초록 ▼

The present invention provides a flexible suction body and method of its use for temporarily immobilizing a local area of tissue during surgery or a diagnostic procedure. The invention device and method are particularly well suited for immobilizing a local area of heart tissue to thereby permit surg

The present invention provides a flexible suction body and method of its use for temporarily immobilizing a local area of tissue during surgery or a diagnostic procedure. The invention device and method are particularly well suited for immobilizing a local area of heart tissue to thereby permit surgery, for example, minimally invasive or micro-surgery, on a coronary vessel without significant deterioration of the pumping function of the beating heart. The invention suction device, which is coupled to a vacuum source, has a ring- or horseshoe-shaped suction channel with a flexible, spreadable outer rim that flattens and spreads outwardly against the surface of the treatment site as air is withdrawn from the suction channel. This design distributes the pressure of the suction body against the treatment site while maximizing the suction field to minimize bruising and suction hemorrhage at the treatment site caused by the suction body. In one embodiment, the suction body is sized for attachment to the tip of a hollow endoscopic catheter, with the hole in the center of the suction body being mounted around the periphery of the hollow catheter tip and allowing for passage from the catheter into the treatment site of a needle, or trocar for injecting materials such as drugs or genetic constructs into the treatment site or for piercing a treatment site, such as a solid tumor, to remove fluid or tissue therefrom for diagnosis. The suction body is preferably manufactured of a soft, compliant material, such as an elastomeric polymer, to conform to the surface of the heart and may be contoured in overall shape to further enhance its conformation to a contoured surface, such as the surface of the heart.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A flexible suction body for stabilizing the surface of a treatment site, said suction body comprising:a continuous open suction channel comprising: a ring-or horseshoe-shaped base defining an opening for exposing a treatment site, an outer flared rim attached along the outer periphery of the base

1. A flexible suction body for stabilizing the surface of a treatment site, said suction body comprising:a continuous open suction channel comprising: a ring-or horseshoe-shaped base defining an opening for exposing a treatment site, an outer flared rim attached along the outer periphery of the base, an inner rim attached along the inner periphery of the base, and a suction port for establishing a partial vacuum within the suction channel, wherein the vertical distance from the base to the tip of the outer rim is greater than for the inner rim and application of a partial vacuum via the suction port while the suction body is in contact with the treatment site forms a continuous suction surface in the range from about 0.1 cm2 to about 10 cm2.