TEMPORARY VASCULAR SEAL FOR ANASTOMOSIS

摘要

The invention relates to a temporary intravascular arteriotomy seal (1,26) for insertion into and retrieval from a blood vessel through an opening in the wall of said vessel. The seal comprises a thin flexible sheet material (2,32). According to one embodiment, in an untensioned state, the seal is curved and foldable in the width direction. It is adapted to be folded in the width direction upon exertion of a force on the gripping element directed in the length direction, and upon contacting of the sheet material by the sides of the opening in the vessel wall. By use of the present sealing device, arterial bypass grafting in a briefly-occlusive or non-occlusive end-to-side or side-to-side anastomosis technique is possible with virtually no obstruction to flow, little endothelial denudation and otherwise no wall damage by the intravascular device, and without blocking of side branches. A further embodiment of a device according to the present invention is characterised in that the gripping element is formed by a supply duct which ends in an opening in the flexible sheet material for administration of substances to the supply duct into a blood vessel for rescue arterial perfusion purposes. Optionally, the seal may be inflatable. The invention also relates to a method of connecting two blood vessels (graft and recipient or donor vessel) using the intravascular sealing device according to the present invention comprising the steps of providing an opening into the recipient or donor vessel, insertion of a flexible sealing device into the vessel, such that the flexible sealing device contacts the wall at the inside of the vessel, the perimeter of the sealing device extending beyond the edge of the opening such that it is sealed, allowing the blood to flow unimpeded through the vessel past the sealing device, partly attaching or attaching but not securing the graft to the edge of the opening in the recipient or donor vessel, removal of the flexible sealing element from the opening and completion of the attachment or securing the attachment of graft to recipient or donor vessel.