Vein and tubing passer surgical instrument

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed toward a surgical tubing passer comprising a hollow tubular member and an inner moveable member placed in the tube member.
Both members are assembled as a single assembly which can be passed through the tissues of the body.
While either of the two members can be flexible, the tubular member is preferably rigid and contains the flexible member.
Once the rigid member has been inserted into the body to the desired location, the rigid tubular member is removed and the flexible inner member is used to pull a tissue substitute vessel or a tube through the tissues to a distant site which has been surgically exposed.
The flexible inner member has a bullet-shaped tip secured to its distal end which fits snugly against the end of the rigid outer tube.
This tip can be varied in diameter depending on the size of the passageway desired through the tissue.
The flexible inner member traverses the length of the rigid tube and is longer than the rigid tube so that it extends beyond the length of the tube.
The proximal end of the flexible member is integrally attached to a nipple member over which an elastomeric tubing can be engaged or a length of vein or plastic prosthesis tied.
In actual practice, the assembly is passed through the tissues to a distal site of election where an incision has exposed the vessel to be joined.
The bullet-shaped tip of the flexible member is grasped and held while the outer rigid tube is removed from the body leaving the flexible inner member in the tissue.
A vessel, prosthesis or tube is attached to the nipple on the end of the flexible member and is drawn to the distant site of election where it is detached and joined to the exposed vessel.
An alternate embodiment is also disclosed in which the inner member is rigid and the outer tubing is flexible.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent in the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: