|6213941||Surgical instruments for stabilizing the beating heart during coronary bypass graft surgery||2001-04-10||Benetti et al.||600/235|
|6139492||Device and method for isolating a surgical site||2000-10-31||Vierra et al.||600/204|
|6015378||Method and apparatus for temporarily immobilizing a local area tissue||2000-01-18||Borst et al.||60/37|
|5894843||Surgical method for stabilizing the beating heart during coronary artery bypass graft surgery||1999-04-20||Benetti et al.||128/898|
|5807243||Method for isolating a surgical site||1998-09-15||Vierra et al.|
|5749892||Device for isolating a surgical site||1998-05-12||Vierra et al.|
|5601576||Surgical knot pusher and method of use||1997-02-11||Garrison|
|5588949||Stereoscopic percutaneous visualization system||1996-12-31||Donlon et al.|
|5584803||System for cardiac procedures||1996-12-17||Stevens et al.|
|5582580||Direct manual cardiac compression device||1996-12-10||Buckman, Jr. et al.|
|5571215||Devices and methods for intracardiac procedures||1996-11-05||Sterman et al.|
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|5569274||Endoscopic vascular clamping system and method||1996-10-29||Rapacki et al.|
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|5558644||Retrograde delivery catheter and method for inducing cardioplegic arrest||1996-09-24||Boyd et al.|
|5558620||Medical instrument employing curved spreading members to manipulate organs within the body||1996-09-24||Heckele et al.|
|5556412||Blood vessel occlusion trocar||1996-09-17||Hill|
|5545214||Endovascular aortic valve replacement||1996-08-13||Stevens|
|5536251||Thoracoscopic devices and methods for arresting the heart||1996-07-16||Evard et al.|
|5522838||Blood vessel occlusion trocar||1996-06-04||Hill|
|5522834||Internal mammary artery catheter and method||1996-06-04||Fonger et al.|
|5501698||Endoscopic microsurgical instruments and methods||1996-03-26||Roth et al.|
|5499996||Blood vessel occlusion trocar||1996-03-19||Hill|
|5484391||Direct manual cardiac compression method||1996-01-16||Buckman, Jr. et al.|
|5478309||Catheter system and method for providing cardiopulmonary bypass pump support during heart surgery||1995-12-26||Sweezer et al.|
|5474571||Medical forceps with jaws which first tilt and then open||1995-12-12||Lang|
|5465711||Surgical procedures using endoscopic inflatable retraction devices||1995-11-14||Moll et al.|
|5458574||System for performing a cardiac procedure||1995-10-17||Machold et al.|
|5456712||Graft and stent assembly||1995-10-10||Maginot|
|5452733||Methods for performing thoracoscopic coronary artery bypass||1995-09-26||Sterman et al.|
|5441494||Manipulable hand for laparoscopy||1995-08-15||Ortiz|
|5437651||Medical suction apparatus||1995-08-01||Todd et al.|
|5433700||Method for intraluminally inducing cardioplegic arrest and catheter for use therein||1995-07-18||Peters|
|5425705||Thoracoscopic devices and methods for arresting the heart||1995-06-20||Evard et al.|
|5411552||Valve prothesis for implantation in the body and a catheter for implanting such valve prothesis||1995-05-02||Andersen et al.|
|5370685||Endovascular aortic valve replacement||1994-12-06||Stevens|
|5361752||Retraction apparatus and methods for endoscopic surgery||1994-11-08||Moll et al.|
|5336252||System and method for implanting cardiac electrical leads||1994-08-09||Cohen|
|5330498||Blood vessel occlusion trocar||1994-07-19||Hill|
|5318013||Surgical clamping assembly and associated method||1994-06-07||Wilk|
|5318012||Method for lifting abdominal wall during laparoscopic surgery||1994-06-07||Wilk|
|5304220||Method and apparatus for implanting a graft prosthesis in the body of a patient||1994-04-19||Maginot|
|5279575||Locking pivotal surgical orifice||1994-01-18||Sugarbaker|
|5211683||Method of implanting a graft prosthesis in the body of a patient||1993-05-18||Maginot|
|5209747||Adjustable angle medical forceps||1993-05-11||Knoepfler|
|5203786||Hepatic resection clamp||1993-04-20||Vernick|
|5131905||External cardiac assist device||1992-07-21||Grooters|
|5119804||Heart massage apparatus||1992-06-09||Anstadt|
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|EP0668058||1995-08-23||Electrophysiology positioning catheter.|
|WO/1994/000312||DEVICE FOR FIXING SUN VISORS OF MOTOR VEHICLES|
|WO1994013211A1||1994-06-23||VASCULAR PUNCTURE SITE SUTURING DEVICE AND METHOD|
|WO1995001757A1||1995-01-19||ROBOTIC SYSTEM FOR CLOSE INSPECTION AND REMOTE TREATMENT OF MOVING PARTS|
|WO1995017127A1||1995-06-29||METHOD AND INSTRUMENT FOR ESTABLISHING THE RECEIVING SITE OF A CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT|
The present application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/487,024, filed Jan. 19, 2000, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/486,941, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,661, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/281,891, filed Jul. 28, 1994, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,290, which itself is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/023,778, filed Feb. 22, 1993, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,733. The complete disclosures of these related U.S. patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for performing thoracoscopic cardiac procedures. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods for performing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for multivessel coronary artery disease through port-access or closed-chest thoracoscopic methods.
