Abstract: A vessel harvesting apparatus for removing a blood vessel from a patient includes collection and conditioning (i.e., treatment) of expelled insufflation gas prior to releasing the gas into the air of the operating room. An endoscopic instrument has a distal end with a vessel harvesting tip and has a proximal end with a handle. An insufflation channel is configured to convey an insufflation gas subcutaneously into a dissected space within the patient. A removal channel is configured to evacuate fluidic contents from the dissected space, wherein the fluidic contents include insufflation gas and biological impurities. A processor/separator is coupled to the removal channel to process the fluidic contents to retain at least some of the biological impurities and to exhaust the insufflation gas.

Abstract: A vessel harvesting system removes a target vessel from a patient for use as a bypass. An elongated harvesting instrument inserts into a body along a path of a target vessel which includes at least one side branch. The harvesting instrument includes a cutter for applying thermal energy to sever and cauterize the side branch. An endoscopic camera captures visible-light images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the target vessel. A thermal camera captures thermograms coinciding with the visible-light images to characterize a temperature present at respective surfaces in the tunnel. An image processor (e.g., an electronic controller) renders a video stream including the visible-light images and an overlay depicting the temperatures present on at least some of the respective surfaces when applying the thermal energy. A display presenting the video stream and overlay to a user can be an augmented-reality display.

Abstract: An endoscopic vessel harvesting system for surgical removal of a blood vessel to be used for coronary bypass uses endoscopic instruments for isolating and severing the vessel. An endoscopic camera in the endoscopic instruments captures images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the vessel. An image processor assembles a three-dimensional model of the tunnel from a series of images captured by the endoscopic camera. An augmented-reality display coupled to the image processor renders (e.g., visibly displays to the user in their field of view) a consolidated map representing the three-dimensional model along with a marker in association with the map indicating a current location of the distal tip.

Abstract: A blood vessel dissecting device is disclosed, which includes at least two dissecting devices, which are inserted into a living body along a blood vessel to dissect tissue in a direction of alignment thereof with the blood vessel. The at least two dissecting devices include a first dissecting device and a second dissecting device. The first dissecting device and the second dissecting device are disposed juxtaposedly in the living body, and a branch vessel branched from the blood vessel is located between the first dissecting device and the second dissecting device.

Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head. The liquid ejection head includes a recording device substrate, an electric wiring member configured to be connected to the recording device substrate at an electric connection portion, and a support member including a concave portion and a convex portion. The convex portion includes a first surface and a second surface. The method includes applying an adhesive to the surface of the concave portion on which the recording device substrate is to be placed and to the first surface, pressing the applied adhesive after the recording device substrate is placed on the surface of the concave portion on which the recording device substrate is to be placed, to fill, with the adhesive, a gap between the convex portion and the recording device substrate to a position higher than the first surface, and sealing the electric connection portion.

Abstract: A blood vessel dissecting device is disclosed, which includes a dissecting device which, when being inserted into a living body along a blood vessel, dissects tissue in a direction of alignment thereof with the blood vessel, and a cutting device which, when being inserted into the living body along the blood vessel, cuts tissue surrounding the blood vessel in a direction of alignment thereof with the blood vessel. The cutting device includes a main body section which is inserted into the living body and holds the tissue between itself and the dissecting device, and a cutting section which cuts the tissue held between the main body section and the dissecting device.

Abstract: An endoscopic vessel harvesting tool uses an optics system to present of a video image to a user. As the tool is manipulated around all sides of the vessel to dissect and cut surrounding tissue and side branches, the orientation of the captured image rotates. A motion tracker (e.g., gyrosensor) in the tool detects the rotation. By detecting a rotational angular velocity of the harvester handle during the harvesting procedure, the camera view orientation is compensated before display to the user. When the handle is rotated, the detected rotation is used to provide an opposite (canceling) rotation of the camera view so that a steady orientation is presented on the display. Thus, a vertically upward direction (or any other desired reference direction) remains substantially fixed in the displayed video images.

Abstract: A vessel harvesting apparatus for removing a blood vessel from a patient includes collection and conditioning (i.e., treatment) of expelled insufflation gas prior to releasing the gas into the air of the operating room. An endoscopic instrument has a distal end with a vessel harvesting tip and has a proximal end with a handle. An insufflation channel is configured to convey an insufflation gas subcutaneously into a dissected space within the patient. A removal channel is configured to evacuate fluidic contents from the dissected space, wherein the fluidic contents include insufflation gas and biological impurities. A processor/separator is coupled to the removal channel to process the fluidic contents to retain at least some of the biological impurities and to exhaust the insufflation gas.

Abstract: An endoscopic vessel harvester cuts and cauterizes side branches from a target vessel using a cutter member that extends at a distal end of an insertion member. The cutter member has a plate defining a slit for receiving a side branch. A cutting electrode is disposed at a base of the slit and a pair of grounding electrodes are each mounted to an outer surface of the plate on opposite sides of the slit. Each grounding electrode has a raised longitudinal ridge adjoining a portion of the slit including the base of the slit and has a spot cautery wing extending laterally away from the slit with a surface configured to engage a surface of the tunnel. The longitudinal ridges each have an upright jamb surface configured to contact the side branch remotely from the cutting electrode so that it is unnecessary to make a grounding contact on the tunnel.

Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head. The liquid ejection head includes a recording device substrate, an electric wiring member configured to be connected to the recording device substrate at an electric connection portion, and a support member including a concave portion and a convex portion. The convex portion includes a first surface and a second surface. The method includes applying an adhesive to the surface of the concave portion on which the recording device substrate is to be placed and to the first surface, pressing the applied adhesive after the recording device substrate is placed on the surface of the concave portion on which the recording device substrate is to be placed, to fill, with the adhesive, a gap between the convex portion and the recording device substrate to a position higher than the first surface, and sealing the electric connection portion.

Abstract: A vein harvesting device for harvesting a vein in a living body includes an elongated hollow member possessing a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, and a dissecting member at the distal end portion of the elongated hollow member and configured to dissect tissue in the body surrounding the vein during harvesting of the vein, wherein the dissecting member possessing a proximal end portion communicating with the elongated hollow member. The dissecting member possesses two side portions, with each of the side portions possessing a first end at an end of the side portion farther from the hollow member and a second end at an end of the side portion closer to the hollow member. A projection projects from the first end at each of the side portions of the dissecting member to contact the tissue in the body surrounding the vein during the harvesting of the vein.

Abstract: An endoscopic vessel harvester cuts and cauterizes side branches from a target vessel using a cutter member that extends at a distal end of an insertion member. The cutter member has a plate defining a slit for receiving a side branch. A cutting electrode is disposed at a base of the slit and a pair of grounding electrodes are each mounted to an outer surface of the plate on opposite sides of the slit. Each grounding electrode has a raised longitudinal ridge adjoining a portion of the slit including the base of the slit and has a spot cautery wing extending laterally away from the slit with a surface configured to engage a surface of the tunnel. The longitudinal ridges each have an upright jamb surface configured to contact the side branch remotely from the cutting electrode so that it is unnecessary to make a grounding contact on the tunnel.

Abstract: A dissecting device for dissecting tissue surrounding a blood vessel in a living body. The dissecting device includes a grasping section that includes an insertion lumen. The dissecting device includes a dissecting member at the distal portion of the grasping section. The dissecting member is insertable into the living body along the blood vessel to dissect the tissue surrounding the blood vessel in the living body. The dissecting member includes a treating section and a protruding section. The treating section performs a predetermined treatment of a branch vessel branching from the blood vessel. The protruding section protrudes from the treating section in the thickness direction of the treating section. The protruding section includes a guide section configured to guide the branch vessel toward the treating section.

Abstract: A dissecting device that includes a grasping section and a dissecting member. The grasping section has an insertion lumen that permits an imaging device to be positioned therein. The dissecting member is at the distal portion of the grasping section and is insertable into a living body and movable along a blood vessel to dissect tissue surrounding the blood vessel. The dissecting member includes a base part having a lumen that communicates with the insertion lumen and a dissecting section which extends distally from the base part. The dissecting section is configured to dissect the tissue in the living body when the dissecting member is moved along the blood vessel. The dissecting member includes a blood vessel guide passage that accepts a branch vessel branched from the blood vessel at the distal portion of the dissecting member and guides the branch vessel toward the base part.

Abstract: A blood vessel dissecting device includes: a dissecting device which, when inserted into a living body along a blood vessel, dissects tissue in a direction of alignment of the dissecting device with the blood vessel; and a cutting device which, when inserted into the living body along the blood vessel, cuts tissue surrounding the blood vessel in a direction of alignment of the cutting device with the blood vessel. A blood vessel dissecting method includes: inserting a dissecting device into a living body along a blood vessel so as to dissect tissue in a direction of alignment of the dissecting device with the blood vessel; and inserting a cutting device into the living body along the blood vessel while guiding the cutting device with the dissecting device so as to cut tissue surrounding the blood vessel in a direction of alignment of the cutting device with the blood vessel.

Abstract: A blood vessel dissecting device method involves inserting a dissecting device into a living body, advancing the dissecting device along a vein, and dissecting the vein and tissue bound to the vein from other surrounding tissue.

Abstract: A fixing tool is disclosed, which can help reduce a possibility that heat may be transferred to a user when a state is changed in a material of a member for fixing a predetermined site of a human body. The fixing tool has a deformation portion that is configured to be deformable, that at least partially covers an outer periphery of any site of a limb, a trunk, a neck, and a head, and that is deformed to align with the site through the deformation, and a heat insulating material that is disposed in a portion corresponding to at least the site on an outside surface of the deformation portion.

Abstract: A print element substrate is absorbed and held by a handling jig to define a predetermined location and position of the print element substrate with respect to the supporting member. In this instance, the handling jig is provided with a convex portion. Therefore, when the print element substrate is joined to the supporting member, the convex portion comes into contact with a surface of the supporting member, so that it is possible to define the height of the print element substrate with respect to the joining surface. This makes it possible to control the amount and height of squash by the print element substrate exerted on the adhesive agent applied on the joining surface. It is possible to prevent the redundant adhesive agent from spilling out in a print liquid flow path.