Patent Application
20090105816
The present invention relates to a device and method for treating the vasculature and internal organs of a patient. Particularly, the present invention is directed to a system and method for treating mitral valve regurgitation in the heart of a patient using a plication device to insert a helical fastener in plicated tissue.
Catheter based devices are used to treat a wide variety of medical problems in a minimally invasive manner. Catheters are used to place and expand angioplasty balloons used to widen veins and arteries narrowed by plaque. Small scaffolds called stents have been introduced into the vasculature using catheter-based systems in order to prevent the restenosis of such vessels. One of the problems that a catheter based device and system could be used to treat in a minimally invasive manner is mitral valve regurgitation, however, no commercially successful device for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation in such a manner currently exists.
Mitral valve regurgitation is the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium due to an improper alignment of the leaflets of the mitral valve thereby causing an imperfect closure of the valve. A gap between the anterior leaflet and posterior leaflet of the mitral valve is created by the improper closure providing a conduit for blood to flow through the mitral valve in a retrograde manner from the left ventricle to the left atrium. This gap may be a congenital defect or may be caused by disease, i.e., ischemic or idiopathic cardiomyopathy and/or intrinsic degenerative disease of components of the mitral valve apparatus. One type of condition, congestive heart failure (CHF), causes the heart to enlarge. In an enlarged heart the walls of the left ventricle are expanded or dilated which causes the papillary muscles to be displaced downward and/or outward resulting in a tethering of the chordae tendineae and subsequent tethering/pulling on the leaflets. Also, with CHF, the mitral annulus is dilated. The combination of the dilated annulus and the tethering on the leaflets prevents the leaflets from closing properly, thereby causing the problematic gap in the mitral valve. The resultant backflow through the mitral valve reduces the efficiency of the heart resulting in a need for the heart to beat faster and/or more forcefully in order to produce the same amount of blood flow. Mitral valve regurgitation may be asymptomatic in some patients but in other patients the reduction in blood flow and the resultant strain on the heart could result in arrhythmias, heart attack and possibly death.
The preferred current treatments for mitral valve regurgitation require open-heart surgery and/or the use of endoscopic techniques that are difficult for the surgeon and potentially dangerous for the patient. In one method of treatment, porcine heart valves or mechanical heart valves are used to replace the damaged or defective mitral valve. Such treatments require the use of open-heart surgery to accomplish the implantation. Such heterologous valves may be used in humans but often wear-out prematurely and additional open-heart surgery is required to replace such valves with additional heterologous or mechanical valves. Mechanical valves have been developed which may also be used as a replacement for a defective mitral valve, however, the implantation of a mechanical valve usually indicates long-term anti-coagulant therapy to prevent clots from developing around the valve that could lead to a dangerous embolism. Long-term anticoagulant treatment causes other problems such as unwanted internal and external bleeding and possibly strokes.
Another open-heart surgical procedure for treating functional mitral valve regurgitation is annuloplasty. In an annuloplasty procedure, a generally “D” shaped annuloplasty ring is implanted on the mitral valve annulus to reduce the size of the stretched mitral valve annulus, most importantly, the septal-lateral dimension and improve closing (or coaptation) of the valve thereby reducing regurgitation. The surgeon surgically attaches, i.e., sews, the annuloplasty ring to the mitral valve on the atrial side of the mitral valve. The annuloplasty ring is sewn to the annulus on a top portion (i.e., the atrial side) of the mitral valve. Once implanted, tissue generally grows over the annuloplasty ring, and a line of contact between the annuloplasty ring and the mitral valve will essentially enable the mitral valve to appear and function as a normal mitral valve by reestablishing coaptation of the mitral valve leaflets but the durability of the effect is variable and may decline within six months after the procedure. Although a patient who receives the annuloplasty ring may be subjected to anti-coagulant therapies, the therapies are not extensive, as a patient is only subjected to the therapies for a matter of weeks, e.g., until tissue grows over the annuloplasty ring.
A second open-heart surgical procedure used in the treatment of degenerative mitral valve regurgitation is the Alfieri stitch procedure which the uses an edge-to-edge suture in the mitral valve. An edge-to-edge stitch is used to stitch together an area at approximately the center of a gap defined between the anterior and posterior leaflets of the mitral valve. Once the stitch is in place, the stitch is pulled in to form a suture that holds the anterior leaflet against the posterior leaflet. By reducing the size of the gap between the anterior leaflet and the posterior leaflet, the amount of leakage through the mitral valve may be substantially reduced. Durability has been a concern for Alfieri procedures done without the addition of an annuloplasty ring. In addition, use of the edge-to-edge procedure is only indicated in certain degenerative pathologies where the primary abnormality or gap between the leaflets is centrally located.
Another method of treating mitral valve regurgitation is the implantation of a ventricular assist device. Such devices are expensive and difficult to implant and require the patient to use anti-coagulant therapy indefinitely. Long-term use of anti-coagulant therapy may result in unnecessary bleeding and strokes. Such ventricular assist devices are, therefore, indicated for use only in patients that would likely not survive without their use and are used to keep patients alive who are candidates for heart transplant surgery. Left ventricular assist devices are a “bridge” therapy rather than a final therapy.
While such invasive surgical procedures have under certain circumstances been shown to be effective in the treatment of mitral valve leakage, invasive surgical procedures often have significant drawbacks. Any time a patient undergoes open-heart surgery, there is a risk of infection. Opening the sternum and using a cardiopulmonary bypass machine has also been shown to result in a significant incidence of both short and long term neurological deficits.
Some minimally invasive procedures have been developed to treat mitral valve regurgitation but, to date, none have become commercially successful standard procedures. U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,291 to Hvlaka et al. discloses a minimally invasive method of performing annuloplasty including inserting an implant into a left ventricle and orienting the implant in the left ventricle substantially below the mitral valve. The implant and tissue around the mitral valve are connected and tension is provided to the implant in order to substantially reduce an arc length associated with the mitral valve.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,718,985 and 7,037,334 to Hvalaka et al. a series of plications near the mitral valve are created by T-bars that are threaded together to reshape the mitral valve. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,166,127 a catheter based system for treatment of mitral valve regurgitation uses a retainers adapted to be secured to the annulus of the mitral valve with flexible tensile members coupled to the retainers. A crimping device deployable through the catheter compresses a crimp onto the flexible tensile members after they are pulled toward one another to reduce the circumferential length of the annulus. In this system the number of permanent implants required in order to achieve an initial effect, and commitment to these implants before success of effect is able to be determined are serious drawbacks.
In United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0093857, Rogers et al. describes a device and method for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation using a minimally invasive procedure in which plications are made proximate the mitral valve of the patient and a retainer is placed to hold the plication.
United States Patent Application No. 2007/0032797 discloses a device for reducing the size of the stomach having a corkscrew-shaped anchor for placement in the gastric wall.
United States Patent Application No. 2007/0025737 to Messerly et al. discloses a surgical retainer having a generally helical shape and a device having jaws for grasping tissue into which the helical retainer may be driven.
United States Patent Application No. 2007/0055335 discloses an electrode probe having a corkscrew-shaped distal tip for use in cardiology applications.
The need remains for a device and method for treating mitral valve regurgitation that can be used efficiently and effectively in a minimally invasive procedure and that provides the physician with the ability to know that the procedure has resulted in the desired effect prior to removing the device from the patient thereby reducing the need for and expense of repeat procedures. Such a procedure should provide the physician with the ability to changes the effect on the mitral valve during the procedure before taking an irreversible action.
The present invention provides a system and method for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation. The method preferably uses a femoral retrograde approach of crossing the aortic valve. Access to the left ventricle is achieved through the aortic valve using the standard retrograde femoral artery approach utilizing a rounded crossing catheter (CC) preferably with a “J” or pigtail configuration. A deflecting guide catheter is then sent over the crossing catheter into the left ventricle. When the distal end of the deflectable catheter is in the left ventricle the crossing catheter is removed. The deflectable guide is preferably, but need not be, positioned between the papillary muscles with the distal segment lying along the posterior wall of the left ventricle and its tip is pointing towards the underside of the posterior mitral valve annulus. A plication device is then introduced through the deflectable catheter and is advanced out of the distal end of the deflectable catheter and is directed at the underside of the mitral valve, more preferably into the subvalvular groove and positioned so as to be able to grasp and plicate the tissue of the mitral valve at or near the annulus.
