|Publication number||US7635385 B2|
|Application number||US 11/429,583|
|Publication date||22 Dec 2009|
|Filing date||5 May 2006|
|Priority date||23 Jul 1996|
|Also published as||US7204843, US20020019642, US20030181930, US20060206124, US20100087841|
|Publication number||11429583, 429583, US 7635385 B2, US 7635385B2, US-B2-7635385, US7635385 B2, US7635385B2|
|Inventors||Keith Milliman, Kevin Sniffen, David A. Nicholas, Scott E. Manzo, Peter Hinchliffe|
|Original Assignee||Keith Milliman, Kevin Sniffen, Nicholas David A, Manzo Scott E, Peter Hinchliffe|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (107), Non-Patent Citations (9), Referenced by (30), Classifications (24), Legal Events (4)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/388,969 entitled “ANASTOMOSIS INSTRUMENT AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING SAME” which was filed on Mar. 13, 2003 by Milliman et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,843 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/882,245 entitled “ANASTOMOSIS INSTRUMENT AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING SAME” which was filed on Jun. 14, 2001 by Milliman et al., now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/410,817, entitled “ANASTOMOSIS INSTRUMENT AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING SAME” which was filed on Oct. 1, 1999 by Milliman et al., now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/256,260, entitled “ANASTOMOSIS INSTRUMENT AND METHOD” which was filed on Feb. 23, 1999 by Nicholas et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,234, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/877,701 entitled “SINGLESHOT ANASTOMOSIS INSTRUMENT WITH DETACHABLE LOADING UNIT AND METHOD”, which was filed on Jun. 17, 1997 by Manzo et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,748, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/685,385, entitled “ANASTOMOSIS INSTRUMENT AND METHOD”, filed on Jul. 23, 1996 by Hinchliffe et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,380. U.S. application Ser. No. 09/256,260, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,234, U.S. application Ser. No. 08/877,701, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,748, as well as U.S. application Ser. No. 08/685,385, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,380, are all herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical instrument and method for performing anastomosis of tubular body structures, and more particularly to an instrument for joining vascular tissues, for example, during coronary artery bypass graft procedures.
2. Background of Related Art
Coronary artery disease is often characterized by lesions or occlusions in the coronary arteries which may result in inadequate blood flow to the myocardium, or myocardial ischemia, which is typically responsible for such complications as angina pectoris, necrosis of cardiac tissue (myocardial infarction), and sudden death. In some cases, coronary artery disease may be treated by the use of drugs and/or by modifications in behavior and diet. In other cases, dilatation of coronary arteries may be achieved by such procedures as angioplasty, laser ablation, atherectomy, catheterization, and intravascular stents.
For certain patients, a coronary artery bypass graft (“CABG”) is the preferred form of treatment to relieve symptoms and the graft often increases life expectancy. A CABG procedure consists of direct anastomosis of a vessel segment to one or more of the coronary arteries. For example, a reversed segment of the saphenous vein may be grafted at one end to the ascending aorta as an arterial blood source and at the other end to a coronary artery at a point beyond the arterial occlusion. Alternatively, the internal mammary artery (“saphenous vein”) located in the thoracic cavity adjacent the sternum is likewise suitable for grafting to a coronary artery, such as the left anterior descending artery (“LAD”).
The performance of a CABG procedure typically requires access to the heart, blood vessels and associated tissue. Access to the patient's thoracic cavity may be achieved in an open procedure by making a large longitudinal incision in the chest. This procedure, referred to as a median sternotomy, requires a saw or other cutting instrument to cut the sternum to allow the two opposing halves of the rib cages to be spread apart to expose the internal organs of the thoracic cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,779 to Bugge discloses a retractor which is designed to grip opposite sternum halves and spread the thoracic cavity apart. The large opening which is created by this technique enables the surgeon to directly visualize the surgical site and perform procedures on the affected organs. However, such procedures that involve large incisions and substantial displacement of the rib cage are often traumatic to the patient with significant attendant risks. The recovery period may be extensive and is often painful. Furthermore, patients for whom coronary surgery is indicated may need to forego such surgery due to the risks involved with gaining access to the heart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,617 to Jako discloses a retractor configured to be held by the surgeon for use in vascular or cardiac surgery to retract and hold ribs apart to allow access to the heart or a lung through an operating “window”. The retractor includes a rigid frame and a translation frame slideably connected to the rigid frame. Lower and upper blades are rotatably mounted to the rigid frame and the translation frame respectively. The “window” approach enables the surgeon to gain access through a smaller incision and with less displacement of the ribs, and consequently, less trauma to the patient.
