Inventors:
Ping Hu - Salt Lake City UT, US
DongFang Zhang - Salt Lake City UT, US
LeAnne Swenson - Salt Lake City UT, US
Sheldon Litwin - Salt Lake City UT, US
International Classification:
A61B017/10, A61B017/04, A61L017/00
US Classification:
606148000, 606139000, 606228000
Abstract:
A curved suture applicator is provided for facilitation of ligation procedures in mammals. The said curved suture applicator enables a surgeon to efficiently encircle a target tissue such as a blood vessel with a suture or thread. A kit is also provided, comprising the said curved suture applicator, an appropriate length of suture or thread, and a suture manipulation device, such as a pair of forceps. Furthermore, a minimally invasive ligation method is provided that utilizes the said curved suture applicator and kit to efficiently band the transverse aorta of small mammals. Such banding is useful in studying and simulating the effects of left ventricular hypertrophy as it relates to congenital heart failure.