SURGICAL DEVICES AND METHODS FOR FORMING AN ANASTOMOSIS BETWEEN ORGANS BY GAINING ACCESS THERETO THROUGH A NATURAL ORIFICE IN THE BODY

摘要

A surgical instrument for creating an anastomosis between two organs. In various embodiments, the instrument may include a hollow outer sleeve for creating a tool-receiving passage between a natural orifice in the patient and the surgical site. The tool receiving passage may be used to operably accommodate various surgical instruments such as an endoscope, a hole-forming instrument, and suction and aeration tubes for assisting in the formation of the anastomosis. The hollow outer sleeve may further be used to position a hollow anastomosis sleeve segment within two aligned holes in the organs. The anastomosis sleeve segment supports an inflatable distal receptacle that is inflated within one of the organs and a proximal inflatable receptacle that is inflated in the other organ to retain the anastomosis sleeve segment in position. Thereafter, the hollow outer sleeve is withdrawn from the patient leaving the hollow anastomosis sleeve segment in position between the two organs.