Minimally invasive no touch (MINT) procedure for harvesting the great saphenous vein (GSV) and venous hydrodissector and retractor for use during the MINT procedure

1. A hydrodissector for hydrodissecting a vascular target, the hydrodissector comprising:

a handle;

a shaft extending from the handle at an angle and including a tapered tip at a distal end thereof;

at least one port provided at the tapered tip and configured to be coupled to a fluid supply and to eject fluid from the tapered tip into the space between the vascular target and surrounding tissues to dissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues, said at least one port being sized to provide sufficient pressure and velocity to dissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues; and

an image capturing assembly configured to provide direct visualization of the vascular target during hydrodissection,

wherein the length of the shaft is configured for insertion into an incision to atraumatically hydrodissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues; and

wherein the image capturing assembly is provided inside the tapered tip.

2. The hydrodissector of claim 1 , wherein the image capturing assembly comprises an image capture device encased by the tapered tip of the shaft.

3. The hydrodissector of claim 2 , wherein the image capture device includes a lens, an image sensor and one or more light sources.

4. The hydrodissector of claim 3 , wherein the image capturing assembly further comprises a power source for powering the image capture device, said power source being provided in one of the tapered tip, the shaft and the handle.

5. The hydrodissector of claim 2 , wherein the tapered tip of the shaft is transparent and wherein the image capture device is positioned inside the tapered tip so that an optical axis of the image capture device is angled relative to a lengthwise axis of the tapered tip so as to allow direct viewing of the vascular target to be hydrodissected.

6. The hydrodissector of claim 1 , wherein the tapered tip has a substantially cylindrical shape and an angled end, and wherein a first surface of the tapered tip is longer than an opposing second surface of the tapered tip.

7. The hydrodissector of claim 6 , wherein the at least one port is one of:

(a) external and adjacent to the first surface of the tapered tip and is configured to be coupled to the fluid supply via a conduit extending along an outer surface of the shaft; and

(b) provided in the tapered tip and is configured to be coupled the fluid supply via one of the shaft and a conduit extending inside the shaft.

8. The hydrodissector of claim 6 , wherein the at least one port is provided in the tapered tip and extends from one of (a) the first surface of the tapered tip and (b) an angled end of the tapered tip adjacent to the first surface of the tapered tip.

9. The hydrodissector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one port includes a first port configured to be coupled to a fluid supply and a second port configured to be coupled to a vacuum.

10. The hydrodissector of claim 6 , wherein one of (a) the tapered tip is configured to rotate relative to the shaft and (b) the shaft is configured to rotate relative to the handle.

11. The hydrodissector of claim 2 , wherein the tapered tip of the shaft is removable from a body of the shaft and interchangeable with one or more second tips.

12. The hydrodissector of claim 11 , wherein the second tip is a spoon-shaped tip configured for retracting tissues and for harvesting the vascular target, and wherein a second image capturing device is provided on the spoon-shaped tip.

13. The hydrodissector of claim 2 , wherein the shaft is removable from the handle and interchangeable with one or more second shafts.

14. The hydrodissector of claim 13 , wherein the second shaft includes a second tip and is configured to releasably couple with the handle and to convert the hydrodissector into a harvester for harvesting the vascular target, and wherein a second image capturing device is provided on the second tip.

15. The hydrodissector of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is configured to hydrodissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues without blunt dissection of the vascular target or of the surrounding tissues.

16. The hydrodissector of claim 1 , wherein the shaft comprises a tubular shaft with an opening at a distal end thereof, and the tapered tip covering the opening.

17. A minimally invasive method for dissecting a vascular target from surrounding tissues, the method comprising:

inserting one of a needle and a hydrodissector into a patient's body so that a tip of the one of the needle and the hydrodissector is placed in a predetermined position adjacent to the vascular target to be dissected from surrounding tissues; and

injecting fluid at a pressure and velocity sufficient to dissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues from the one of the needle and the hydrodissector while moving the one of the needle and the hydrodissector along a predetermined length of the vascular target to cause atraumatic dissection of the vascular target from the surrounding tissues,

wherein hydrodissected vascular target is suitable for subsequent harvesting for use in surgical bypass procedures, and

wherein the inserting and injecting steps are performed without requiring a large incision along the entire portion of the vascular target being dissected.

18. The minimally invasive method of claim 17 , wherein the predetermined position adjacent to the vascular target is one of: about 1 to 2 mm away from an upper surface of the vascular target closest to the patient's skin, and about 1 to 2 mm away from a lower surface of the vascular target furthest from the patient's skin.

