Morcellator shield with deployable bag

Inventors

SULLIVAN, THEODORE J. • Sullivan, Patrick

Assignees

Market-Tiers Inc D/b/a Blue Endo • Market-Tiers Inc

Abstract

A morcellator shield and bag assembly including a shield having a cavity and a bag coupled to the shield. The bag is moveable between a contracted position, in which at least a portion of the bag is positioned within the cavity, and an expanded position. The bag has an opening that is in fluid communication with the cavity when the bag is in the expanded position. A method for using the assembly along with a morcellator to remove tissue from a body cavity. The method includes inserting at least a portion of the assembly into a body cavity, moving the bag to the expanded position, placing tissue in the bag, pulling the bag through an opening in a patient, inserting the morcellator into the assembly, and morcellating the tissue with the morcellator. The assembly is designed to contain the tissue being morcellated and prevent the morcellator from contacting the bag.

Core Innovation

A morcellator shield and bag assembly is provided in which a shield comprises a first section that surrounds a hollow interior space forming at least a portion of a cavity. The first section includes a first opening, and the cavity is configured to receive a morcellator blade, while an elongate guide extends away from only a portion of a peripheral edge and forms a second opening. The cavity is in fluid communication with the first and second openings to establish a defined fluid communication path between the shield openings and the shield cavity.

A morcellator connector is joined to the shield end and is configured for releasable connection with a morcellator. A bag is coupled to the elongate guide adjacent the second opening and is movable between a contracted position and an expanded position. In the contracted position, at least a portion of the bag is positioned within the cavity and a first end of the bag surrounds the second opening, while in the expanded position the first end of the bag surrounds the second opening and the bag second end with an opening is in fluid communication with the cavity; the bag second end is spaced from the first end when expanded.

The elongate guide is configured for insertion into a body cavity to support body tissue placed through the opening of the bag when the bag is in the expanded position. The assembly is also described in a configuration in which no portion of the bag is positioned within the cavity when the bag is in the expanded position.

Claims Coverage

The document includes three independent claims that cover a morcellator shield and bag assembly, a method of removing tissue using the morcellator shield and bag assembly, and an alternative morcellator shield and bag assembly configuration. Across these claims, the core inventive coverage centers on a shield cavity with first and second openings in fluid communication, a bag movable between contracted and expanded positions with defined bag end and second-opening relationships, and a shield that enables use with a releasable morcellator connector while supporting tissue via an elongate guide.

Overall, the claims cover a morcellator shield cavity with fluid communication to a second opening created by an elongate guide, a bag that moves between contracted and expanded positions with defined first and second end relationships to the second opening and cavity fluid communication, an elongate guide that supports tissue through the bag opening when expanded, and a method that removes tissue by inserting the assembly via a vaginal opening, expanding the bag, placing tissue, inserting the morcellator through a shield opening into the shield cavity, and morcellating. An alternative assembly configuration limits the expanded state such that no portion of the bag is positioned within the cavity.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications