Patent ID: 8777835

Claim:
A system for harvesting a section of a vessel from an incision in a human or animal body comprising: a catheter sized and configured to be inserted into a lumen of the vessel, the catheter being configured to illuminate an entire length of the vessel section with an intensity which is visible from an exterior of the vessel section; a viewing element configured to be insertable through the incision and capable of viewing the illuminated vessel section; at least one tool used to harvest the vessel section, the at least one tool being sized to be inserted through the incision; and a telescoping member having first and second substantially cylindrical segments, the second segment sized to fit within a lumen of the first segment, the telescoping member being adjustable in length from a fully collapsed position to a fully extended position by slidably adjusting the extent to which the second segment is contained in the lumen of the first segment; and a hood member movable from a first closed positioned to a second open position, the hood member being sized to be inserted through the incision in the closed position and placed adjacent the vessel section, the hood member being shaped to create a working space adjacent the vessel when moved to the open position.