Laparoscopic T-tube, drain and securing instrument and method therefor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a laparoscopic T-tube which is easily insertable through a cannula and into a common bile duct for use during a laparoscopy.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a T-tube which can be fixed within a common bile duct without having to suture it in place.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a medical instrument which drains bile and fluids from a patient's abdomen which have escaped from the common bile duct and have not been collected by the T-tube drain.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a combination surgical instrument insertable through a single cannula thereby avoiding multiple portal entries into a patient's abdomen.
In accordance with the stated objects, a combination laparoscopic T-tube, drain and balloon or securing device instrument is provided.
The instrument comprises a T-tube means which is insertable into a common bile duct within a patient's abdominal cavity to evacuate fluids from the common bile duct, a drain means adjacent the T-tube to evacuate fluids from the abdominal cavity, and a balloon means adjacent the T-tube and drain which can fix the T-tube within the common bile duct.
The T-tube means comprises an elongated tube having a T portion on its distal end and a proximal end which can be attached to a bile bag to aid in evacuating and collecting fluids from the common bile duct.
The drain means comprises an elongated tube having a plurality of openings along its distal end and a proximal end which can be attached to a vacuum bulb to aid in evacuating and collecting the fluids from the abdominal cavity.
The balloon means comprises an elongated tube having an inflatable balloon on a distal end and a proximal end which can be attached to a syringe to inflate the balloon with saline for fixing the balloon and the T portion of the T-tube within the common bile duct.
The respective tubes of the T-tube, drain and balloon are connected along lengths thereof to provide one integral combination instrument easily manipulated and inserted through a cannula