2. Background of the Invention
Coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Western societies. Coronary artery disease is manifested in a number of ways. For example, disease of the coronary arteries can lead to insufficient blood flow resulting in the discomfort and risks of angina and ischemia. In severe cases, acute blockage of coronary blood flow can result in myocardial infarction, leading to immediate death or damage to the myocardial tissue.
A number of approaches have been developed for treating coronary artery disease. In less severe cases, it is often sufficient to treat the symptoms with pharmaceuticals and lifestyle modification to lessen the underlying causes of disease. In more severe cases, the coronary blockage(s) can often be treated endovascularly using techniques such as balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, laser ablation, stents, hot tip probes, and the like.
In cases where pharmaceutical treatment and/or endovascular approaches have failed or are likely to fail, it is often necessary to perform a coronary artery bypass graft procedure using open surgical techniques. Such techniques require that the patient's sternum be opened and the chest be spread apart to provide access to the heart. A source of arterial blood is then connected to a coronary artery downstream from an occlusion while the patient is maintained under cardioplegia and is supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. The source of blood is often the left or right internal mammary artery, and the target coronary artery can be the left anterior descending artery, circumflex artery, right coronary artery or any one of their branches which might be narrowed or occluded.
While very effective in many cases, the use of open surgery to perform coronary artery bypass grafting is highly traumatic to the patient. The procedure requires immediate postoperative care in an intensive care unit, a total period of hospitalization of seven to ten days, and a recovery period that can be as long as six to eight weeks.
It would therefore be desirable to provide other, less traumatic methods and techniques for performing coronary artery bypass grafting. It would be particularly desirable if such techniques did not require opening of the patient's sternum, and might be even more desirable if such techniques could be performed using thoracoscopic methods. Such thoracoscopic methods could decrease morbidity and mortality, cost, and recovery time when compared to conventional open surgical coronary bypass procedures. In addition, such methods could be even more efficacious than open-surgical bypass procedures.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/281,891 describes a method of performing coronary bypass graft surgery for single vessel coronary artery disease using port-access or closed-chest thoracoscopic methods. However, of the over 365,000 open-chest CABG operations performed in 1993, only 5-15% were for single vessel coronary artery disease. For the benefits of thoracoscopic CABG surgery to reach the remainder of the patient population, the procedure must be expanded to address multivessel disease. Treatment of multivessel coronary artery disease involves rerouting multiple conduits to supply blood to the blocked coronary arteries downstream of the blockages. Typical conduits used for CABG surgery in multivessel disease include arterial conduits, such as the left internal mammary artery (LIMA), the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) or the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA), or venous conduits such as the greater saphenous vein (GSV) or the lesser saphenous vein (LSV). Often a combination of these and other conduits is necessary to achieve complete revascularization of the obstructed coronary arteries. Open-chest approaches to treatment of multivessel coronary artery disease are described in Alternative Bypass Conduits and Methods for Surgical Coronary Revascularization, by Grooters and Nishida, Futura Publishing Company, Inc., Armonk, N.Y., 1994. Other references for standard open-chest methods of coronary artery bypass surgery include: Cardiac Surgery, by Kirklin and Barratt Boyes, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, 1993 (2nd Ed.), and Rob and Smith's Operative Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, The C V Mosby Co., St Louis, Mo., 1983 (4th Ed.).
