operative element on the distal portion of the relatively short shaft. The distal portion of the relatively short shaft may be used to form a loop.
In order to accomplish some of these and other objectives, a surgical device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of a present invention includes a relatively short shaft and a distal member having a flexible region and a malleable region and an operative element carried by the distal member. Preferably, the distal tip assembly may, if desired, also include a pull wire that facilitates the formation of a loop.
In order to accomplish some of these and other objectives, a clamp device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of a present invention includes first and second curved members and a tissue coagulation apparatus associated with the first and second curved members. The curved members and tissue coagulation apparatus preferably together define an open region that may be positioned around a body structure such as one or more pulmonary veins.
Such devices provide a number of advantages over the conventional devices used to create lesions around pulmonary veins. For example, the operative element carrying loops and the first and second curved members may be positioned around a pulmonary vein (or veins) on the epicardial surface in accordance with inventive methods disclosed herein. A continuous transmural lesion that will isolate the vein may then be created while the heart is beating. The heart need not be opened and pulmonary bypass is not required. As such, the present devices advantageously allow curative lesions to be formed around pulmonary veins without the difficulties associated with catheter-based procedures or the time on pulmonary bypass required by conventional surgical procedures.
In order to accomplish some of these and other objectives, a mask element for masking an operative element supported on a support body in accordance with a present invention includes a main body with a side wall defining an interior bore and a side wall opening. The mask element, which is preferably formed from thermally and electrically insulating material, is adapted to be positioned on the support structure such that a portion of the operative element is aligned with the side wall opening and a portion of the operative element is covered by the side wall. When the support structure is positioned with the side wall opening (and exposed portion of the operative element) facing the target tissue region, the remainder of the operative element will be covered by the side wall. As such, the present mask element protects non-target collateral tissue from being damaged, sensed or otherwise affected by the operative element.
The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present inventions will become apparent as the inventions become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inventions will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following is a detailed description of the best presently known modes of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the inventions.
The detailed description of the preferred embodiments is organized as follows:
This specification discloses a number of structures, mainly in the context of cardiac ablation, because the structures are well suited for use with myocardial tissue. Nevertheless, it should be appreciated that the structures are applicable for use in therapies involving other types of soft tissue. For example, various aspects of the present inventions have applications in procedures concerning other regions of the body such as the prostate, liver, brain, gall bladder, uterus and other solid organs.
I. Loop Structures with Coupling Devices
As illustrated for example in
The shaft 12 in the exemplary surgical device 10 extends through the interior bore of an outer member 22 in the manner illustrated in
The shaft 12 and outer member 22 are both relatively short. The term “relatively short” is used in the present specification to describe a length that is suitable for direct placement against the targeted tissue region during a surgical procedure. “Relatively long” shafts, on the other hand, include conventional catheter shafts that are guided through the vasculature to a target tissue region. In the context of the surgical procedures involving the heart, access to the targeted tissue region may be obtained by way of a thoracotomy, median sternotomy, or thoracostomy. As such, the length of the shaft 12 is preferably between about 6 inches and about 30 inches, with the proximal member 14 being between about 3 inches and about 20 inches, and the distal member 18 being between about 3 inches and about 20 inches. The length of the outer member 22 is only about 2 inches to about 10 inches.
A loop may be formed by securing the distal end of the shaft 12 to the distal end of the outer member 22 and a fastening apparatus is provided that allows the distal ends to be releasably secured to one another. The fastening apparatus in the illustrated embodiment consists of a hook 26 on the distal end of the outer member 22 and an eyelet 28 on the distal end of the shaft 12. Referring more specifically to
The core wire 32 is anchored at the proximal end of the shaft 12, while the core wire and eyelet 28 are both anchored at the distal end of the shaft. Referring to
Although the core wire 32 is preferably circular in cross-section, the portion of the core wire within the distal member 18 may have a rectangular (or other non-circular shape) cross-section in order to control the bending plane of the distal member. This technique is especially useful when portions of the electrodes 20 are masked using one of the techniques described in Section VI below.
As illustrated for example in
In order to allow the distal member 18 to be tightly threaded around a relatively small structure such as a pulmonary vein, the distal member is preferably very flexible. As used herein, the term “very flexible” refers to distal members which are more flexible than the distal portions of conventional diagnostic and steerable electrophysiology catheters, which must be stiff enough to force electrodes against tissue.
