element for making a vascular clamp and vascular clamp thus made

Abstract

The present invention relates to elements for producing vascular clamps. The element comprises a plate 10, a tab 12 with axis Ax secured to the edge 15 of the plate, two identical riders 22, with a thickness Ep and comprising a through orifice 24, and means for securing the two riders with a face portion 30 of the plate so that the axes of the two orifices are on the same straight line, that the facing faces of the two riders 22 are distant from each other by a value Ep, and that the two through orifices open onto the two opposite faces of each rider and onto the top 122 of these riders, to form two slots.

Description

Title of the invention: element for producing a vascular clamp and vascular clamp thus produced

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement to the elements for producing a vascular clamp, as well as to the vascular clamps produced with such elements, as described and illustrated in EP3651661.

[0002] Indeed, the manufacture of the elements as described and illustrated in this EP3651661 and which give complete satisfaction for the production of an extremely effective vascular clamp, requires the production of a relatively complex mold, which gives this vascular clamp a relatively high cost price.

[0003] Also, the present invention proposes an element for producing a vascular clamp of the type illustrated in the EP cited above, as well as a vascular clamp produced with such elements, the structure of which makes it possible in particular to obtain a lower manufacturing cost price, while giving this vascular clamp the same qualities as those of this prior art.

[0004] More specifically, the present invention relates to an element for producing a vascular clamp, comprising: a support plate; a clamp tab comprising a gripping face and defining a longitudinal axis; means for securing said clamp tab to the edge of said support plate; two substantially identical riders, each rider having substantially the shape of a cylinder sector with a thickness Ep taken along a parallel to the generator defining the cylinder sector and comprising a through-orifice having a determined diameter and an axis parallel to said generator;means for securing the two riders with a face portion of said plate, said face portion of said plate being substantially planar, so that the axes of the two through-holes are located on the same straight line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said clamp tab, that the facing faces of the two riders are distant from each other by a value equal to the thickness Ep, and that one of the two riders has a face located in the plane of an edge of the edge of the support plate perpendicular to said straight line, characterized in that the two through-holes open onto the two opposite faces of each rider and onto the top of each of these riders, over its entire thickness, to form two slots, the longitudinal axis of each of these slots being substantially perpendicular to said face portion of the support plate. ;

[0005] According to another characteristic of the present invention, the width of the two slots, taken in a plane parallel to the plane of said face portion of the support plate and along a perpendicular to the axes of the through holes, is at least equal to diameter of said through holes.

[0006] The present invention also relates to a vascular clamp made with two elements as defined above.

[0007] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear during the following description given with reference to the attached drawings for illustrative purposes, but in no way limiting, in which:

[0008] [Fig. 1] is a perspective view of an embodiment of an element according to the invention for producing a vascular clamp according to the invention,

[0009] [Fig.2] is a side view of the element according to [Fig.l], and

[0010] [Fig. 3] is a cross-sectional view of a vascular clamp comprising two identical elements conforming to that according to [Fig. 1], this section being made in a plane defined by the axes Afl and Af2 which are referenced in [Fig. 1]. Warnings

[0011] It is first of all specified that the figures illustrate an embodiment of the object according to the invention, but that there may be others which meet the definition of this invention. Furthermore, in the figures, the same references designate the same elements, regardless of the figure in which they appear and regardless of the form of representation of these elements. Similarly, if elements are not specifically referenced in one of the figures, their references can be easily found by referring to the other figure.

[0012] It is further specified that, when, according to the definition of the invention, the object of the invention comprises “at least one” element having a given function, the embodiment described may comprise several of these elements. Conversely, if the embodiment of the object according to the invention as illustrated comprises several elements of identical function and if, in the description, it is not specified that the object according to this invention must necessarily comprise a particular number of these elements, the object of the invention may be defined as comprising “at least one” of these elements.

[0013] It is specified that when, in the present description, an expression defines on its own, without any specific particular mention concerning it, a set of structural characteristics, these characteristics can be taken, for the definition of the object of the protection requested, when this is technically possible, either separately, or in total and / or partial combination.

[0014] It is further specified that, in the present description, if the adverb "substantially" is associated with a qualifier of a given means, this qualifier must be understood in the strict or approximate sense.

[0015] With particular reference to [Fig.l], the present invention relates to an element for producing a vascular clamp.

