Connector for aorta connection

Abstract

A connector for aorta connection (10, 10 ' ) is described which comprises a conduit, a tubular- shaped sleeve (11) having a first opening (12) configured to be connected to an aorta (21), and a second opening (14) configured to be connected to the duct; a sealing band (41) for said connector for aorta connection (10) is also described.

Description

[0001] CONNECTOR FOR AORTA CONNECTION

[0002] The present invention refers to a connector for aorta connection.

[0003] In general, the present invention refers to a connector for connecting two conduits for anastomosis operations, for example for connecting an aorta to a prosthetic tube.

[0004] More specifically, the invention concerns a connector connecting two terminal portions of an aorta (end-end anastomosis) .

[0005] A critical aspect of anastomosis interventions is represented by the time necessary to suture the parts of the aorta to be connected.

[0006] Documents WO-A2-2010 / 026429, US-A1-2004 / 54405, CA-A1-2 366 703, US-A1-2011 / 118833, CN-A-106 725 682 and CN-A-106 580 402 describe connecting connectors for aorta according to the preamble of Claim 1.

[0007] Object of the present invention is solving the aforementioned prior art problems by providing a connector for aorta connection that allows two portions of an aorta to be connected reliably and quickly, in a short time to reduce suture line bleeding and reduce the time of circulation arrest , especially preserving the carotid functions .

[0008] The above and other obj ects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are achieved with connectors for aorta connection such as those claimed in the independent claims .

[0009] Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention form the subj ect matter of the dependent claims .

[0010] It is understood that all attached claims form an integral part of this description .

[0011] It will be immediately obvious that countless variations and modi fications can be made to what i s described ( for example relating to shape , dimensions , arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the attached claims .

[0012] The present invention will be better described by preferred embodiments thereof , provided by way of example and not by way of limitation, with reference to the attached drawings , in which :

[0013] Fig . 1 shows a s ide sectional view of a first embodiment of the connector for aorta connection according to the present invention;

[0014] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a component of the connector for aorta connection of Fig. 1;

[0015] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of the connector for aorta connection according to the present invention;

[0016] Fig. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D show views of a first embodiment of a sealing band for the connector for aorta connection of Fig. 1;

[0017] Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of a sealing band for the connector for aorta connection of Fig. 1;

[0018] Fig. 6 shows a side sectional view of a second embodiment of the connector for aorta connection according to the present invention;

[0019] Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the connector for aorta connection of Fig. 6;

[0020] Fig. 8 shows a side view of the connector for aorta connection of Fig. 6;

[0021] Fig. 9 is a detailed view of part of the connector of Fig. 6;

[0022] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a component of the connector for aorta connection of Fig. 6; and Fig . 11 is a partial sectional view of the component of Fig . 10 .

[0023] Referring to Figures 1 to 5 , the connector for aorta connection 10 of the present invention, in a first embodiment thereof , comprises : a duct 31 (prosthetic tube ) , for example made of plastic material , preferably of polyethylene terephthalate commercially known as Dacron;

[0024] - a sleeve 11 of tubular shape having a first inlet 12 configured to be connected to an aorta 21 , and a second inlet 14 configured to be connected to the duct 31 ( Dacron) , said sleeve 11 further comprising : a first protruding annular portion 15 comprising an abutment surface 16 of an edge 22 of an opening 23 of the aorta 21 which must be connected, preferably said abutment surface 16 being substantially perpendicular to the axis and to an external surface 18 of the sleeve 11 ;

[0025] - fastening means 41 of the sleeve 11 to the aorta 21 configured to fix, by tightening their ends , the aorta 21 and the sleeve 11 in correspondence with the respective openings 23 , 12 ; preferably, the means for fixing the sleeve 11 to the aorta 21 comprise a flexible elongated sealing band 41 , for example made of polymeric material , comprising two ends 2 , 4 and a plurality of toothed seats 42 , made on one face of the sealing band 41 in correspondence with one end 2 , aligned on at least one row, preferably on two parallel rows , said sealing band 41 comprising a fixing tab 43 , made in correspondence with the other end 4 , inside which the part of band 41 equipped with toothed seats 42 slides to tighten the band 41 and with it the ends of the aorta 21 and the sleeve 11 ; the fixing tab 43 also includes a housing 44 , inside which the part of the band 41 equipped with the toothed seats 42 slides , and a fixing tooth 45 for each row of toothed seats 42 to block the band 41 and fix the ends of the aorta 21 and of the sleeve 11 with the insertion of the tooth 45 into the toothed seat 42 .

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the end 4 of the band 41 is curved in correspondence with the fixing tab 43 , and the housing 44 , inside which the part of the band 41 equipped with the toothed seats 42 is inserted, develops in a direction tangential to the curve formed at the end 4 of the band 41 , so as to obtain a circular shape of the closed band ( Fig . 5 ) to exert uni form pressure on the sleeve 11 and on the aorta 21 .

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connector for aorta connection 10 comprises a ring 51 , for example made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene ) coated fabric, mounted against the abutment surface 16 of the sleeve 11 interposed between the fixing means 41 and the aorta 21 , in particular between the sealing band 41 and the aorta 21 ; preferably, the sealing band 41 includes a plurality of retaining tabs 46 made along a first side of the band 41 to retain the ring 51 against the aorta 21 . Preferably, the first protruding annular portion 15 has the shape of an external circular crown and includes recesses 26 made so as to obtain a protruding element 27 , preferably four equidistant protruding elements 27 , which can be used to bring the abutment surface 16 of the sleeve 11 into contact of the ring 51 and of the aorta 21 by means of four traction threads wrapped around said protruding elements 27 to keep the edge 22 of the mouth 23 of the aorta 21 against the abutment surface 16 of the first protruding annular portion 15 .

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the connector for aorta connection 10 according to the invention, the sleeve 11 includes a second annular portion 61 protruding in correspondence with the first opening 12 so as to form an area on the external surface of the sleeve 11 , included between said second protruding annular portion 61 and the abutment surface 16 , in which to arrange the fixing means , in particular the band 41 , when the sleeve 11 is inserted into the aorta 21 .

[0029] Preferably, the sleeve 11 includes a third protruding annular portion 62 in correspondence with the second inlet 14 to fix the sleeve 11 inside the inlet of the duct 31 , blocking the third protruding annular portion 62 in a corresponding recess 32 obtained in the duct 31 ; preferably, the sleeve 11 includes a fourth protruding annular portion 63 spaced from the third annular portion 62 to fix the sleeve 11 inside the mouth of the duct 31 , blocking the fourth protruding annular portion 63 in a corresponding recess 33 obtained in the duct 31 ; for example , the third 62 and the fourth 63 protruding annular portions are obtained by increasing the thickness of the wall of the sleeve 11 .

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the connector for aorta connection 10 according to the invention, the sealing band 41 comprises a plurality of hooking tabs 47 made along a second side of the band 41 to hook the band 41 onto the external circular crown

[0031] 15, keeping it in the working position .

[0032] Preferably, the sleeve 11 includes aorta blocking openings 65 made in the area between the second protruding annular portion 61 and the abutment surface 16 to allow the aorta 21 to be supplied with blood; preferably, the sleeve 11 includes fins 75 made between the second protruding annular portion 61 and the first mouth 12 , designed to improve the flow .

[0033] Referring to Figures 6 to 11 , the connector for aorta connection 10 ' of the present invention, in a second embodiment thereof ( in which the identical or functionally similar or equivalent details with respect to the first embodiment are marked by the same numbers reference ) , comprises :

[0034] - a sleeve 11 of a tubular shape , preferably made of titanium, having a first mouth 12 configured to be connected to an aorta 21 , and a second mouth 14 configured to be connected to a conduit (not shown) , for example of the prosthetic tube type made of plastic material , preferably in polyethylene terephthalate commercially known as Dacron;

[0035] - a cylindrical covering element 50 made of plastic material , preferably in Dacron, said cylindrical covering element 50 being placed around and outside of said sleeve 11 on the side of said second mouth 14 ;