The exemplary handle 16 illustrated in
Another exemplary device, which is generally represented by reference numeral 40, is illustrated in
The primary difference between the two surgical devices is that the exemplary device 40 includes a relatively short outer member 42 that is relatively stiff. In other words, the outer member is either rigid, malleable, or somewhat flexible. A rigid outer member cannot be bent. A malleable outer member is a outer member that can be readily bent by the physician to a desired shape, without springing back when released, so that it will remain in that shape during the surgical procedure. Thus, the stiffness of a malleable outer member must be low enough to allow the outer member to be bent, but high enough to resist bending when the forces associated with a surgical procedure are applied to the outer member. A somewhat flexible outer member will bend and spring back when released. However, the force required to bend the outer member must be substantial. Rigid and somewhat flexible shafts are preferably formed from stainless steel, while malleable shafts are formed from annealed stainless steel. Additional information concerning malleable structures may be found in aforementioned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/072,872.
A rigid or somewhat flexible outer member 42 may be linear or formed with one or more bends 44 designed for a particular surgical procedure, as is illustrated for example in
II. Loop Structures with Coupling Devices and Pull Wires
It may be difficult in some instances to thread the shaft distal member 18 around an anatomical structure such as a pulmonary vein. As such, the distal end of the shaft 12 may be provided with a pull wire 34, as is illustrated for example
The pull wire 34 may be secured to the core wire 32 with a crimp tube or other suitable device in the manner illustrated, for example, in
III. Loop Structures with Pull Wires
As illustrated for example in
As illustrated for example in
The exemplary surgical device 46 does not, however, include an outer member with a coupling device that secures the distal portion of the outer member to the shaft distal member 18. Instead, surgical device 46 includes a relatively short outer member 48 with a pull wire guide 50. The outer member 48 also includes a flared inner surface (not shown) or soft material at its distal end and a locking device 24, such as a Toughy Borst fitting, at its proximal end to fix the position of the shaft 12. The pull wire 34 may be threaded through the pull wire guide 50 to form a loop 51 and then secured to an anchoring device 52. The loop 51 may then be adjusted by moving the shaft 12 and outer member 48 relative to one another or by adjusting the pull wire 34. In one exemplary procedure, the pull wire 34 will be threaded around a pair of pulmonary veins prior to being threaded through the pull wire guide 50 to form a loop similar to that illustrated in
With respect to the physical characteristics of the outer member 48, the outer member is preferably formed from relatively high durometer materials (72D and above) such as braided or unbraided Pebax® or Nylon material that is stiffer than the distal member 18 as well as thermally and electrically insulating. The outer member 48 should also be slightly shorter (i.e. 1 to 2 inches shorter) than the proximal member 14.
As illustrated in
In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
The exemplary pull wire guide 64 illustrated in
Turning to
Another exemplary surgical device, which is generally represented by reference numeral 88, is illustrated in
The configuration of the loop 95 formed by the distal member 18 is primarily determined by the shape and relative orientation of the outer members 92 and 94. In the illustrated embodiment, outer member 92 is linear and outer member 94 is curved. The outer members 92 and 94, which are held in place relative to one another by a post 96 and weld (not shown) in region 98, are oriented such that the distal ends thereof define an angle of about 45 degrees. Of course, the curvatures of the outer members 92 and 94, as well as the relative orientation thereof, may be adjusted to suit particular needs.
In order to facilitate formation and adjustment of the loop 95, outer member 94 includes a pull wire slot 100 and the distal ends of the outer members 92 and 94 respectively include outwardly flared portions 102 and 104. The pull wire slot 100 is wide enough to allow the pull wire 34 to slide into the outer member 94, yet too narrow to allow the shaft distal member 18 to slide out of the outer member once it has been pulled in. As such, loop 95 may be formed by advancing the shaft distal member 18 outwardly from the distal end of the outer member 92, pulling on the pull wire 34 to bend the distal member back in the proximal direction, sliding the pull wire into the pull wire slot 100, and pulling the distal member into the distal end of the outer member 94.
