The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 30, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 25, 1998
John P Lunsford, San Carlos, CA (US);
Charles Gresl, Jr, San Francisco, CA (US);
Albert K Chin, Palo Alto, CA (US);
John W Davis, Mountain View, CA (US);
Tenny Chang, Mountain View, CA (US);
Jeffrey W Baxter, San Jose, CA (US);
Origin Medsystems, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US);
Abstract
A retractor and a surgical tool are positioned within a cannula, and a dissection cradle of the retractor is positioned at the distal end of the cannula. The retractor includes a first portion with an axis approximately parallel to the axis of the cannula and a second portion with an axis at an angle to the axis of the cannula. The dissection cradle is located at the distal end of the second portion of the retractor, and may include two substantially parallel, spaced legs with the retractor shaped in a loop between and in a plane skewed relative to the axis of the legs, and with the loop directed away from the surgical tool. Thus, in operation, when the surgeon locates a vein and side branch of interest, the surgeon extends the retractor to cradle the vein in the dissection cradle. Once cradled, the retractor may be fully extended to urge the vein away from the axis of the cannula isolate the side branch for exposure to the surgical tool. In another embodiment, the cannula includes a sheath which encases the curved, resilient retractor at a first position to retain the retractor in substantially straight orientation, and which encases the retractor at a second position that allows the retractor to extend at an angle relative to the axis of the cannula.