Patent ID: 7510561

Claim:
A connector conduit in combination with an applicator for forming a hole in a wall of a hollow organ and for inserting the connector conduit into the hole to facilitate connection of the connector conduit to the hollow organ, said combination comprising: a hole forming element adapted to form a hole in the wall of the organ, said hole forming element including a cutting element on a distal end thereof; a retractor element disposed at least partially within said hole forming element, said retractor element comprising a tip at a distal end thereof adapted to penetrate the wall of the organ, and an expansion element positioned near the distal end, said expansion element having a plurality of expansion states; a sequencing means for coordinating expansion of said expansion element between said expansion states based on the position of said retractor element relative to said hole forming element; a mounting element coupled to said hole forming element, said mounting element being configured to support a connector conduit, and a connector conduit supported on said mounting element, whereby said connector conduit is positioned relative to said cutting element such that, when the hole is formed in the wall of the hollow organ, said connector conduit is inserted through the wall of the hollow organ, thereby facilitating connection of said connector conduit to the hollow organ.