As illustrated for example in
Referring more specifically to
The distal section 110 may, alternatively, have a malleable portion. As illustrated for example in
The malleable portion within the distal section 110 may also be provided in the manner illustrated in
Probes having distal sections with both malleable and flexible regions may also be provided without a pull wire. The exemplary probe 106′ illustrated in
Referring to
The ends of the through hole 127 are preferably chamfered and, as illustrated in
It should be noted that a tip electrode with a through hole, such as those illustrated in
There are a number of advantages associated with probes having a distal section with both malleable and flexible regions. For example, the combination of malleable and flexible regions in the distal section 110 allows a single probe to form a wide variety of lesions. The relatively stiff, malleable region of the distal section 110 may be shaped to conform to anatomical structures on, for example, the surface of the heart. Direct pressure may then be applied to the structure during the formation of continuous lesions (note lesion 152 in
A probe with a combination of malleable and flexible regions in the distal section 110 may also be used in combination with the relatively short outer member 48 illustrated in
IV. Operative Elements, Temperature Sensing and Power Control
In each of the preferred embodiments, the operative element is a plurality of spaced electrodes 20. However, other operative elements, such as lumens for chemical ablation, laser arrays, ultrasonic transducers, microwave electrodes, and ohmically heated hot wires, and the like may be substituted for the electrodes.
The spaced electrodes 20 are preferably in the form of wound, spiral coils. The coils are made of electrically conducting material, like copper alloy, platinum, or stainless steel, or compositions such as drawn-filled tubing (e.g. a copper core with a platinum jacket). The electrically conducting material of the coils can be further coated with platinum-iridium or gold to improve its conduction properties and biocompatibility. A preferred coil electrode is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,905.
As an alternative, the electrodes may be in the form of solid rings of conductive material, like platinum, or can comprise a conductive material, like platinum-iridium or gold, coated upon the device using conventional coating techniques or an ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) process. For better adherence, an undercoating of nickel, silver or titanium can be applied. The electrodes can also be in the form of helical ribbons. The electrodes can also be formed with a conductive ink compound that is pad printed onto a non-conductive tubular body. A preferred conductive ink compound is a silver-based flexible adhesive conductive ink (polyurethane binder), however other metal-based adhesive conductive inks such as platinum-based, gold-based, copper-based, etc., may also be used to form electrodes. Such inks are more flexible than epoxy-based inks.
The flexible electrodes 20 are preferably about 4 mm to about 20 mm in length. In the preferred embodiment, the electrodes are 12.5 mm in length with 1 mm to 3 mm spacing, which will result in the creation of continuous lesion patterns in tissue when coagulation energy is applied simultaneously to adjacent electrodes. For rigid electrodes, the length of the each electrode can vary from about 2 mm to about 10 mm. Using multiple rigid electrodes longer than about 10 mm each adversely effects the overall flexibility of the device, while electrodes having lengths of less than about 2 mm do not consistently form the desired continuous lesion patterns.
The electrodes 20 may be operated in a uni-polar mode, in which the soft tissue coagulation energy emitted by the electrodes is returned through an indifferent patch electrode (not shown) externally attached to the skin of the patient. Alternatively, the electrodes may be operated in a bi-polar mode, in which energy emitted by one or more electrodes is returned through other electrodes. The amount of power required to coagulate tissue ranges from 5 to 150 w.
As illustrated for example in
The temperature sensors are also preferably located within a linear channel (not shown) that is formed in the distal member. The linear channel insures that the temperature sensors will directly face the tissue and be arranged in linear fashion. The illustrated arrangement results in more accurate temperature readings which, in turn, results in better temperature control. As such, the actual tissue temperature will more accurately correspond to the temperature set by the physician on the power control device, thereby providing the physician with better control of the lesion creation process and reducing the likelihood that embolic materials will be formed. Such a channel may be employed in conjunction with any of the electrode (or other operative element) supporting structures disclosed herein.
Finally, the electrodes 20 and temperature sensors 128 can include a porous material coating, which transmits coagulation energy through an electrified ionic medium. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,650, electrodes and temperature sensors may be coated with regenerated cellulose, hydrogel or plastic having electrically conductive components. With respect to regenerated cellulose and other micro-porous materials, the coating acts as a mechanical barrier between the surgical device components, such as electrodes, preventing ingress of blood cells, infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, and large biological molecules such as proteins, while providing electrical contact to the human body. The micro-porous material coating also acts as a biocompatible barrier between the device components and the human body, whereby the components can now be made from materials that are somewhat toxic (such as silver or copper).