A major challenge of thoracoscopic CABG surgery in multivessel disease is the ability to visualize and anastomose all of the coronary arteries through a limited number of access ports in order to minimize the trauma to the patient. This is made more difficult because many of preferred anastomosis sites on the branches of the right coronary artery and the circumflex artery are on the posterior aspect of the heart and therefore are difficult to access and to visualize with the heart in situ. Operating on the heart in situ would require separate access ports for the left coronary artery and each of the right coronary artery and the circumflex artery. Making this many access ports in the patient's chest would undermine the atraumatic aspect of the thoracoscopic approach. In open-chest CABG surgery, this problem is solved by withdrawing the heart from the pericardial sac and manipulating it to expose the arteries on the posterior aspect. No instruments currently exist for manipulating the heart within the closed chest of the patient, making it difficult to duplicate the close-chest procedure with thoracoscopic techniques. Devices and methods are therefore necessary for manipulating the heart within the patient's closed chest to expose each of the coronary arteries for visualization and anastomosis.
The additional length of time required for performing multiple anastomoses in multivessel CABG surgery also poses difficulties in terms of myocardial preservation during the lengthy procedure. In open procedures additional myocardial protection can be provided by topical hypothermia of the heart to reduce oxygen demand by the myocardium. The instruments and systems currently available for topical hypothermia in cardiac surgery are not suited for thoracoscopic techniques. New devices and methods are therefore necessary for cooling the heart within the patient's closed chest to extend myocardial preservation during the multivessel CABG procedure.
The present invention describes devices and methods for performing port-access or closed-chest CABG surgery to treat multivessel coronary artery disease. All of the major steps of the port-access CABG procedure are performed through small percutaneous access ports to avoid the necessity of a median sternotomy or other gross thoracotomy, as required in prior open-chest approaches. The methods of the present invention include the steps of dissecting one or more conduit vessels, preferably arterial conduits, from their native locations, rerouting the conduit vessels to the heart and grafting the conduit vessels onto the blocked coronary arteries downstream of the blockages.
Generally, the step of dissecting the conduit vessels from their native locations or the “takedown” is performed through small access ports using endoscopic visualization. In the case of a LIMA or RIMA takedown, the access ports are made into the patient's thoracic cavity through the intercostal spaces and visualization is achieved using a flexible thoracoscope. Rerouting the LIMA involves redirecting the distal end of the LIMA to the desired anastomosis site. The RIMA may be rerouted anteriorly of the heart or it may be tunneled through the transverse sinus to reach the desired anastomosis site. In the case of an RGEA takedown, the access ports are made into the patient's abdomen and visualization is achieved using a laparoscope. Rerouting the RGEA involves tunneling the distal end of the RGEA through a hole in the diaphragm to reach the desired anastomosis site on the heart. If venous grafts, such as the GSV, or other free grafts are used in place of or in addition to the arterial conduits, then the takedown or harvesting of the graft is performed by open or closed surgical techniques as appropriate and the graft is rerouted to the patient's chest for anastomosis.
Specialized instruments for facilitating the takedown and rerouting steps are provided as part of the present invention. One instrument provided is a thoracoscopic tunneler for directing an arterial conduit through the transverse sinus or other tunneling path. One embodiment of a tunneler has an elongated shaft with a curved, rigid distal end with a hole through the distal tip for passing a tape or silastic tube through the transverse sinus to retract the pulmonary trunk to facilitate passage of the arterial conduit through the transverse sinus. Another embodiment of a tunneler has an elongated shaft with an articulated distal end with a grasper for reaching through the transverse sinus to grasp the arterial conduit and draw it through the transverse sinus to the desired anastomosis site. The two tunneling instruments may be used separately or in combination. In addition, a specialized thoracoscopic electrosurgical device may be provided to facilitate takedown of the arterial conduits. A suitable thoracoscopic electrosurgical device for this application is described in co-owned, copending patent application, Ser. No. 08/336,359, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The step of grafting the conduit vessels onto the heart is accomplished under direct visualization using a cardioscopic microscope inserted through a visualization port into the patient's thoracic cavity made through an intercostal space in the anterior wall of the chest. Additional surgical instruments are inserted through auxiliary ports into the patient's thoracic cavity to perform the anastomosis of the conduit vessels to the coronary arteries. The devices. and methods of the present invention are devised to minimize the trauma to the patient by making it possible to visualize and access all aspects of the heart from a single centrally located visualization port by manipulating the heart within the patient's closed chest with instruments inserted through the auxiliary access ports or through the takedown ports which remain from the takedown step. Generally, the distal end of each conduit vessel or graft is anastomosed to a coronary artery downstream of a blockage. Additionally, the conduit vessels may be sequentially grafted to more than one coronary artery or branch to form a “skip graft”. If free grafts are used an additional step of creating a proximal anastomosis must be performed. The proximal end of the graft may be anastomosed to the ascending aorta or to another of the conduit vessels to form a Y-graft. The step of making the proximal anastomosis may be performed before or after the distal anastomosis, depending on the preferences of the surgeon.