Once access to the thoracic cavity has been achieved, surgery on the heart may be performed. Such procedures typically require that the heartbeat be arrested while maintaining circulation throughout the rest of the body. Cardioplegic fluid, such as potassium chloride (KCl) is delivered to the blood vessels of the heart to paralyze the myocardium. As disclosed in WO 95/15715 to Sterman et al. for example, cardioplegic fluid is infused into the myocardium through the coronary arteries by a catheter inserted into the ascending aorta.
Alternatively, cardioplegic fluid is infused through the coronary veins in a retrograde manner by a catheter positioned in the interior jugular vein accessed at the patient's neck. Such procedures require the introduction of multiple catheters into the blood vessels adjacent the heart, which is a complicated procedure requiring that the desired vessels be properly located and accessed. The progression of the guide wires and catheters must be closely monitored to determine proper placement. Furthermore, the introduction of catheters form punctures in the blood vessels that must be subsequently closed, and there is an increased risk of trauma to the interior walls of the vessels in which the catheters must pass.
Alternatively, the CABG procedure may be performed while the heart is permitted to beat. Such a procedure is now commonly referred to as minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) when performed through a thoracotomy (when performed through a sternotomy, the procedure is commonly called open coronary artery bypass (OP-CAB). A surgical instrument is used to stabilize the heart and restrict blood flow through the coronary artery during the graft procedure. Special care must be given to procedures performed on a beating heart, e.g. synchronizing procedures to occur at certain stages in the cardiac cycle, such as between heartbeats.
To perform a CABG procedure, the harvested vessel segment, such as the saphenous vein, is grafted to the coronary artery by end-to-side anastomosis. Typically, sutures are used to graft the vessel segments. However, conventional suturing is complicated by the use of minimally invasive procedures, such as the window approach, e.g., limited access and reduced visibility to the surgical site may impede the surgeon's ability to manually apply sutures to a graft. Additionally, it is difficult and time consuming to manually suture if the CABG procedure is being performed while the heart is beating as the suturing must be synchronized with the heart beat.
As can be appreciated, the process of manually suturing the harvested vessel segment to a coronary artery is time consuming and requires a great deal of skill on the part of the surgeon. The resulting sutured anastomosis will also be dependent on the skills of the surgeon. In minimally invasive procedures such as in MIDCAB, the ability to suture is even more complicated due to limited maneuverability and reduced visibility. U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,380 to Hinchliffe et al., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an apparatus and a procedure that enable remote anastomosis without piercing of vessels during both conventional and minimally invasive procedures. A continuing need exists, however, for improved surgical instruments and methods for performing remote anastomoses during both conventional and minimally invasive procedures.
The present disclosure relates to a surgical instrument for anastomosis of first and second blood vessels which includes a housing having distal and proximal ends, a handle and a disposable loading unit removably mounted to the distal end of the housing. The disposable loading unit includes upper and lower fastener support members having a passage defined therethrough for receiving an end of the second blood vessel and configured to releasably support a plurality of surgical fasteners and a retractable anvil located at a distal end of the loading unit. The anvil is movable relative to the fastener support member in response to actuation of the handle to simultaneously deform the surgical fasteners.
In one embodiment, the loading unit includes two halves which are pivotable relative to one another to release the second vessel after the instrument is fired. Preferably, the fastener support member includes upper and lower fastener support members which support the fasteners in an array-like manner.