V. Operative Element Identification
Certain power source and control devices, such as the Cobra® electrosurgical unit manufactured by EP Technologies, Inc., allow the physician to individually select which of the electrodes 20 will be supplied with power. In a seven electrode arrangement, for example, the power supply and control device will include seven on-off switches that respectively correspond to the seven electrodes 20. Such an arrangement allows the physician to selectively enable only those electrodes that, for example, are located outside the outer member 22 after a loop has been formed around an anatomical structure. Nevertheless, it can be difficult for the physician to accurately determine how many of the electrodes are outside the outer member 22 during a surgical procedure where the physician makes use of a direct line of sight into the patient because some of the electrodes may be located behind the anatomical structure.
An electrode identification system in accordance with a present invention may be provided to enable the physician to readily determine how many of the electrodes are located outside of an outer member. The identification system, one embodiment of which is illustrated in
The indicia is used by the physician in the following manner. When a loop is formed around pulmonary veins in the manner illustrated in
The number of electrodes that have indicia associated therewith, as well as the percentage of the total number electrodes that have indicia associated therewith, will depend on the particular surgical procedure for which the identification system is intended. Other visible indicia, such as alpha-numeric symbols or shading, may also be employed. Additionally, although the embodiment of the system illustrated in
VI. Masking
The portion of an operative element that is not intended to contact tissue (or be exposed to the blood pool) may be masked through a variety of techniques with a material that is preferably electrically and thermally insulating. This prevents the transmission of coagulation energy directly into the blood pool and directs the energy directly toward and into the tissue. This also prevents collateral damage to tissue by blocking transmission of coagulation energy into adjacent, non-target tissue. In the context of epicardial lesion creation, such non-target tissue may include the phrenic nerve and lung tissue.
For example, a layer of UV adhesive (or another adhesive) may be painted on preselected portions of the electrodes to insulate the portions of the electrodes not intended to contact tissue. Deposition techniques may also be implemented to position a conductive surface only on those portions of the assembly intended to contact tissue. A coating may also be formed by dipping the electrodes in PTFE material.
Alternatively, a mask element may be positioned over a structure that supports one or more electrodes or other operative element to electrically and thermally insulate the desired portions thereof. As illustrated for example in
With respect to materials, the main body 138 is preferably formed from an elastic material that will hold the mask element 136 on the distal member 18 or other operative element supporting structure, yet also allow the surgeon to rotate the main body to focus the coagulation energy, or remove the mask element altogether, as desired. A suitable elastic material is silicone rubber having a thickness that ranges from about 0.05 mm to about 1 mm, depending on the desired level of insulation. For some surgical devices, the main body 138 need only be bendable, as opposed to elastic. Here, biocompatible plastics that are commonly used in catheters, such as Pebax® material and polyurethane, may be employed and the main body 138 secured to the surgical device with an adhesive.
Suitable materials for the fluid retention elements 146 include biocompatible fabrics commonly used for vascular patches (such as woven Dacron®), open cell foam materials, hydrogels, macroporous balloon materials (with very slow fluid delivery to the surface), and hydrophilic microporous materials. The effective electrical resistivity of the fluid retention elements 146 when wetted with 0.9% saline (normal saline) should range from about 1 Ω-cm to about 2000 Ω-cm.
Because it is important that the physician be able to identify the electrodes 20 or other operative elements that are in contact with tissue, the exemplary main body 138 should either be transparent or be provided with indicia (not shown) that allows the physician to distinguish between the electrodes. Such indicia, which may be printed directly onto the main body 138 with biocompatible ink, includes color coding, alpha-numeric indicia and shading.
Mask elements in accordance with the present invention may be used in conjunction with devices other that the shaft and spaced closed coil electrode structure illustrated in
VII. Clamp Devices
As illustrated for example in
The exemplary tissue coagulation apparatus 152 includes an operative element support member 168 that may be formed from a soft, flexible, insulative, biocompatible thermoplastic material such as Pebax® material, polyethylene, or polyurethane. In the illustrated embodiment, which may be used to form lesions around one or more pulmonary veins, the operative element support member 168 will preferably be about 5 French to about 9 French in diameter.