A test plication of the mitral valve annulus is created and the appropriateness of the plication is examined using imaging means such as TEE, ICE, TTE or fluoroscopy with or without contrast injection. If the plication is determined to be appropriate then a retainer is applied to the plication to retain the tissue in the plicated state. If the plication is not satisfactory then a retainer is not applied and the jaws of the plication device are released and the plicator is repositioned to plicate a different tissue target at or near the annulus of the mitral valve. Such “test” plications may be repeated a number of times prior to deploying the retainer.
If a single plication and retainer do not sufficiently reshape the mitral valve to correct the regurgitation then the original deflectable guide is repositioned and a second plicator with a retainer is introduced into the delivery guide and positioned and used in the same manner. Alternatively, a multi-retainer plicator can be used to provide the second or third retainers as necessary during the procedure without requiring the removal and reintroduction of the plication device. Once satisfactory changes in the annular geometry of the mitral valve and concomitant reduction in mitral valve regurgitation is achieved then the plication device and the deflectable guide are fully withdrawn and the femoral access site is closed using conventional closing techniques.
Four components comprise the system for percutaneous direct plication annuloplasty. The first is a prolapsable or curved tip crossing catheter preferably having a “J” or pigtail configuration. This may be used with or without a guidewire. In either case the crossing catheter is inserted in a stack or telescoped configuration with the second component, a deflecting guide catheter within which the crossing catheter is initially telescoped or stacked. The deflecting guide catheter is used to provide a means for guiding the plication device into proper position on the underside of the mitral valve preferably at the subvalvular region of the mitral valve at or near the annulus. The third component of the system is a plication device that has an end effector having opposing members at least one of which can be manipulated to open. The plication device is used to grasp tissue and also contains at least one retainer to retain the tissue in the plicated form if desired. A spring-like helical, i.e., corkscrew-shaped implant is intended for use in tissue to act as a retaining member for the plications made in the tissue by the end effector of the plication device. In an alternative embodiment, the helical retainer is delivered percutaneously to the tissue of the heart by attachment to the end of a delivery catheter that is placed over the plication device and has a unidirectional release mechanism. Using the external delivery mechanism enables a larger helical retainer that will retain more tissue than retainers that are delivered internally through the jaws of the plication device.
Current tissue retainers are clips that have a profile outside the plane of the tissue which they plicate or retain . The helical retainer may be driven completely into the tissue with no part of the retainer being left exposed. In the heart, this will reduce the possibility of clots developing around the retainer. At or near the mitral valve, this will also provide the advantage of reducing interference with leaflet motion or the possibility of eroding leaflets over time.
The present invention is directed to a system for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation through direct plication annuloplasty of a patient that includes a deflecting guide catheter having an elongate body with lumen therethrough ending in a distal opening for insertion through the aortic valve into the left ventricle of the patient, a plication device having a set of opposing jaws operable to plicate tissue in the mitral valve of the patient, wherein the plication device comprises at least one retainer for retaining plications in tissue. Optionally, the system includes a crossing catheter having a distal end for insertion through the aortic valve into the left ventricle of the patient. The crossing catheter may be J-shaped or pigtail shaped. The system may also include a guidewire for use in guiding the crossing catheter through the vasculature of the patient and into the left ventricle. The retainer is preferably “c” shaped and comprises two prongs having ends connected by an intermediate member.
The present invention is a system for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation through direct plication annuloplasty of a patient which includes a deflecting guide catheter having an elongate body with lumen therethrough ending in a distal opening for insertion through the aortic valve into the left ventricle of the patient, and a plication device having a set of opposing jaws operable to plicate tissue in the mitral valve of the patient having at least one helical retainer for retaining plications in tissue created by the opposing jaws. The system may also include a crossing catheter having a distal end for insertion through the aortic valve into the left ventricle of the patient. A guidewire for use in guiding the crossing catheter and the deflecting guide catheter through the vasculature of the patient and into the left ventricle may also be included.
In one embodiment the plication device further includes a retainer pusher adapted to releasably engage the proximal end of the helical retainer. A firing knob connected to a firing control wire rotates upon rotation of the firing knob in a first direction causing the retainer pusher and the helical retainer to rotate into the plicated tissue. Rotation of the firing knob in a second direction causes the adaptor to be released from the helical retainer. The helical retainer may include at least one barb disposed on said helical retainer for engaging with the plicated tissue or a plurality of ridges along the circumference of the wire from which it is made.