In another embodiment, the loading unit includes a first retracting sleeve which moves the anvil in response to actuation of the handle. Preferably, loading unit includes first and second retracting sleeves which are movable relative to the fastener support member from a first position wherein the distal ends of the retracting sleeves are disposed relative to the fastener support member to a second position wherein the distal ends of the retracting sleeves are disposed in closer proximity to the fastener support member.
In another embodiment, an actuator moves the first and second sleeves relative to the fastener support member. Preferably, continued movement of the handle moves the second sleeve relative to the first sleeve.
In another embodiment, the distal end of the first sleeve includes a plurality of elongated channels for supporting the surgical fasteners. Preferably, each of the channels includes a distal and proximal end wherein each distal end is radially offset from the proximal end such that the proximal and distal ends of the surgical fasteners are supported in a radially offset manner. It is envisioned that the second retracting sleeve releasably retains the surgical fasteners within the elongated channels and the anvil has an angled surface such that the distal ends of the surgical fasteners deform proximally upon actuation of the handle.
In another embodiment the actuator includes a cam having more than one cam follower. It is also envisioned that the cam may include multiple stages for imparting different, independent and/or varying movement to each of the cam followers upon actuation of the handle.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanied drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
An illustrative embodiment of the subject surgical instrument and method are described herein with reference to the drawings wherein:
Preferred embodiments of the surgical instrument and method disclosed herein will be described in terms of a coronary artery bypass procedure wherein a vascular anastomosis is created by joining a section of a harvested vessel, e.g., the saphenous vein, to bypass an occlusion in a coronary artery, e.g., the left anterior descending artery (“LAD”) and/or aorta. Alternatively, the presently disclosed surgical instrument may also be utilized in performing anastomosis of other tubular luminal body structures.
In the drawings and in the description which follows, the term “proximal”, as is traditional, will refer to the end of the apparatus which is closer to the user, while the term “distal” will refer to the end which is further from the user.
Referring now in detail to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements, one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated generally in
The particular surgical instrument 10 shown in the various figures is preferably designed to deform an array of surgical fasteners similar to fastener 260 shown in
As best seen in
Actuator assembly 20 also includes a handle 12 which initiates firing of the surgical instrument 10 and a spring-loaded thumb tab 30 for loading the SULU 100 onto the actuator assembly 20 both of which will be explained in greater detail below. Preferably, handle 12 is provided with an ergonomic surface which is contoured and configured to be comfortably gripped by the hand of the user during operation of the instrument.
Turning now to
Handle 12 includes a bushing 19 which protrudes laterally from the proximal end of the handle 12 and pivotally engages a corresponding recess 29 disposed within the proximal end 24 of housing 26 to allow pivotal movement of the handle 12 with respect to housing 26. Handle 12 also includes a vertically extending slot 27 disposed at its proximal end 24 which receives the proximal end of a lever 16 which moves in conjunction with the handle 12. A pair of flanges 14 a and 14 b downwardly extend from the handle 12 and receive lever 16 therebetween. A mechanical interface 11 a disposed on handle 12 engages a corresponding mechanical interface 11 b disposed on lever 16 to secure the lever 16 to the handle 12. Preferably, lever 16 has a first recess 17 shaped to engage and control the movement of the cam 60 during downward movement of the handle 12, the purpose of which will be explained in more detail with respect to
As mentioned above, actuating assembly 20 also includes a spring-loaded thumb tab 30 which rests atop housing 26 within a longitudinally extending slot 28 disposed near the distal end 22 thereof. As best seen in
Actuator assembly 20 also includes first retractor 80 and a second retractor 50 which each move by way of movement of the handle 12 which, in turn, imparts movement to the two-stage cam 60. First retractor 80 includes distal and proximal ends 82 and 84, respectively, and is generally tubular in dimension with the exception of an elongated furrow 83 extending proximally from distal end 82 for slidingly supporting sleeve 32. Retractor 80 also includes a slot 85 for receiving a pin 54 for affixing the retractor 80 to the cam 60 and another pair of slots 87 and 89 located near the proximal end 84 for receiving two cam followers 51 a and 51 b, respectively. Preferably, the proximal end 84 is bifurcated to facilitate insertion of the second retractor 50 therein.
