Patent ID: 6409739
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A device for creating a seal around an incision in a blood vessel which allows blood to flow through the blood vessel, comprising:a tube; a shaft slidably mounted within said tube; a retaining member which prevents relative movement between said shaft and said tube, said retaining member being releasable to allow said relative movement; a deformable sealing member adjoining distal ends of said shaft and said tube, said sealing member being reversibly adjustable, between: an elongated, narrow configuration for insertion of said sealing member through the incision; and a sealing configuration in which (i) a first portion of said sealing member seals against an inner wall of the blood vessel, and (ii) a second portion of said sealing member, interior to said first portion, is spaced from the inner wall of the blood vessel to form a cavity which provides a region of hemostasis within the blood vessel; wherein the configuration of said sealing member is changed by movement of said shaft relative to said tube.