Specialized instruments are provided for manipulating the heart within the closed chest of the patient to rotate the desired anastomosis site into the visual field of the cardioscopic microscope. The specialized instruments include retractors which can manipulate the heart from outside of the body through one or more of the access ports. One embodiment of a retractor has an elongated shaft with a handle at the proximal end and a curved, finger-like manipulator at the distal end. The curved, finger-like manipulator may be covered with an absorbent and/or frictional material to improve its effectiveness at retracting, rotating and manipulating the heart. Another embodiment of a retractor has an elongated tubular shaft with a suction cup-shaped manipulator at the distal end. A vacuum is applied between the suction cup manipulator and the surface of the heart to grip the heart. The distal surface of the suction cup manipulator may have a textured or highly frictional surface to increase the grip on the surface of the heart, especially .in a direction tangential to the surface. The retractor can thus be used to retract or rotate the heart in any direction to expose the desired anastomosis site.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide myocardial protection to the heart for the duration of the surgical procedure. A first component of the myocardial protection is to provide a means for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) without the need for performing a thoracotomy or other grossly invasive procedure. One noninvasive method of establishing CPB involves the insertion of an endoaortic occlusion catheter into the ascending aorta through a percutaneous puncture into a peripheral artery. An inflatable occlusion balloon on the distal end of the catheter is used to partition the ascending aorta between the coronary ostia and the brachiocephalic artery to isolate the heart and coronary arteries from the remainder of the arterial system while it is supported on cardiopulmonary bypass. Cardioplegic solution to temporarily stop the heart from beating may be infused into the coronary arteries through the catheter and/or through a retroperfusion catheter percutaneously inserted in the coronary sinus. This method is more completely described in co-owned, copending patent application, Ser. No. 08/281,891.
Another relatively noninvasive method of establishing CPB involves using a thoracoscopic cross-clamp to isolate the heart and coronary arteries from the remainder of the arterial system while it is supported on cardiopulmonary bypass. The thoracoscopic cross-clamp is inserted into the patient's thoracic cavity through an access port. Co-owned, copending patent application, Ser. No. 08/173,899, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes a specialized thoracoscopic cross-clamp suitable use with the present invention and a method of its use for isolating the heart and establishing CPB.
A second component of the myocardial protection is to provide a means for applying topical hypothermia to the heart to reduce oxygen demand by the myocardium while the patient is on cardiopulmonary bypass and particularly while the heart is under cardioplegic arrest. A specialized topical hypothermia system that can be applied thoracoscopically through small access ports into the chest is provided as part of the present invention. The topical hypothermia system includes a flexible heat exchanger which is collapsible to fit through an access cannula inserted into an intercostal space. The heat exchanger is deployable to an expanded position once it is inside of the thoracic cavity. The heat exchanger is placed in thermal contact with the heart and a cooling fluid is circulated from outside the body through cooling passages within the heat exchanger. The temperature of the heart can be lowered for the duration of the procedure to reduce oxygen demand. The heat exchanger can also be used for warming the heart at the end of the procedure by circulating a warm fluid through the cooling passages.
The Surgical Method
In one preferred embodiment of the method, to allow the takedown of the LIMA, a first access port is placed in the third intercostal space on the left lateral side of the patient's chest, a second access port is placed in the fifth intercostal space, and a third access port is placed in the sixth intercostal space in a slightly more anterior position from the first two. Meanwhile, the left and right bronchi are individually intubated just below the bifurcation of the trachea so that the lungs can be individually ventilated. The left lung is deflated to provide clearance between the lung and the left anterior wall of the thoracic cavity while the patient is ventilated through the right lung. A flexible thoracoscope is inserted through one of the access ports, such as the third access port as shown in FIG.
If the patient's lungs are ventilated by high frequency “jet” ventilation, then the RIMA can also be harvested from the access ports on the left side of the patient's chest, provided the patient's chest has ample space between the heart and the anterior wall of the thoracic cavity. To do this, both lungs are partially deflated while continuing to ventilate, thereby allowing clearance to reach the RIMA from the left side of the chest. After dissecting the mediastinal pleura, the distal end of the thoracoscope is directed toward the anterior wall of the thoracic cavity just to the right of the sternum to view the RIMA and the RIMA is taken down in a similar fashion to the LIMA.
