Patent ID: 8591535
Filing Date: 2013-11-26
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method of approximating a first body vessel and a second body vessel, comprising the steps of: a) passing an apparatus through the second body vessel and into the first body vessel, the apparatus having a sleeve supporting an expandable cuff, a tubular body, and an expandable anchor formed near a distal end of the tubular body, so that the expandable anchor is received in the first body vessel, the sleeve having a lumen for receiving the tubular body, the sleeve being received by the first and second body vessels; b) advancing a plunger assembly through the tubular body to deploy the expandable anchor so that the expandable anchor moves to a position outside a radial dimension of the tubular body; c) expanding the expandable cuff in the second body vessel to fix the sleeve relative to the second body vessel; and d) withdrawing the expandable anchor in a proximal direction to approximate the first body vessel and the second body vessel.