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Abstract

An aortic knife which provides multi-sided incisions within an aorta for effectuating improved aortotomies. The aortic knife includes a handle and multiple blades radiating from the handle. The handle is sized and configured to maximize grip and surgical manipulation thereof. The multiple blades radiate outwardly and proximally from a distal sharpened point. A substantially cruciate, or cross-shaped, incision results from four sharpened blades extending from the distal sharpened point. Alternatively, the multi-bladed configuration of the aortic knife may comprise three, five, or six or more blades. The blades form equal angles in radiation outwardly and proximally from the distal sharpened point. The method of the invention requires obtaining an appropriately sized aortic knife which is stabbed into a portion of an aorta. An anvil of an aortic punch is then inserted into the incision in the aorta without the stretching necessitated by the conventional single linear incision. The punch is then centered and fired; the resulting aortotomy lacks the lateral nicks associated with the prior art. Alternatively, the knife may be used for cannulation of a vessel.

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First Claim