In another embodiment the system for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation through direct plication annuloplasty of a patient includes a deflecting guide catheter having an elongate body with lumen therethrough ending in a distal opening for insertion through the aortic valve into the left ventricle of the patient, a plication device having a set of opposing jaws operable to plicate tissue in the mitral valve of the patient and a retainer delivery catheter having a proximal end and a distal end and having a helical retainer disposed on the distal end for retaining plications in tissue created by the set of opposing jaws of the plication device. The retainer delivery catheter preferably has an elongate tubular body comprised of metal with a pattern cut through the metal along at least a portion of the elongate tubular body and may include an adaptor adapted to releasably engage the proximal end of the helical retainer. The adaptor engages the helical retainer when the retainer delivery catheter is rotated in a first direction and releases the helical retainer when rotated in a second direction.
A guidewire may also be used with the crossing catheter and deflecting guide catheter in a three-element stack inserted in the CSI. If a guidewire is used it is advanced first through the arterial system and over the aortic arch followed by the combined stack of the crossing catheter and the deflecting guide catheter. The guidewire is introduced first through the aortic valve followed by the crossing catheter which is preferably oriented into a position between the papillary muscles although this is not necessary. The procedure then continues as in steps 110 and 112 above with the guidewire removed simultaneously with the crossing catheter at step 114.
Whether or not a guidewire has been used, the procedure continues with step 116 where a region of the deflecting guide catheter is seated toward the mitral valve in the apex of the left ventricle as in
At step 122 a plication device 400 loaded with one or more retainers is inserted into the deflecting guide catheter and advanced to the tip of the deflecting guide catheter. A plication device for use in this method is described in greater detail herein with respect to
If the jaws are properly positioned, a diagnostic clamp or plication is performed at step 132. As part of the diagnostic clamping (or plication), the jaws of the plication device are opened as depicted in
If the change to the mitral valve is acceptable and a retainer has been applied, then at step 145 a determination regarding the impact of the plication on the regurgitation of the mitral valve is made using a method of imaging the flow of blood through the valve such as Doppler echocardiograpy. At steps 146, 147 and 148 various decisions are made regarding the procedure and continuation of the procedure. At step 146, if the determination is made that there has been an acceptable total reduction in mitral valve regurgitation and/or acceptable change in the mitral valve then the procedure branches to step 150 with the retrieval of the plication device and the deflecting guide catheter. If the total change to mitral valve regurgitation is inadequate or insufficient and/or change to the mitral valve is inadequate or insufficient (step 147) then the plication device currently in use is withdrawn if it is a single retainer device and an additional plication device is inserted and the procedure continues from step 122. If the plication device is a multi-retainer device then the procedure continues from step 124 without withdrawal of the plication device. If the determination regarding the impact of the plication on mitral valve regurgitation results in a finding of an adverse result at step 148 then the procedure will likely be abandoned and both the plication device and deflecting guide catheter are removed from the patient at step 150. After removal of the plication device and the deflecting guide catheter, the catheter sheath introducer is removed and the access site is closed at step 152 using known methods.
In an alternative embodiment the retainer is releasably attached to a retainer delivery catheter 600 as depicted in
In the above method various imaging modalities may be used to determine proper placement of the plication device under the mitral valve annulus. Fluoroscopy is one real-time imaging modality that is useful, preferably, where images are taken in at least two planes. Radiopaque markers placed on the distal end of the plication device and/or deflecting guide will aid in determining proper placement. A three-dimensional profile of the plication device can be created using x-ray images acquired in at least two planar projections in real-time. Alternatively, rotational angiographic imaging may be used. Additionally, registering pre-acquired CT or MRI image data with the fluoroscopic image will provide additional anatomic data to the physician to aid proper placement of the plication device and retainer or retainer. Similarly, a three-dimensional real-time ultrasound image acquired in real-time may be registered with the fluoroscopic image.
Another imaging modality useful for this purpose is intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) used to produce an ICE image. The ICE image may be produced by an ICE catheter placed inside one of the chambers of the heart such as the right ventricle, left ventricle, left atrium or the right atrium. Alternatively, the ICE catheter could be placed inside on of the great vessels of the heart of the patient. The ICE catheter may also be placed on the epicardial or pericardial sack surfaces of the heart via a minimally invasive approach such as a sub-xiphoid approach. No matter the modality used, the images of the mitral valve should be taken synchronized to the cardiac cycle.