If conventional ventilation is used, sufficient ventilation cannot be achieved with both lungs partially deflated, so this option is not available. In this case, access ports symmetrical to the left hand ports are placed in the lateral right side of the chest, typically in the third, fifth and sixth intercostal spaces. The right lung is deflated to provide clearance between the lung and the anterior wall of the thoracic cavity while the left lung is ventilated. The flexible thoracoscope is inserted through one of the access ports and instruments, such as the electrosurgical device, graspers and/or a clip applier, are inserted through the remaining ports to dissect the RIMA from the anterior chest wall. A length of 15-30 cm of RIMA with an attached pedicle is dissected from the chest wall to provide enough length to reach the chosen anastomosis site. When a sufficient length of RIMA has been dissected, two ligating clips are placed side-by-side near the distal end of the RIMA and the vessel is transected between them.
When rerouting the RIMA to the anastomosis site, two paths are possible. The currently preferred path is through the transverse sinus which is a natural passage behind the aorta and the pulmonary artery leading from the right side of the heart to the left side. The RIMA is tunneled through the transverse sinus by passing an instrument, such as the tunneler described below in relation to
If a third arterial conduit is required for complete revascularization of the heart or if either of the internal mammary arteries is not available, then the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) is the next choice.
A hole is made through the diaphragm in an appropriate place for reaching the desired anastomosis site using an electrosurgical device. The distal end of the RGEA is tunneled upward through the diaphragm as shown in FIG.
If a venous graft, such as the greater saphenous vein, is needed, a venous takedown procedure can be performed by known techniques to provide a venous conduit. After harvesting, the vein can be prepared for use as a graft outside of the body and inserted into the thoracic cavity through one of the access ports at the appropriate time in the grafting step of the procedure.
Simultaneously with the takedown step or steps just described, the patient can be prepared for cardiopulmonary bypass by cannulating the femoral artery and the femoral vein using surgical cutdowns or the percutaneous Seldinger technique. Additionally, an endoaortic occlusion catheter may be positioned in the ascending aorta according to the methods described in co-owned, copending patent application Ser. No. 08/281,891. According to the methods described therein, an elongated endoaortic occlusion catheter is introduced into a peripheral artery, such as the femoral artery and advanced into the ascending aorta. When it is time to establish CPB before the grafting step described below, an occlusion balloon on the distal end of the catheter is inflated to occlude the aortic lumen between the coronary ostia and the brachiocephalic artery. Once the balloon is inflated a cardioplegic agent can be infused through a lumen in the catheter into the aortic root and into the coronary arteries to induce cardiac arrest. Alternatively, a thoracoscopic cross-clamp may be introduced through one of the access ports according to the methods described in co-owned, copending patent application Ser. No. 08/173,899, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. According to the methods described therein, and elongated thoracoscopic cross-clamp is introduced through one of the access ports and, at the appropriate time, clamped around the descending aorta to occlude the aortic lumen. A cardioplegic agent may be introduced antegrade into the aortic root or retrograde through the coronary sinus to induce cardiac arrest. This is in preparation for the grafting step of the method of the present mention which follows.
At this point in the procedure the pericardium is opened to expose the heart as completely as possible. Using thoracoscopic observation, grasping instruments and cutting instruments, such as knives, scissors and/or an electrosurgical device are inserted through the takedown ports and a vertical slit beginning at or near the aortic reflection and extending to the apex of the heart is made in the pericardium. Thoracoscopic bipolar electrosurgical cutting scissors, such as model 3803 bipolar scissors from Everest Medical Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn., have proven to be an effective instrument for performing the pericardiotomy. The pericardium is divided to expose the surface of the heart to view.
A number of instrument ports are placed about 3-5 cm from the visualization port to allow proper angulation of the instruments into the field of view of the microscope. Typically, two ports are placed near the stone in the third and fourth intercostal spaces and two more ports are placed to the left of the visualization port in the third and sixth intercostal spaces. An access cannula with an internal diameter of 5 mm is placed in each of the instrument ports.
Next the graft vessels, whether arterial or venous conduits, must be prepared for anastomosis. Preferably, the distal ends of the graft vessels are prepared outside of the body by passing the distal end of the graft out through one of the access ports. This simplifies the procedure because the end of the graft can be prepared under direct visualization with magnifying surgical loupes and because standard surgical instruments can be used for preparing the graft rather than thoracoscopic instruments. The LIMA or RIMA can be passed out through one of the thoracic access ports before rerouting or tunneling the vessel. The RGEA can be passed out through one of the abdominal access ports before tunneling the RGEA through the diaphragm. If the graft vessel is too short to reach the exterior of the body through one of the access ports, the following graft vessel preparation procedure can also be carried out within the thoracic cavity using thoracoscopic instruments and techniques. Prior to preparing the graft vessel, the blood flow into the vessel must be stopped by placing an atraumatic clamp on the upstream end of the vessel. An atraumatic thoracoscopic bulldog clamp especially suited for this step of the procedure is described in co-owned, copending patent application Ser. No. 08/265,477.