As best seen in
It is contemplated that proximal movement of tab 30 will impart reciprocating proximal movement to the sliding sleeve 32 to expose carriages 86 and 88 disposed within the first retractor 80 which are designed to receive a pair of first and second retracting sleeves 110 and 120 (
Actuator assembly 20 also includes a handle lock 40 which rests atop the first retractor 80 and extends laterally between the housing 26 and the cover plate 90. More particularly, handle lock 40 is mounted within slots 93 a and 93 b as best seen in
Actuator assembly 20 also includes a second retractor 50 which includes an elongated arm 52 having a key-like distal end 53 and a T-shaped heel section 56. Preferably, T-shaped heel section 56 attaches to a tension spring 55 disposed proximally thereof. Second retractor 50 is preferably bifurcated at its proximal end forming two longitudinally extending fins 58 a and 58 b each having a slot 57 and aperture 59 for receiving cam followers 51 and 51 b, respectively. It is contemplated that spring 55 is biased against an elongated stop 65 which rests atop arm 52 and biases heel section 56 proximally when the second retractor 50 is retracted which will be explained in more detail below with respect to the operation of the surgical instrument 10.
As mentioned above, the first retractor 80 is affixed to two-stage cam 60 by pin 54. More particularly, cam 60 includes an aperture 61 located near the distal end thereof for receiving pin 54 which affixes the cam 60 to the first retractor 80. Cam 60 also includes a pair of generally vertical arcuately-shaped slots 62 and 64 which each include two discrete stages, namely 62 a, 62 b and 64 a, 64 b, respectively, for imparting movement to corresponding followers 51 a and 51 b. A nub 66 is located near the uppermost portion of the cam 60 and is dimensioned to slideably engage recess 17 located in lever 16 as best illustrated in
It is contemplated that during downward movement of handle 12, lever 16 will bias nub 66 downwardly such that nub 66 rides proximally along recess 17 and causes cam 60 to pivot downwardly about pin 54 as shown best in
Elongated stop 65 is preferably affixed to the distal end of cam 60 and rests atop the second retractor 50. Elongated stop 65 includes a distal end 69 and a proximal end 67 which includes two extending portions 67 a and 67 b each having an aperture 63 a and 63 b, respectively, disposed therethrough. Preferably, end 69 of stop 65 is sufficiently dimensioned such that it engages a corresponding biasing post 102 located within the SULU 100.
Preferably, the second retractor 50, the cam 60 and the elongated stop 65 are pre-assembled prior to insertion into the first retractor 80. More particularly and as best illustrated in
Cam 60 is positioned between the extending fins 58 a and 58 b of the second retractor 50 such that, when the retractor 50 and cam 60 are inserted within slot 91 of the first retractor, followers 51 a and 51 b are inserted through slot 87 and slot 89, respectively, and slideably couple the two components 50 and 60 within the first retractor 80. Handle lock 40 is then positioned atop the first retractor 80 as described above. First retractor 80 is then mounted on ribs 25 a and 25 b of housing 26 and cover plate 90, respectively and tab 30 along with sliding sleeve 32 are engaged thereon. Handle 12 and lever 16 are then assembled as described above and pivotably mounted about post 21. Spring 70 is then positioned accordingly so as to bias handle 12 against housing 26.
