Apparatus and method for tissue closure

• US 10,383,622 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: EndoEvolution, LLC
• Inventors: Meade, John C., MacArthur, Douglas M., Blinn, Stephen M., Saulnier, Christopher, Edwards, Brian R., Brecher, