Importance

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Abstract

A vascular clamp for occluding a blood vessel or duct during surgery, comprising a clamping element adapted to be substantially entirely positioned within a body cavity during the surgery and to avoid either mechanical or visual interference with the surgeon's operating field. The clamp comprises a pair of clamping jaws movable between a first, open position and a second, closed position, and means integral with and securing the clamping jaws to one another for movement from their open to their closed position, the securing means together with the clamping jaws defining a substantially closed internal chamber having substantially continuous internal walls when the clamping jaws are in their closed position. A balloon is mounted to the internal walls of each clamping jaw and pre-filled with a fluid under a predetermined pressure such that the balloons may completely surround and occlude the blood vessel or duct when the clamping jaws are in their closed position. Further, locking means are provided on the clamping jaws for releasably holding the clamping jaws in their closed position.

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First Claim