Turning now to
More particularly and as best seen in
Sleeve cap 110 b includes a semi-circular anvil 118 b and a bifurcated proximal end 113 composed of flanges 113 b 1 and 113 b 2 which together define a slot 114 b for receiving a tab 138 b which projects from a lower surgical fastener support 130 b which is explained in more detail below. Sleeve cap 110 b also includes mechanical interfaces 117 b which couples with corresponding mechanical interfaces 117 a disposed on base 110 a to engage sleeve cap 110 b with base 110 a. A locking tab 116 b having an elongated slit 182 b located therein is disposed between proximal end 113 and anvil 118 b. A longitudinally-extending opening 111 b is preferably disposed proximate locking tab 116 b and aligns with a corresponding opening 111 a in base 110 a (
Lower cuff 120 b includes a bifurcated proximal end 107 which comprises flanges 107 b 1 and 107 b 2 which define a slot 108 for receiving tab 138 b of lower fastener support 130 b therethrough and a plurality of retention fingers 124 b which extend from the opposite end thereof. A slot 126 b is disposed between the flanges 107 b 1, 107 b 2 and the fingers 124 b for receiving locking tab 116 b of the sleeve cap 110 b when cuff 120 b is slideably mounted thereon. A longitudinally-extending opening 121 b is disposed proximate slot 126 b and aligns with a corresponding opening 121 a in upper cuff 120 a and also aligns with openings 111 a and 111 b of the first retracting sleeve 110 such that the saphenous vein 320 can be received therethrough as seen best in
A semi-circular cuff cap 128 is disposed atop lower cuff 120 b and mechanically interfaces with upper cuff 120 a such that semi-circular lips 122 a and 122 b for circular lip 122. More particularly, cuff cap 128 includes a plurality of detents 123 b which mechanically engage a corresponding plurality of notches 123 a located in upper cuff 120 a such that the cuff cap 128, upper cuff 120 a and lower cuff 120 b all move in unison upon retraction of the second retracting sleeve 120. Sleeve cap 128 is preferably bifurcated at its distal end forming slot 109 which is dimensioned to receive tab 138 b.
As can be appreciated, fingers 124 a and 124 b move upon retraction of the second retracting sleeve 120 to release the surgical fasteners 260 after firing. More particularly and as best seen in
As mentioned previously, the SULU 100 also includes fastener support 130 which has an upper support 130 a and a lower support 130 b which, when assembled, internally house the first and second retracting sleeves 110 and 120, respectively, along with their individual working components. Upper support 130 a and lower support 130 b each include a distal end 135 a and 135 b each having an array of braces 137 a and 137 b, respectively, which project radially from distal ends 135 a and 135 b. As best illustrated in
Upper support and lower support 130 a and 130 b, respectively, also include hinges 136 a and 136 b which, when the SULU 100 is assembled, matingly engage one another to allow pivotable movement between the supports 130 a and 130 b from an open position (
Lower support 130 b includes a pair of shoulders 132 a and 132 b disposed on opposite sides of opening 133 b for slideably receiving a corresponding pair of flanges 144 a and 144 b associated with an upper locking sleeve 140 a. More particularly, each flange 144 a and 144 b extends distally from the upper locking sleeve 140 a to define a notch 149 a and 149 b, respectively, therein for receiving shoulders 132 a and 132 b of lower support 130 b.
Upper locking sleeve 140 a includes a C-shaped clip 146 a (
SULU 100 also includes a biasing post 102 which mechanically aligns upper and lower supports 130 a and 130 b in fixed relation relative to one another. More particularly, biasing post 102 includes a proximal end 103 and a distal end 105 and has a vertically oriented cavity 106 disposed therethrough for receiving tabs 138 a and 138 b of the upper and lower supports 130 a and 130 b, respectively. As mentioned above, tabs 138 a and 138 b pass through slots 114 a, 114 b of the first retracting sleeve 110 and through slots 101, 108 and 109 of the second retracting sleeve 120 and mechanically align with one another within cavity 106 as best seen in
Biasing post 102 also includes a tapered spacer 104 disposed along the outer periphery thereof for frictionally locking the first retracting sleeve 110 in a retracted position after the first retracting sleeve 110 is withdrawn by the first retractor 80. More particularly, when the SULU 100 is assembled and prior to firing the surgical instrument 10, biasing post 102 is disposed relative to the first retracting sleeve 110 such that spacer 104 is proximal to lip 112 (
Turning now in detail to the loading of the SULU 100 within actuator assembly 20 as best seen in
In use and as shown in
To gain access to the heart, after an incision is made, a surgical retractor assembly may be used to separate the ribs at the site of the incision as shown in
Once the desired access to the heart is achieved, the graft vessel, e.g., the saphenous vein 320 is dissected from the surrounding cartilage and muscle, and a free end of the vessel is exposed. The occluded coronary artery, e.g., the LAD and/or aorta 310, is then prepared for receiving the saphenous vein 320 graft. The heart is positioned in the desired orientation either by traction sutures passing through the pericardium or by manipulation with heart manipulation instruments which are held by the surgical personnel or clamped in a fixed orientation to a base such as the retractor assembly base. Blood flow through the LAD and/or aorta 310 can be restricted by cardiopulmonary bypass and pericardial cooling. Alternatively, a dampening instrument may be applied directly on the LAD and/or aorta 310 to restrict blood flow and reduce movement of the heart near the LAD and/or aorta 310.
