Abstract: An anastomosis punch device, and method of using same, for creating a circular hole in the aortic wall, where the device also segregates the hole from the blood flow path such that no blood is lost through the hole during attachment of the vein graft. The invention is a hand-held punch comprising an elongated housing to be gripped by the surgeon, the housing retaining in a coaxially aligned manner a distally extended punch head and cutting disk mounted onto a shaft, a cutting sleeve having a distal cutting rim which cuts a circular plug in cooperation with the punch head, an umbrella-like flexible dam formed of an elastic material and adjoined to the punch shaft adjacent said punch head in a manner which allows it to be deployed radially outward with the enlarged open rim facing the proximal direction, and a deployment ram movable axially relative to the dam to spread open the dam.

Abstract: An anastomosis punch device, and method of using same, for creating a circular hole in the aortic wall, where the device also segregates the hole from the blood flow path such that no blood is lost through the hole during attachment of the vein graft. The invention is a hand-held punch having an elongated housing to be gripped by the surgeon, the housing retaining in a coaxially aligned manner a distally extended punch head, a cutting sleeve having a distal cutting rim which cuts a circular plug in cooperation with the punch head, an umbrella-like flexible dam formed of an elastic material and adjoined to the cutting sleeve in a manner which allows it to be deployed radially outward with the enlarged open rim facing the proximal direction, and a deployment ram movable axially relative to the dam to spread open the dam.