The graft vessel should be prepared by first determining the appropriate length of the conduit in order to reach the desired anastomosis site. The distal end of the graft vessel should then be skeletonized by stripping the pedicle away from the artery for 5-10 mm. The distal end of the artery is transected to remove the ligating clip that was previously applied. If desired, Papavarin may be injected into the lumen of the artery to dilate it and reverse any arterial spasm. Depending on the technique preferred by the surgeon, the distal end of the graft vessel can be slit longitudinally to create a cobra head for the anastomosis. Once prepared, the graft vessel is reinserted into the thoracic cavity through the access port.
When performing multiple anastomoses, it is preferable to do the most difficult or most difficult to reach anastomosis first. For example, any anastomosis to the RCA or the PDA should be performed first since the most retraction of the heart is necessary. Following that, any anastomosis to the Cx or the OM branches should be performed. Finally, any anastomosis to the LAD can be performed last. The RIMA, RGEA or a vein graft may be used for anastomosis to the RCA or the PDA which are on the posterior aspect of the heart. Typically, the LIMA, RIMA or a vein graft is used when a graft is needed for the Cx or the OM branches because of their location on the left aspect of the heart. The LIMA, or the RIMA if the LIMA has already been used for the Cx, may be used for anastomosis to the LAD which is on the anterior aspect of the heart. Because the manifestations of coronary artery disease are highly variable, the extent of the disease should be assessed fluoroscopically beforehand and the anastomosis sites and the best use of the available conduits strategized carefully. The procedures for anastomosing to each of the major anastomosis sites will now be described. These procedures can be performed in combination to achieve complete revascularization of the heart.
With the more difficult to reach anastomoses completed and the heart back in its native position, as shown in
Alternatively to manipulating the heart within the closed chest to expose the different aspects, a second visualization port and instrument ports can be opened on the right side of the chest, as shown by phantom lines XX in
The internal mammary artery IMA can be joined to the extended incision
Surgery for Open-chest CABG Surgery.
The presently preferred suture for port-access CABG surgery is a double-armed suture of 8-10 cm length which was specially developed for this procedure. The suture has a first needle on one end and a second needle on the other end. Preferably, the needles are ⅜ circle curved hardened stainless steel needles with tapered points. The needles are preferably attached to the suture by crimping. Alternatively, the needles may be adhesively bonded to be suture. The preferred suture material is a multifilament, expanded PTFE suture material with a size between 8-0 and 6-0 USP, preferably 7-0 USP. Suitable suture material of this type is available from W. L. Gore, Corporation under the tradename Goretex®. A contrasting color which is highly visible within the thoracic cavity, such as black, blue or white, is preferred for the suture material.
The configuration of this suture is especially advantageous for use in the port-access surgical CABG procedure. The suture can be inserted into the thoracic cavity through an access port and manipulated using thoracoscopic needle drivers to sew the anastomosis and to tie the suture within the thoracic cavity. Standard sutures, which are normally much longer, are very difficult to manipulate within the closed chest, especially when tying the suture using thoracoscopic instruments. The short length of the suture allows the knots in the suture to be pulled tight within the confines of the thoracic cavity while grasping the needles with the needle drivers. The multifilament, expanded PTFE suture material is much easier to handle and tie within the confines of the thoracic cavity than monofilament suture material which is generally stiffer and harder to handle. Additionally, the multifilament, expanded PTFE suture material has more resistance to damage than monofilament when it is grasped directly by the needle drivers.
A sequential grafting technique or “skip grafting” is useful for achieving total revascularization when the number of significant coronary artery stenoses exceeds the number of available graft conduits. Sequential grafts are created by making a side-to-side anastomosis with a first coronary artery at an intermediate point on the graft vessel, then an end-to-side anastomosis between the distal end of the graft vessel and a second coronary artery.
Free grafts using either arterial conduits or venous conduits can be used to augment the in situ arterial grafts. Generally, the proximal end of a free grafts is anastomosed to the ascending aorta to provide an arterial blood source and the distal end of the graft is anastomosed to one of the coronary arteries. A common source of free grafts is the greater saphenous vein. Other conduits used as free grafts include the lesser saphenous vein, the LIMA, the RIMA, the inferior epigastric artery, the splenic artery, the subclavian artery, and others.
Free grafts can be combined with in situ grafts or other free grafts to create composite bypass grafts to help achieve total revascularization for multivessel disease. For example, a free graft can be anastomosed to the distal end of an in situ graft like the LIMA or RIMA when there is insufficient length of the graft after takedown. Alternatively, a Y-graft can be created as an alternative to the sequential grafts described above.