[0036] - an annular locking flange 52 placed around and outside of said cylindrical covering element 50 to lock it onto said sleeve 11 , said annular locking flange 52 being preferably made of polyether ether ketone ( also commercially known as Peek) and further comprising : a first protruding annular portion 15 comprising an abutment surface 16 of an edge 22 of a mouth 23 of the aorta 21 which must be connected, preferably said abutment surface 16 being made substantially perpendicular to the axis and to an external surface 68 of the annular locking flange 52 ;

[0037] - a stop ring 51 , preferably made of Teflon, placed around and outside of said aorta 21 to fix said aorta 21 to said sleeve 11 , said stop ring 51 being designed to abut against said abutment surface 16 together with and above said edge 22 of said aorta 21 ; and - fastening means 41 of the retaining ring 51 to the aorta 21 configured to fix, by tightening their ends , the aorta 21 and the sleeve 11 in correspondence with the respective mouths 23 , 12 .

[0038] Preferably, the fixing means 41 are made with a spiral band, of the double elastic ring type , made of plastic or metallic material , preferably a super-elastic alloy of nickel and titanium commercially known as Nitinol .

[0039] Double suture threads 53 are also provided, fixed in a cross on the stop ring 51 , which help the insertion of the aorta 21 onto the sleeve 11 , as will be explained better below .

[0040] As better shown in Fig . 10 and 11 , the sleeve 11 also includes a plurality of threads 60 for its screwing, and an external cavity 62 inside which the end of the cylindrical covering element 50 opposite the end of the second mouthpiece 14 slides .

[0041] As regards the operation of this second embodiment of the connector 10 ' of the invention, the sleeve 11 is initially covered with the covering element 50 , which is screwed onto the sleeve 11 and blocked by the annular locking flange 52 . The aorta 21 is inserted on the bare part of the sleeve 11 to continue on the covering element 50 and come into contact with the annular locking flange 52 , as can be better seen in Figure 6 .

[0042] The insertion of the aorta 21 onto the sleeve

[0043] 11 is facilitated by four double suture threads 53 fixed in a cross on the retaining ring 51 which embraces the aorta 21 itsel f .

[0044] The aorta 21 covered by the retaining ring 51 will come into contact with the annular locking flange 52 and everything is fixed by the four double threads 53 knotted on the annular locking flange 52 .

[0045] The double elastic ring 41 blocks the aorta 21 covered by the annular locking flange 52 on the sleeve 11 .

[0046] Advantageously, the aorta connecting connector allows two portions of a human body fluid conduit to be connected reliably and quickly, in a short time , reducing suture line bleeding and circulation arrest time .

Claims

CLAIMS1. Connector for aorta connection (10) comprising:- a duct ( 31 ) ;- a sleeve (11) of a tubular shape having a first inlet (12) configured to be connected to an aorta (21) , and a second inlet (14) configured to be connected to the duct (31) , said sleeve (11) further comprising: a first protruding annular portion (15) comprising an abutment surface (16) of an edge (22) of an inlet (23) of the aorta (21) to be connected;- fastening means (41) of the sleeve (11) to the aorta (21) configured to fix, by tightening their ends, the aorta (21) and the sleeve (11) in correspondence with the respective mouths (23, 12) ; characterized in that:- the connector (10) also includes a ring (51) mounted against the abutment surface (16) of the sleeve (11) configured to be placed between the fixing means (41) and the aorta (21) ;- the means for fixing the sleeve (11) to the aorta (21) comprise a sealing band (41) comprising two ends (2, 4) , a plurality of toothed seats (42) made on one of its faces and a retaining fastening tab (43) , made at the other end (4) and comprisinga housing (44) , inside which the part of the sealing band (41) equipped with toothed seats (42) is configured to slide, and a fastening tooth (45) configured to lock the sealing band (41) and fix the ends of the aorta (21) and the sleeve (11) with the insertion of the tooth (45) in the toothed seat (42) , and the end (4) of the strap (41) is curved at the fixing tab (43) and the housing (44) is configured to extend in a direction tangential to the curve formed at the end (4) of the strap (41) so as to obtain a circular shape of the closed sealing band to exert uniform pressure on the sleeve (11) and on the aorta (21) ;- the sealing band (41) includes a plurality of retaining tabs (46) made along a first side of the band (41) to retain the ring (51) against the aorta (21) ; and- the first protruding annular portion (15) has the shape of an external circular crown having an abutment surface (16) made substantially perpendicular to the axis and to an external surface (18) of the sleeve (11) , the first protruding annular portion (15) comprising recesses (26) made in such a way as to obtain at least one protruding element (27) which can be used to bringthe abutment surface (16) of the sleeve (11) into contact with the ring (51) and the aorta (21) by means of at least one thread wrapped around said protruding element (27) .