Various imaging modalities are also useful in determining whether the plication achieves the desired impact on the function of the mitral valve in real-time or near real-time prior to applying the retainer to the plication. Real-time means that the latency period is acceptable to perform the procedure and is preferably no more than 500 milliseconds. Color Doppler ultrasound imaging may be used for such a purpose with or without an ultrasound contrast agent being administered to the patient. Alternatively, x-ray fluoroscopy could be used in determining the impact of a plication on mitral valve regurgitation by using an x-ray contrast bolus injection into one of the chambers of the heart, preferably the left ventricle. Bi-planar angiographic imaging or intra-chamber optical imaging may also be used. If intra-chamber optical imaging is used it is preferable that the deflecting guide catheter further comprise an optical imaging system particularly one that operates in infrared wavelengths.
Determining a location for the first tissue plication may be based on an optimization plan generated using a three-dimensional functional numerical simulation based on imaging data generated by one or more of the aforementioned imaging method. For example, by analyzing the distribution of annular tissue relative to the location of the primary regurgitant flow through the valve, a primary target for initial plication therapy may be determined. It may be desirable to place the plication at the location of greatest distortion of the annulus due to the pathology of the patient's heart. The generation of the optimization plan may be performed prior to step of inserting the crossing catheter. The generation of the optimization plan may be performed after the step of applying a retainer to the first tissue plication in order to determine the preferred location for subsequent plication or plications.
Alternatively, the plications could be made on the atrial surface if a transseptal approach is used. This can be accomplished by accessing the right atrium using SVC or IVC venous approaches. Then access the left atrium is accomplished using a standard transseptal puncture/access kit such as a Brockenbrough transseptal needle kit. The deflecting guide catheter would then be introduced through the puncture and deflected such that the tip pointed towards the annulus of the mitral valve. The subsequent steps and devices for a plication annuloplasty procedure would then be the substantially the same as set forth above except that the approach is from the atrial side of the mitral valve rather than the underside.
The above method is implemented using a multi-component system comprising a crossing catheter 200, a deflecting guide catheter 300, and a plication device 400 containing at least one plication retainer 500.
Crossing catheter 200 may be used with or without a guidewire as described above and is preferably used in conjunction with the deflecting guide catheter depicted in FIGS. 6 through 10A-C. Deflecting guide catheter 300 is comprised of a handle 310 and a body portion 350.
Handle 310 further comprises a distal actuator assembly 328 having a similar thumb actuator 328a, release trigger 324b, axel pin 324c, spring 328d and prong 328e. Optional thumb cap 329 is affixed over thumb actuator 328a. The distal actuator assembly 328 is connected to a second pullerwire 327b (shown in
Puller wires 327a and 327b are preferably a single, solid core high tensile strength 304 stainless steel wire (e.g. tensile strength greater than 300 ksi) of approximately 0.008″ in diameter but may also be made of other high strength materials such as MP35N, other stainless steel, or woven fibers such as Kevlar or Vectran. At the distal end of each puller wire is an anchor band 385a or 385b that is embedded in the wall of the catheter body at the point of anchoring. Changing the location of the anchor band along the axial length of the catheter body will change the deflection profile of the deflectable guide catheter.
Body portion 350 of deflecting guide catheter 300 is depicted in
Intermediate distal region 370 is comprised of the same type of polymeric material but has a higher durometer of between 35D and 55D to provide a stiffer region. Intermediate distal region 370 is between approximately 2.8 and 4.0 centimeters in length and contains the same lubricious liner 365 and wire braid 375 as the distal region. The wall thickness in the intermediate distal region is similarly between 0.012 and 0.014 inches and the outer diameter is approximately 0.172 inches. Main intermediate region 380 has a slightly smaller outer diameter at 0.166 inches but has the same lubricious liner and braid as the other regions. The main difference in this region is the higher durometer of between 55D and 63D for the polymeric material used in order to provide increasing stiffness. The main intermediate region is approximately 20 to 28 centimeters in length, preferably 20 centimeters. Proximal region 390 has a similar composition in that the outer diameter is the same as the immediately prior region. The durometer in this region is increased to approximately 72D providing even greater stiffness and the length of this region is approximately 73 to 88 centimeters, preferably 88 centimeters. The lubricious layer 365 and braid 375 are the same.
