Patent ID: 8641747

Claim:
An apparatus for delivering an anastomotic clip between an artery and a vein, said apparatus comprising: an elongate core with a lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end, said core including a reduced diameter segment near its distal end, said segment having a shoulder at its proximal end; a needle slidably disposed within the lumen of the core and having a sharpened distal tip and a guidewire lumen therethrough; an outer sheath which slidingly surrounds the core; a self-expanding anastomotic clip configured for placement between an arterial wall side opening and a venous wall side opening so as to provide tension at the site of an anastomotic connection therebetween such that the anastomotic clip holds an outer wall of the artery and an outer wall of the vein surrounding the anastomotic connection closely against one another to create a fluid seal therebetween, said anastomotic clip having a compressed state and an expanded state when delivered; and a handle to advance the needle from the core and to retract the sheath over the core to deploy the anastomotic clip between the artery and the vein; wherein the core has a dilating tip so that it can be advanced through a penetration through the walls of the artery and vein made by the needle and the anastomotic clip is maintained in the compressed state between the outer sheath and the reduced diameter segment of the core, such that the clip is held axially in place by the shoulder as the sheath is withdrawn proximally over the clip.