Turning now in detail to the operation of the surgical instrument 10 and in particular, the operation of the SULU 100 as detailed in
In some cases it may be preferable to orient the upper and lower supports 130 a and 130 b in a slightly longitudinally offset manner such that an angle is created relative to the transverse plane of the two supports 130 a and 130 b in order to optimize the anastomosis and to facilitate optimal blood flow across the graft site from the saphenous vein 320 to the LAD and/or aorta 310. This junction will create a more dramatically visible “heel” and “toe” effect in which an acute or obtuse angle between the vessels is clearly defined.
The remaining portion of the saphenous vein 320 is preferably positioned away from the instrument 10 to facilitate insertion of the saphenous vein 320 into the LAD and/or aorta 310 as shown in
As seen best in
As mentioned above, the first retractor 80 retracts the first retracting sleeve 110 (
It is anticipated that the radially offset orientation of the opposite ends 186 a, 186 b and 184 a, 184 b of the support channels 119 a and 119 b, respectively will cause the opposite ends 267 and 269 of the surgical fasteners 260 to deform at an angle ∀ relative to one another as best shown in
Continued downward movement of handle 12 results in both proximal movement of the second retractor 50 and engagement of the handle lock 40 with the handle 12. More particularly and as best illustrated in
As mentioned above, second retractor 50 moves the key-like end 53 of the second retracting sleeve 120 within carriage 86 relative to the first retracting sleeve 110 as illustrated by reference arrow “E” of
As mentioned above, after sleeve 110 is retracted, locking sleeve 140 a moves proximally to allow the two supports 130 a and 130 b to pivot away from one another as shown in
It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiment shown herein. For example, the instrument may be sized to perform an anastomosis for other vessels and luminal tissue. Moreover, although the various internal components of the instrument 10 are shown engaged by particular mechanical interfaces it is envisioned that other types of mechanical interfaces can be employed to achieve the same or similar purpose, e.g., snap-fit, tongue and groove, press fit, etc. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
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|US9022274||15 Feb 2012||5 May 2015||Covidien Lp||Circular stapler with increased lumen diameter|
|US9113871||18 Dec 2012||25 Aug 2015||Covidien Lp||Surgical stapling device|
|US9113886||27 Oct 2014||25 Aug 2015||Covidien Lp||Tilt top anvil with torsion spring|
|US9119621||29 Sep 2014||1 Sep 2015||Covidien Ag||Stapler for mucosectomy|
|US9345482||6 Apr 2015||24 May 2016||Covidien Lp||Sliding sleeve for circular stapling instrument reloads|
|U.S. Classification||623/1.23, 606/153, 227/180.1, 606/213|
|International Classification||A61B17/11, A61B17/28, A61B17/08, A61B17/122, A61B17/115, A61B17/128, A61F2/06|
|Cooperative Classification||A61B17/1152, A61B2017/1135, A61B17/1285, A61B2017/2916, A61B17/11, A61B17/08, A61B2017/1107, A61B17/0293, A61B17/083, A61B17/122|
|European Classification||A61B17/128E, A61B17/11, A61B17/115B|
|23 Mar 2010||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP,CONNECTICUT
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:UNITED STATES SURGICAL;REEL/FRAME:024123/0405
Effective date: 20100319
|2 Aug 2013||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|22 Dec 2013||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|11 Feb 2014||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20131222