A basic embodiment of the articulated tunneling grasper is shown in FIG.
Various end effectors can be attached to the distal end of the multilink articulator for performing different tasks. The possible end effectors include a simple hole, as shown in
In one particularly preferred embodiment, shown in
In use, the articulated tunneling grasper is inserted through one of the takedown ports in a straight position. The distal end of the grasper is inserted behind the pulmonary artery and the ascending aorta, and through the transverse sinus, as shown in FIG.
Tunneling the RIMA through the transverse sinus from the right side of the heart to the left side is the currently preferred path for rerouting the RIMA for attachment to the Cx or the OM branches. Alternatively, the RIMA can be routed across the anterior side of the heart using the articulated tunneler or another thoracoscopic grasping device. When rerouting a graft vessel, particularly when tunneling through a space such as the transverse sinus, it is important to avoid twisting or kinking the graft vessel. One way to avoid twisting the vessel is to mark a line along the vessel which can serve as an indicator of whether the vessel is straight. For instance, the vessel can be marked by drawing a line along the vessel or on the pedicle with a surgical marker containing a nontoxic ink, such as methylene blue. The vessel is preferably marked before takedown to assure that the vessel is in a straight condition when it is marked. Alternatively, the clips or sutures that are used to ligate side branches of the vessel during takedown can be used as markers to determine if the graft vessel is straight when it is rerouted.
Alternate materials for the covering of the finger-like manipulator include nonembossed, nonwoven fabrics, such as polyester surgical felt. While the absorbancy of these materials is quite acceptable, the friction of the smooth, nonembossed fabric is less than for embossed materials. Examples of acceptable materials in this category include Fastsorb 820 and Exsorbx 400 available from Berkshire Corp, Great Barrington, Mass. or Surgical Felt 6077 or 6079 available from BARD, Vascular Surgery Division, Haverhill, Mass. Other materials suitable for covering the finger-like manipulator include woven materials and knit materials made of polyester, cotton or other fibers. These materials also tend to have a lower coefficient of friction for gripping tissue. Another alternate material for the covering of the finger-like manipulator is a composite material, including a first layer of a highly absorbent material, like surgical felt, and a second layer of mesh-like material to increasing the coefficient of friction for gripping the surface of the heart.
The covering material is preferably die cut in a pattern that easily conforms to the shape of the finger-like manipulator.
The absorbancy, combined with the texture of the covering, gives the retractor a good frictional grip on the surface of the heart. Keeping the interface between the retractor surface and the surface of the heart dry is important for maintaining a good frictional grip. Another preferred embodiment of the retractor, shown in
In use, the retractor is typically inserted into the thoracic cavity through one of the takedown ports on the left lateral side of the chest. The curved finger-like manipulator of the retractor is hooked around the apex of the heart, as shown in FIG.
The retractor can be fixed to the operating table to stabilize the heart in the desired position, as shown in
The shaft of the retractor is preferably made of a rigid material that will support the forces required for manipulating the heart without significant deformation. Acceptable materials for the retractor shaft include stainless steel and liquid crystal polymer. To facilitate forming an angled or curved shaft, a mineral filled liquid crystal polymer (e.g. calcium carbonate) is preferred. This material can be heat formed at 350 to 400 degrees F.
The distal surface of the suction cup-shaped manipulator is textured to create a high friction surface. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the suction cup-shaped manipulator has a pattern of bumps on the distal surface and a circular ridge around the periphery of the suction cup. The bumps in one preferred embodiment have a height of approximately 1 mm with a 120 degree conical end and straight sides. Other geometries for the friction-increasing bumps include conical, cylindrical or hemispherical, as well as other possible geometries. The circular ridge around the periphery has a height of approximately 1-2 mm. The geometry and the pattern of the bumps create a reliable friction grip on the surface of the heart under vacuum without causing any damage to the heart tissue. An alternative embodiment of the retractor has an absorbent high friction material adhesively attached to or cast into the distal surface of the suction cup-shaped manipulator in place of the pattern of bumps. A suitable absorbent high friction material for this application is a nonwoven polyester fabric embossed with an open mesh pattern.