Referring more specifically to
The operative element support member 168 is preferably mounted off center by an angle θ on the arm distal portions 160 and 162, as best seen in
As illustrated for example in
Another exemplary clamp device, which is generally represented by reference numeral 174, is illustrated in
It should also be noted that the although the exemplary clamp devices illustrated above employ a forceps-like apparatus having a pair of arms connected by a pivot pin to position the tissue coagulation apparatus around tissue, other apparatus may also be employed. For example, an elongate apparatus including a scissors-like handle at one end, curved distal portions at the other end, and a suitable mechanical linkage joining the two may be employed.
VIII. Methods
In accordance with an invention herein, surgical devices such as those describe above may be used to support an operative element on the outer surfaces of body structures for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes. In the context of the treatment of atrial fibrillation, for example, surgical devices with loop structures such as those described above may be used to support an operative element, such as a plurality of spaced electrodes, that creates transmural epicardial lesions to isolate the sources of focal (or ectopic) atrial fibrillation.
Turning to
Alternatively, as illustrated in
Access to the heart may be obtained via a thoracotomy, thoracostomy or median sternotomy. Ports may also be provided for cameras and other instruments.
Surgical devices with loop structures such as those described above may also be used to create transmural epicardial lesions in a maze pattern that controls electrical propagation within the left and right atria. More specifically, a maze pattern may be created by positioning a plurality of spaced electrodes, or other operative element, within the pericardial space around the exterior of the heart at the various locations needed to form the desired lesion pattern.
The surgical devices described above may also be urged through tissue planes (i.e. the space between fascia material and a particular organ) to properly position the device prior to the actuation of the operative elements. Such a procedure is referred to as blunt dissection.
The clamp devices illustrated in
Although the present inventions have been described in terms of the preferred embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the scope of the present inventions extend to all such modifications and/or additions and that the scope of the present inventions is limited solely by the claims set forth below.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/160,960, filed May 30, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,905, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/644,847, filed Aug. 22, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,895, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser No. 09/072,872, filed May 5, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,994, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/072,872 is (1) a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/321,092, filed Oct. 11, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,947, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/320,198, filed Oct. 7, 1994, now abandoned; (2) a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/949,117, filed Oct. 10, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,920; and (3) a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/948,729, filed Oct. 10, 1997, now abandoned. This application is also a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/234,762, filed Sep. 3, 2002, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/535,625, filed Mar. 24, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,700, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/017,465, filed Feb. 2, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,274. The specification and claims of each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
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6311692 | Vaska | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6314962 | Vaska | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6314963 | Vaska | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6332880 | Yang | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6454758 | Thompson | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6464700 | Koblish | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6529756 | Phan | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6542781 | Koblish | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6607505 | Thompson | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6613046 | Jenkins | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6645199 | Jenkins | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6786905 | Swanson | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6904303 | Phan | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6908464 | Jenkins | Jun 2005 | B2 |
7025766 | Whayne | Apr 2006 | B2 |
7029471 | Thompson | Apr 2006 | B2 |
20020058934 | Wang | May 2002 | A1 |
20030069570 | Witzel | Apr 2003 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
3920707 | Jan 1991 | DE |
0238106 | Sep 1987 | EP |
0737487 | Oct 1996 | EP |
0868922 | Oct 1998 | EP |
0916360 | May 1999 | EP |
WO-9510322 | Apr 1995 | WO |
WO-9737607 | Oct 1997 | WO |
WO-9742996 | Nov 1997 | WO |
WO-9826724 | Jun 1998 | WO |
WO-9918878 | Apr 1999 | WO |
WO-0180724 | Nov 2001 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20050015083 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 09644847 | Aug 2000 | US |
Child | 10160960 | US | |
Parent | 09072872 | May 1998 | US |
Child | 09644847 | US | |
Parent | 10234762 | Sep 2002 | US |
Child | 08948729 | US | |
Parent | 09535625 | Mar 2000 | US |
Child | 10234762 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10160960 | May 2002 | US |
Child | 10776010 | US | |
Parent | 08321092 | Oct 1994 | US |
Child | 09072872 | US | |
Parent | 08320198 | Oct 1994 | US |
Child | 08321092 | US | |
Parent | 08949117 | Oct 1997 | US |
Child | 08320198 | US | |
Parent | 08948729 | Oct 1997 | US |
Child | 08949117 | US | |
Parent | 09017465 | Feb 1998 | US |
Child | 09535625 | US |