[0016] This element comprises a support plate 10 preferably having the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, a clamp tab 12 comprising a gripping face 13 and defining a longitudinal axis Ax, and means for securing the clamp tab with the edge 15 of the plate 10.

[0017] This element further comprises two substantially identical riders 21, 22, each rider having substantially the shape of a cylinder sector, for example advantageously the shape of a half-cylinder of revolution.

[0018] Each rider 21, 22 has a thickness, taken along a parallel to the generator defining the cylinder sector, of value Ep and comprises a through orifice 23, 24 having a determined diameter, the axis of this through orifice being parallel to the generator defining the cylinder.

[0019] According to an essential characteristic of the invention, the two through orifices 23, 24 open onto the two opposite faces of each rider 21, 22 and onto the top 121, 122 of each of these riders over its entire thickness Ep, to form two slots, the longitudinal axis Afl, Af2 of each of these slots being substantially perpendicular to the face portion 30 of the support plate 10.

[0020] Most preferably, the width of the two slots, taken in a plane parallel to the plane of the substantially flat face portion 30 of the support plate and along a perpendicular to the axes of the through-orifices 23, 24, is at least equal to the diameter of these through-orifices.

[0021] The element further comprises means for securing the two riders 21, 22 with the face portion 30 of the support plate 10 so that the axes of the two through holes 23, 24 are located on the same straight line 31 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the clamp tab 12 and that the facing faces 25, 26 of the two riders 21, 22 are distant from each other by a value equal to the thickness Ep.

[0022] According to a very preferred embodiment, these means for securing the two riders 21, 22 with the face portion 30 of the plate 10 are arranged so that one 21 of the two riders has a face 27 located in the plane of an edge of the edge 15 of the plate perpendicular to the straight line 31, and that the width of this face portion 30 taken in a direction parallel to this straight line 31 is at least equal, advantageously equal, to four times the thickness Ep, so as to define, on this face portion 30, a free part of a width at least equal to Ep, this free part bordering the face 28 of the other rider 22 which is the furthest from the face 27 of the rider 21 located in the plane of an edge of the edge 15, figures 1 and 2.

[0023] According to a very preferred embodiment, the means for securing the clamp tab 12 with the edge 15 of the plate 10 are arranged so that the face portion 30 and the gripping face 13 of the clamp tab 12 are substantially coplanar.

[0024] Still according to another very preferential embodiment, the means for securing the two riders 21, 22 with the face portion 30 of the plate 10 are arranged so that the collinear axes of the two orifices 23, 24 of the two riders 21, 22 are substantially located on this face portion 30.

[0025] The means for securing the clamp tab 12 with the edge 15 of the plate 10 and the means for securing the two clips 21, 22 with a face portion 30 of the plate 10 can be of any type.

[0026] However, according to a very preferred and economically advantageous embodiment, they are constituted by the fact that the clamp tab 12, the two riders 21, 22 and the plate 10 are made in a single piece by molding with a plastic or similar material, the joining of these four pieces together being de facto obtained.

[0027] The essential advantage of the structure, described above, of the element according to the invention then appears. Because the fact that the through-orifices include the slots as described above, facilitates the production of the mold to allow the molding of each element.

[0028] In fact, this mold is then made up of only two parts which fit into each other, the additional part which had to be handled to produce the through holes of the elements of the prior art being no longer necessary. Hence: a saving in time thanks to the use of a simpler mold than that which was necessary to produce the element of the prior art, which contributes to lowering the cost price of each element according to the invention.

[0029] Two elements of identical structure in accordance with the invention make it possible to produce a vascular clamp. It is sufficient to fit them one inside the other, [Fig. 2], and to introduce a rotation shaft 60 into the through-orifices which are aligned, as described in the EP mentioned above. However, as the orifices are open laterally by forming slots, this fitting is maintained with the shaft 60 trapped, using a sleeve made of elastic material externally surrounding at least partially the two fitted elements, which also makes it possible to modulate, with different sleeves, the clamping force of the clamp.

[0030] Advantageously, the element according to the invention for producing a vascular clamp may further comprise two recesses, a first recess located between the two riders 21, 22 and a second recess produced in the free part 33 of the plate portion 30, this second recess bordering the face 28 of the rider 22 which is opposite this free part 33 of the plate portion 30, these first and second recesses being produced so as to allow rotation, for example without friction, of the two riders 21, 22 of a first element mounted in cooperation with a second element identical to the first element so that the axes of the four orifices of the four riders are collinear.