In use, the distal end of the retractor is inserted through one of the access ports, typically one of the takedown ports in the left lateral side of the patient's chest. The soft, flexible nature of the suction cup-shaped manipulator allows it to be folded or collapsed as it is pushed through the access port. The retractor can be inserted through an access cannula or the cannula can be removed from the access port to facilitate insertion of the suction cup-shaped manipulator directly through the access port. In one preferred embodiment of the method, suction cup-shaped manipulator is placed on the anterior surface of the heart near the apex, as shown in
In use, the distal end of the retractor is inserted into the thoracic cavity to one of the access ports, typically one of the takedown ports on the left lateral side of the chest. The actuator button is advanced distally to open the loop large enough to encircle the heart. The loop is passed around the heart from the apex, end and tightened gently around the heart, as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment of
In use, the topical hypothermia device is prepared in the predeployed position by first priming the flexible heat exchanger by filling it with cooling fluid and connecting the proximal end of the inflow lumen and the return lumen to the circulating pump and the reservoir of cooling fluid, respectively. The flexible heat exchanger is rolled and covered with the introducer sheath. The topical hypothermia device is inserted through one of the access ports in this predeployed position. The distal end of the introducer sheath is placed under the heart and then withdrawn proximally with respect to the flexible heat exchanger, thereby placing the heat exchanger underneath the heart. Alternatively, the sheath can be withdrawn after the topical hypothermia device is introduced through the access port and the flexible heat exchanger placed under the heart with the help of the flexible backbone. The circulating pump is turned on to force cooling fluid into the flexible heat exchanger and through the cooling passage. The flexible heat exchanger inflates with cooling fluid and spreads out under the heart to make good thermal contact with the myocardium, as shown in FIG.
In an alternate embodiment of the topical cooling device, the flexible heat exchanger may also be covered with a thermal insulating material, such as surgical felt, to prevent thermal shock to the myocardial tissue. Another way to avoid thermal shock to the myocardial tissue is to use a more moderate temperature for the cooling fluid, with better thermal contact and a higher flow rate to rapidly cool the myocardium without the risk of thermal shock.
The topical cooling device can be used alone to induce hypothermia cardiac arrest in the patient's heart or the topical cooling device can be used in conjunction with cardioplegic arrest to improve the myocardial protection during the surgical procedure. In addition, the topical cooling device can be used to rewarm the heart after the completion of the surgical procedure by circulating warm fluid through the flexible heat exchanger. In addition to the multivessel CABG procedure of the present invention, the topical cooling device will find utility for improving myocardial protection in any open-chest or closed-chest cardiac surgery.
Another closely related surgical approach for performing closed-chest multivessel CABG surgery is through an anterior mediastinotomy, that is, through an incision into the mediastinum, the mass of tissues and organs between the lungs that includes the heart. Another term for this surgical approach is a rib-sparing, anterior mini-thoracotomy. There are two ways to perform the anterior mediastinotomy for this approach. The first way is through an intercostal incision 25-50 mm long in the fourth or fifth intercostal space to the left of the sternum, as shown in FIG.
A tissue spreader or oval cannula for retraction would be useful to maintain the access channel. Retraction of the ribs should be kept to a minimum in order to reduce the trauma to the patient. For introduction without retraction of the ribs, the oval cannula should have interior dimensions of approximately 12 mm width and 25-50 mm length, and a thin wall of approximately 1 mm thick. For varying degrees of retraction, the width of the oval cannula can be increased anywhere from 12 mm to 25 mm, which should be sufficient for adequate visualization and instrument access. Visualization and instrument insertion can thus be accomplished through a single elongated access port, rather than using separate visualization and instrument ports as in the port-access approach described above. Visualization can be accomplished using a surgical microscope, as described above, or by direct visualization through the access port, with or without magnifying loupes. The cannula should be configured to facilitate retraction of the pedicle through the lumen of the cannula without harm so that the distal end of the graft vessel can be prepared for anastomosis outside of the body under direct visualization. Therefore, the cannula should have no sharp edges that could harm the graft vessel or pedicle. The insertion length of the cannula should be about 25-50 mm.
Preferably, illumination means are incorporated into the oval cannula or into the tissue spreader used to maintain the access channel. A light conduction path is incorporated into the wall of the oval cannula or into the blades of the tissue spreader to direct a beam of light distally onto the surgical site. A light source is connected to the light conduction path. The light source can be integrated into the device or an external light source may be connected to the device by an optical cable.
An exemplary embodiment of an illuminated access device is shown in a top view in
Anastomosis between the graft vessel and the coronary artery is performed using instruments inserted through the access port. One advantage of this approach is that the access port is large enough so that the surgeon can insert a finger through the access port or oval cannula to directly palpate the heart, for instance to locate a stenosis in the coronary artery. It may be advantageous to elevate the heart within the thoracic cavity to facilitate palpate the heart and/or performing the anastomosis. A device similar to the topical cooling devices of