2. Connector (10) for aorta connection according to claim 1, characterized in that the sleeve (11) includes a second annular portion (61) protruding in correspondence with the first opening (12) so as to form on the external surface of the sleeve (11) an area, between said second protruding annular portion (61) and the abutment surface (16) , in which to arrange the fixing means (41) when the sleeve (11) is inserted into the aorta (21) .

3. Connector (10) for aorta connection according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sleeve (11) includes a third annular portion (62) protruding in correspondence with the second opening (14) to fix the sleeve (11) inside the mouth of the duct (31) , blocking the third protruding annular portion (62) into a corresponding recess (32) obtained in the duct (31) .

4. Connector (10) for aorta connection according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the sleeve (11) includes aorta locking openings(65) made in the area between the second protruding annular portion (61) and the bearing surface (16) to allow blood supply to the aorta (21) .

5. Sealing band (41) for a connector for aorta connection (10) according to any of the previous claims, comprising two ends (2, 4) , a plurality of toothed seats (42) made on one of its faces and a tab fastening device (43) , made at the other end (4) and comprising a housing (44) , inside which the part of the sealing band (41) equipped with toothed seats (42) is configured to slide, and a fixing tooth (45) configured to lock the sealing band (41) and fix the ends of the aorta (21) and the sleeve (11) with the insertion of the tooth (45) into the toothed seat (42) , characterized in that the end (4) of the sealing band (41) is curved at the fixing tab (43) and the housing (44) is configured to extend in a direction tangential to the curve formed at the end (4) of the sealing band (41) in order to obtain a circular shape of the closed sealing band to exert uniform pressure on the sleeve (11) and on the aorta (21) .

6. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection comprising:- a sleeve (11) of a tubular shape, having a first mouth (12) configured to be connected to anaorta (21) , and a second mouth (14) configured to be connected to a duct, for example of the prosthetic tube type; a cylindrical lining element (50) , said cylindrical lining element (50) being placed around and outside of said sleeve (11) on the side of said second mouth (14) ;- an annular locking flange (52) placed around and outside said cylindrical covering element (50) to lock it onto said sleeve (11) , said annular locking flange (52) further comprising: a first protruding annular portion (15) comprising an abutment surface (16) of an edge (22) of an opening (23) of the aorta (21) which is to be connected; a retaining ring (51) , placed around and outside of said aorta (21) to fix said aorta (21) to said sleeve (11) , said retaining ring (51) being designed to abut against said abutment surface (16) together with and above said edge (22) of said aorta (21) ; and- fixing means (41) of the retaining ring (51) to the aorta (21) configured to fix, by tightening the ends, the aorta (21) and the sleeve (11) in correspondence with the respective openings (23, 12) .. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to claim 6, characterized in that said fixing means (41) are made with a spiral band, of the double elastic ring type, made of plastic or metallic material, preferably a super-elastic alloy of nickel and titanium or Nitinol.

8. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that it also comprises double suture threads (53) fixed in a cross on said retaining ring (51) , which help the insertion of the aorta (21) on said sleeve (11) .

9. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that said sleeve (11) is made of titanium.

10. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that said cylindrical covering element (50) is made of plastic material, preferably polyethylene terephthalate or Dacron.

11. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that said abutment surface (16) is made substantially perpendicular to the axis and to an external surface (68) of the annular flange locking device12. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that said annular locking flange (52) is made of polyether ether ketone or Peek.

13. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to any one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that said retaining ring (51) is made of Teflon.

14. Connector (10' ) for aorta connection according to any one of claims 6 to 13, characterized in that said sleeve (11) further comprises a plurality of threads (60) for its screwing, and an external cavity (62) inside which the end of said cylindrical covering element (50) rests opposite the end of said second mouth (14) .

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