Unmet Need
There are around 600,000 vascular surgeries and 400,000 cardiac surgeries performed each year in the United States. Both types of surgeries rely on the ability of the surgeon to restore blood flow into blocked vessels. In open surgery, flow is usually re-established by bypassing the areas of blockage. Bypassing utilizes conduits that are comprised of either native veins or grafts that are formed from synthetic materials and shaped into tubular forms. In vascular surgery, the conduit and the native blood vessel that is being bypassed are sown together by hand. This hand sewing technique is tedious and very technically challenging. Thus, there is a need for a way to mechanically connect the conduit and the native blood vessels that is more rapid and has greater ease of use.
Technology Overview
The inventors have created a device that allows anastomosis to be quickly and easily created between two hollow structures, such as native and artificial blood vessels. The device consists of two hollow disk magnets with notched cutouts, created in a custom length and shape. The magnets are then clipped to the artery or vein, and, as they are made with stiff material, they hold their proper form. Alternatively, the magnetic attachment element could be secured to a short graft segment and mated to a prefabricated, magnetized graft. The third and final embodiment is a device in which the clips themselves are magnetic and are placed around the perimeter of the vessel lumen. The clipped vessels are then mated to form an anastomosis.
Stage of Development
The technology is currently in the ideation and prototyping phase.
