초록 ▼

Two semi-cylindrical jaws, are releasably attachable around the abutting ends of a pair of tubular tissues that are held together by a tubular stent. A shuttle, which revolves in the jaws 360°around the outside of the junction of the tissues, is connected to a tubular conduit, that extends slidably

Two semi-cylindrical jaws, are releasably attachable around the abutting ends of a pair of tubular tissues that are held together by a tubular stent. A shuttle, which revolves in the jaws 360°around the outside of the junction of the tissues, is connected to a tubular conduit, that extends slidably through a handle on one of the jaws to the exterior of the instrument. The conduit contains at least three fiberoptic cords, the inner ends of which are connected to the shuttle for movement therewith, and to register with a mirror which, is also mounted on the shuttle. The outer ends of the cords are connected, respectively, to a light source for illuminating the seam which is to be welded, to a source of laser energy for directing a laser beam onto the seam, and to a lens which is utilized for observing the site where the welding is to take place. A cable, which extends slidably through the conduit, is connected in one embodiment to the mirror to reciprocate it relative to the shuttle for adjustment of the laser beam accurately onto the seam, in a second embodiment to the mirror to pivot it about an axis transverse to the tissue axes, and in a third embodiment to the inner ends of the cords to shift them relative to the mirror. In use a light beam and a laser beam are directed through two cords onto the mirror in the shuttle, which reflects the beams onto the abutting ends of the tissues that are to be welded. After the cable has been manipulated to adjust the laser beam correctly onto the proposed seam, the entire conduit is shifted relative to the handle and jaw sections to revolve the shuttle a full 360°around the tissues thereby to laser weld their ends together along a circular seam.

대표청구항 ▼

A surgical instrument for the external laser welding of tissues, comprising a hand manipulable housing having first and second sections movable relative to each other selectively to form a central opening through said housing, means for releasably supporting a pair of generally cylindrically shaped

A surgical instrument for the external laser welding of tissues, comprising a hand manipulable housing having first and second sections movable relative to each other selectively to form a central opening through said housing, means for releasably supporting a pair of generally cylindrically shaped tissue sections in said central opening upon formation thereof, and with confronting ends of said tissues abutting each other along a seam located within said central opening, a first, flexible, light transmissive element extending at one end into said housing and disposed to be connected at its opposite end to a source of laser energy operable to direct a beam of laser energy through said first element into said housing, and means in said housing for directing said laser beam from said one end of said first element to said central opening and onto said seam, said beam directing means including means for moving said beam around the abutting ends of said tissue sections thereby to weld together said abutting ends along said seam, and said housing sections being movable away from each other at the conclusion of a welding operation, thereby to permit withdrawal of the housing laterally from the welded tissues to disengage the latter.