19. The minimally invasive method of claim 17 , wherein the fluid injected in the injecting step comprises tumescent fluid including one or more of: isotonic sodium bicarbonate solution, Balanced Salt Solution with a pH of about 7.4, isotonic saline solution, Plasma Lyte A solution, and an endothelial damage inhibitor solution comprising glutathione, ascorbic acid and L-arginine.

20. The minimally invasive method in accordance with claim 19 , wherein the tumescent fluid further comprises one or more medications including one or more of: aspirin, low-molecular weight heparin, one or more vasodilators, nitroglycerine, Endothelin A receptor antagonist, folic acid, angiotensin II receptor antagonist, Spermine/NO, Losartan, Perilyl alcohol, Superoxide dismutase, Antitissue factor antibody, Verapamil, Ursolic acid, Rapamycin, Azathioprin, Paclitaxel, C-type natriuretic peptide, Leoligin, Papaverine, platelet rich plasma and stem cells.

21. The minimally invasive method of claim 17 , wherein the vascular target is hydrodissected from the surrounding tissues using one or more needles, and wherein the inserting and injection steps are successively performed for each of a plurality of portions of a length of the vascular target to cause dissection the respective portion of the length of the vascular target from the surrounding tissues.

22. The minimally invasive method of claim 17 , wherein the inserting and injecting steps are performed under one or more of: (1) ultrasound guidance for visualizing the one of the needle and the hydrodissector and (2) direct vision of the one of the needle and the hydrodissector using an image capturing device provided on or in proximity with the one of the needle and the hydrodissector.

23. The minimally invasive method of claim 22 , wherein the vascular target is hydrodissected using the hydrodissector and the direct vision of the hydrodissector is obtained by capturing live images using the image capturing device provided at the tip of the hydrodissector.

24. The minimally invasive method of claim 17 , further comprising, before performing the inserting and injecting steps:

making an incision in a patient's extremity; and

positioning a barrier with an access port through the incision so as to cover and seal the incision,

wherein the inserting step comprises inserting the one of the needle and the hydrodissector through the access port into the predetermined position adjacent the vascular target to be dissected from the surrounding tissues.

25. The minimally invasive method of claim 24 , wherein:

the barrier is formed from fluid-tight material and comprises one of a diaphragm and a tissue occluder, and

the access port comprises a fluid-tight one way valve.

26. A surgical bypass method comprising:

the minimally invasive method of claim 17 ;

harvesting the hydrodissected vascular target by exposing the hydrodissected vascular target, dividing side branches of the hydrodissected vascular target and dividing proximal and distal ends of the hydrodissected vascular target; and

using harvested vascular target for bypass surgery.

27. The bypass surgical method of claim 26 , wherein the harvesting step further comprises lifting the hydrodissected vascular target after exposing the hydrodissected vascular target and prior to dividing the side branches.

28. An ambulatory selective varicose vein ablation method, wherein the vascular target is a great saphenous vein (GSV), the method comprising:

the minimally invasive method of claim 17 ;

exposing the hydrodissected GSV; and

ligating incompetent perforator and varicosed vein side branches.

29. The ambulatory selective varicose vein ablation method of claim 28 , further comprising applying drug eluting stents to the hydrodissected GSV and ligated vein side branches for delivering one or more of drug therapy, stem cell therapy and gene therapy to the GSV.

30. A hydrodissector for hydrodissecting a vascular target, the hydrodissector comprising:

a handle;

a shaft extending from the handle at an angle and including a tapered tip at a distal end thereof;

at least one port provided at the tapered tip and configured to be coupled to a fluid supply and to eject fluid from the tapered tip into the space between the vascular target and surrounding tissues to dissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues, the at least one port being sized to provide sufficient pressure and velocity to dissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues,

wherein the length of the shaft is configured for insertion into an incision to atraumatically hydrodissect the vascular target from the surrounding tissues, and

wherein the shaft is configured to accommodate an image capturing assembly adjacent the tapered tip to provide direct visualization of the vascular target during hydrodissection.

31. The hydrodissector in accordance with claim 30 , wherein the tapered tip of the shaft is transparent so as to allow direct viewing therethrough.

32. The hydrodissector in accordance with claim 30 , wherein the size of an opening in the port is between 0.01625 inches and 0.06 inches in diameter.