Method and apparatus for intraluminal fixation of intravascular devices

Abstract

The present invention rerlates to medical techniques, in particular, to methods and apparatus applied in minimally invasive vascular surgery to eliminate occlusion of blood vessel, using grafts and to prevent rupture of abdominal aorta using grafts or stent-grafts. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for locating and securing intravascular devices, substantially grafts, through a duct specially created by the surgeon to approach the blood vessel lumen. There is suggested a new and improved method for fixating an intravascular device to a blood vessel wall in combination with a new and improved stapler design based on this method. The stapler comprises a hollow body at the proximal end whereof there are mounted a guiding head and a die, and at the distal end, at a certain angle to the latter, a holding handle and a control lever, pivotally connected to this handle, and this control lever is operatively connected, via a movable pressure member, to a tip located inside the body, head and die. In the die there are disposed fastener means. The movement of control lever is converted into radial forces necessary for punching the wall of an intravascular device and surrounding blood vessel wall, location and fixation of fastener means, with simaltaneous bending of their ends. For maximum sinking of heads of fastening elements in the wall of an intravascular device, additional pushing members are movably mounted in radial slots of the die. The intravascular device, substantially graft, is fixated to a blood vessel wall, substantially aorta, via a set of at lest two staplers, and in each of the staplers there are disposed simultaneously several fastener means.