Patent attributes
A surgical instrument and method are disclosed for enhancing the overall performance of arterial occludes, by allowing the repetitive obstruction of blood flow to a targeted organ or tissue (e.g., heart muscle, brain, kidney, gastrointestinal tissue, leg muscles, arm muscles, other skeletal muscles, or tumors), while reducing the potential for side effects such as gangrene or infarction and for post-implantation movement of the occlude during ischemia. The micro-pneumatic snare allows the repeated occlusion (i.e., the iterated obstruction or closure of a passageway or vessel) of targeted vessels to deprive a selected organ or tissue of blood and oxygen profusion, while the patient may, in general, remain conscious. The micro-pneumatic snare also allows for the stimulation of functional response adjustments in targeted tissues and organs, such as angiogenesis and collateral vessel growth in response to repetitive per fusion obstruction. Alternatively, or in addition, it may be used in the diagnosis of medical conditions associated with inhibited per fusion (e.g., ischemia-repercussion injuries) in heart muscle, or other tissues or organs.