From the proximal region 390 through the body portion 350 until the position of first and second anchor bands 385a/385b run two wire or braid reinforced tubes 395a/395b of approximately 0.0088 inches in internal diameter which house the first and second puller wires respectively. Various modifications can be made to the deflecting guide catheter if different characteristics are desired. One puller wire, anchor band and reinforced tube could be used instead of two. The braid may be changed to a different size wire and braid type. The polymeric material of the outer body may be varied as depicted in
The deflecting guide catheter may further comprise a magnetic based location sensor such as those manufactured by Biosense Webster for sensing the location and orientation (six degrees of freedom) of the distal end of the deflecting guide catheter and for providing location information that may be registered with other preaquired or real-time images or otherwise used to depict the location of the distal end of the deflecting guide catheter on a real-time display map of the heart. Systems such as the Carto® system produced by Biosense Webster would be useful for this purpose.
In
The firing control wire 490 extends through the elongate shaft 452 and through a bore formed in the wire connector 542 and is threadably mated to a threaded bore in nut 550. The distal end of the firing control wire 490 extends into a retainer pusher 554 set in a retainer pusher sleeve 556, both of which are shown in
At the proximal end of the elongate shaft 452 is the coil connector 512 which is made of a metal, preferably brass, and is used as a means for connecting the proximal portion 452a of elongate shaft 452 to the handle assembly. Dual lumen inner sheath 560 has lumens for end-effector control wire 510 and firing control wire 490. Filler tube connector 562 is used to connect the coil connector 512 to the elongate shaft 452 and is glued to coil connector 512 and elongate shaft 452 using an adhesive glue such as cyanoacrylate. Elongate shaft 452 is broken into proximal shaft section 452a and distal shaft section 452b. Proximal shaft section 452a is preferably nitinol and has a dovetail laser pattern. Distal shaft section 452b is preferably stainless steel and has a similar dovetail pattern cut through the wall of the shaft. Other patterns could also be used such as a helical cut as shown in
The helical retainer may have a one of a variety of pitches or angles of spiral. This angle can be varied in order to increase or decrease the number of turns and the forces required to implant the retainer in the tissue. The helical retainer could be made of wire such as Jones Spring Co. stock #157-A that is wrapped around a mandrel or cut from tubing made of the selected material. The thickness or gauge of the wire used to create the helical retainer may vary but is preferably between 0.005 inches and 0.040 for use in the mitral valve.
The radius of the helical retainer may vary depending on the amount of tissue it is desired to retain and whether it is used in the internal or external delivery mode. For the mitral valve application the diameter of the helical retainer should be between approximately 0.050 inches and 0.180 inches. The distal tip 504 of the helical retainer may be sharpened in various manners such as grinding in order to facilitate penetration of the tissue to be retained. The helical retainer may also contain or be covered with one ore more radiopaque markers such as tanatalum microcoils to facilitate position and or viewing of the helical retainer fluroscopically during procedures.
Preferably, the helical retainer is delivered at the distal end of a plication device described in this application. The helical retainer would be translated along the axis of the plication device after the jaws of the plication device have created a plication of the tissue at the mitral valve annulus.
The helical retainer could be coated with one or more pharmacologically active agents such as heparin, for the purpose of reducing thrombotic potential.
The helical retainer may have one or more barbs at its proximal or distal end or as shown as barb 502 in
Alternatively an adapter 508 as depicted in
The devices disclosed herein can also be designed to be disposed of after a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. In either case, however, the device can be reconditioned for reuse after at least one use. Reconditioning can include any combination of the steps of disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement of particular pieces, and subsequent reassembly. In particular, the device can be disassembled, and any number of the particular pieces or parts of the device can be selectively replaced or removed in any combination. Upon cleaning and/or replacement of particular parts, the device can be reassembled for subsequent use either at a reconditioning facility, or by a surgical team immediately prior to a surgical procedure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioning of a device can utilize a variety of techniques for disassembly, cleaning and/or replacement, and reassembly. Use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the present application.
The preceding description has been presented with reference to presently preferred embodiments of the invention. Workers skilled in the art and technology to which this invention pertains will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structure may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principal, spirit and scope of this invention.
Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the precise structures described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but rather should be read consistent with and as support to the following claims which are to have their fullest and fair scope.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/981,303 filed Oct. 19, 2007 which is herby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60981303 | Oct 2007 | US |
