초록 ▼

A surgical apparatus is described for performing cardiac surgery on the coronary organs of a patient. It has a contacting means capable of providing a mechanical load on at least a portion of said coronary organ, a positioning means which allows the setting of either or both the contacting means and

A surgical apparatus is described for performing cardiac surgery on the coronary organs of a patient. It has a contacting means capable of providing a mechanical load on at least a portion of said coronary organ, a positioning means which allows the setting of either or both the contacting means and coronary organ in a large number of positions or orientations within a surgical workspace. The apparatus also has a manipulation means serving as a single point control to position and orient the contacting means onto the coronary organ tissue. An adjustment means serves to bias the range of at least one motion degree of freedom of the surgical apparatus within a the limits of a restricted range that is less than the full range of motion of that degree of freedom of motion that would be otherwise achievable when the bias is not present or overridden. This achieves the placement of the contacting means within the surgical workspace, with or without the simultaneous manipulation, retraction, or stabilization of coronary organ tissue also within the workspace. Any of the motion degrees of freedom of the surgical apparatus can be "biased". All motion degrees of freedom of the surgical apparatus are linked, whether biased or unbiased, through the manipulation means which the surgeon utilizes to set the contacting means or coronary organ tissue.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.]1. A surgical articulation assembly comprising:a first arm, a second arm, and an articulation joint connecting said arms;said joint being engaged to said first arm;said joint having a clamp for mating engagement with said second arm;said joint and said second arm having mutually eng

[ We claim:] [1.]1. A surgical articulation assembly comprising:a first arm, a second arm, and an articulation joint connecting said arms;said joint being engaged to said first arm;said joint having a clamp for mating engagement with said second arm;said joint and said second arm having mutually engageable indexing elements;said clamp being operable to engage said second arm in a partially tightened condition;in said partially tightened condition said indexing elements being mutually engaged to encourage said second arm to be restrained to a limited range of motion with respect to one degree of freedom of motion;in said partially tightened condition said second arm being free to move in a full range of motion with respect to at least one other degree of freedom of motion relative to said first arm; andsaid clamp being operable to engage said second arm in a fully tightened condition to fix said second arm relative to said first arm.