Patent ID: 11957370
Assignee: SIGNATI MEDICAL INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A method for performing a vasectomy comprising the steps of:
(a) locating a length of a vas deferens within a scrotum, wherein said vas deferens is characterized by an outer vas sheath disposed about an inner vas duct, further wherein said inner vas duct is characterized by curved proximal and distal walls that meet at a midline to form an integral tubular channel;
(b) placing a tissue-capturing distal portion of a surgical clamp approximately about said midline of said inner vas duct contained within said length of vas deferens so as to temporarily isolate a portion of vas tissue that includes both proximal and distal walls of said inner vas duct but excludes at least part of a distal region of said outer vas sheath;
(c) providing a bipolar device having a proximal handle portion that defines a longitudinal axis of said device and a distal clamping portion characterized by a pair of opposingly-faced, upper and lower coagulating jaws, wherein each of said jaws is (i) movable between open and closed positions, (ii) provided with mating distal tips and inner edges, whereby, when said jaws are in the closed position and viewed in a plan view, said mating distal tips are angularly offset from said longitudinal axis and said mating inner edges engage to define an interior perimeter comprised of (1) an open central slot that terminates in (2) a lateral opening sized to permit said distal clamping portion to be positioned around said tissue-capturing distal portion of said surgical clamp that retains said isolated portion of vas tissue;
(d) tightly closing said coagulating jaws about the tissue-capturing distal portion of said surgical clamp to thereby define (i) a first area of clamped vas tissue disposed between said closed coagulating jaws and (ii) a second area defined by said interior perimeter that includes said isolated portion of vas tissue retained by said tissue-capturing distal portion of said surgical clamp; and
(e) activating said coagulating bipolar device so as to coagulate said first area of clamped vas tissue.