| 摘要 |
A surgical tool for use in upgrading an implantable pulse generator in a patient has an arm with a flesh-piercing head having a sheath adapted to mate with a terminal of an implantable electrical lead. When a further cardiac electrical lead needs to be implanted in a patient's heart, damage caused by earlier implantation of cardiac electrical leads from a first side of the heart can be avoided by implanting the new lead from the contralateral side. The head of the tool is used to form a tunnel through the subcutaneous flesh of the patient so that the new lead can pass from the contralateral side, through the tunnel, to the first side for connection to an implantable pulse generator. The tool has a sheath into which the terminal of a lead can be mated to allow the lead to be drawn through the tunnel by the tool or to be slid through the tunnel along a conduit in the tool. The tool may be adapted to provide local anaesthetic at the cutting head as the tunnel is formed, and may have a detachable cutting head to facilitate withdrawal of the tool after the tunnel has been cut. |