[0031] According to another very preferred embodiment, the element according to the invention can include notches made on at least one outer face of the clamp tab 12, i.e. other than the clamping face 13, to constitute position markers for an elastic ring, as described in the EP patent referenced above.

[0032] The present invention therefore also relates to a vascular clamp which is constituted by the assembly of two identical elements as described above, these two elements being assembled in such a way that one of the two riders 21, 22 of one of the two elements is inserted between the two riders 21', 22' of the other element and that the axes of the four orifices 23, 24 are collinear, [Fig. 3]. It also comprises the rotation shaft 60 of a diameter equal to the diameter (width) of the four orifices, inserted and / or trapped in these four slot-shaped orifices.

[0033] This embodiment makes it possible to optionally provide at least one elastic ring capable of being located in one of the notches by externally surrounding the two clamp legs of the two assembled elements, to exert a clamping force, for example on a blood vessel, of a determined intensity.

[0034] In the latter case, this elastic ring 52 has a shape arranged to deliver a radial stress tension of given value T which substantially corresponds to the formula:

[0035] [Math.l] — 2E(R — Ro) T =----------- Ro

[0036] in which E is the Young's modulus of the elastic material, and Ro and R are respectively the mean radii of the unstressed and stressed ring.

[0037] The description given above, both of the element and of the vascular clamp, is sufficient, with the teaching of the prior art, in particular the content of EP3651661, to understand the operation of the vascular clamp. This operation will therefore not be described further here.

Claims

Claims

1. Vascular clamp, comprising at least one element, said element comprising: • a support plate (10), • a gripper tab (12) comprising a gripping face (13) and defining a longitudinal axis (Ax), • means for securing said clamp tab with the edge (15) of said plate (10), • two substantially identical riders (21, 22), each rider having substantially the shape of a cylinder sector with a thickness Ep taken along a parallel to the generator defining the cylinder sector and comprising a through orifice (23, 24) with an axis parallel to said generator and having a determined diameter, and • means for securing the two riders with a face portion (30) of said plate (10), said face portion (30) being substantially planar, so that the axes of the two through-orifices (23, 24) are located on the same straight line (31) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said clamp tab (12), that the facing faces (25, 26) of the two riders (21, 22) are distant from each other by a value equal to the thickness Ep, and that one (21) of the two riders has a face (27) located in the plane of an edge of the edge (15) of the plate (10) perpendicular to said straight line (31), the two through-orifices (23, 24) opening onto the two opposite faces of each rider and onto the top (121, 122) of each of these riders (21, 22) over its entire thickness Ep, to form two slots, the longitudinal axis (Afl, Af2) of each of these slots being substantially perpendicular to said face portion (30) of the support plate,characterized in that it is constituted by the assembly of two identical elements assembled in such a way that one of the two riders (21, 22) of one of the two elements is inserted between the two riders (21', 22') of the other element and that the axes of the four orifices (23, 24) are collinear, and of a rotation shaft (60) of a diameter equal to the diameter of the four orifices, said rotation shaft being inserted into these four orifices.,

2. Vascular clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the two slots, taken in a plane parallel to the plane of said face portion (30) of the plate (10) and along a perpendicular to the axes of the through orifices (23, 24), is at least equal to the diameter of said through holes.

3. Vascular clamp according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the width of said face portion (30), taken in a direction parallel to said straight line (31), is at least substantially equal to four times the thickness Ep, so as to define, on the face portion (30), a free part (33) bordering the face (28) of the other rider (22) which is the furthest from the face (27) of the rider (21) located in the plane of an edge of said edge (15).

4. Vascular clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means for securing said clamp tab (12) with the edge (15) of said plate (10) are arranged so that said face portion (30) and the gripping face (13) of the clamp tab (12) are substantially coplanar.

5. Vascular clamp according to claim 4, characterized in that said means for securing the two riders (21, 22) with the face portion (30) of said plate (10) are arranged so that the collinear axes of the two orifices (23, 24) of the two riders (21, 22) are substantially located on said face portion (30).

6. Vascular clamp according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one of the two elements comprises two recesses, a first recess located between the two riders (21, 22) and a second recess made in said free part (33) of the plate portion (30), said second recess bordering the face (28) of the rider (22) which is opposite this free part (33) of the plate portion (30).

7. Vascular clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one elastic sleeve externally surrounding at least partially the two elements.

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