A University of Pittsburgh based team have developed a mechanical device called SimuClip for cutting and ligating blood vessels during endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures
Description
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most prevalent diseases, killing ~400,000 people in the United States in 2020 alone. CABG, a surgical method for treating CAD, harvests a blood vessel from elsewhere in the patient’s own body and uses it to bypass an obstructed coronary artery. The harvested vessel is most commonly the greater saphenous vein in the leg. EVH is the current clinical standard to remove the vein to be used in CABG. Currently, electrocautery harvesting systems are used to cauterize and ligate vessels during EVH, but they have limitations, such as incomplete sealing of larger blood vessels and branches and risk of thermal damage to surrounding tissue or the vein itself. The SimuClip is a novel design that aims to address these limitations by using a 100% mechanical approach. It consists of a sharp end for cutting through blood vessels and a dull end for ligating the cut by clamping it shut. Coupled with an accompanying delivery system, SimuClip improves medical costs and safety outcomes of EVH by reducing operation times and risk of graft damage.
Applications
• Coronary artery disease
• Cardiovascular surgery
• Endoscopic vein harvesting
• Coronary artery bypass grafting
Advantages
The SimuClip offers several advantages, including a more precise and controlled approach to detaching the saphenous vein from surrounding tributaries, reducing the risk of thermal damage, and improving the quality of the harvested vein. It has the potential to significantly improve the safety and outcomes of EVH by reducing operation times, the risk of vessel reopening, and the invasiveness of the procedure. The SimuClip can be deployed similarly to existing endoscopic electrocautery systems, making it a feasible alternative, and is expected to have a lower production cost due to its small size and simple design.
Invention Readiness
This invention is currently at the concept stage of development and is self-funded.
IP Status
Patent Pending
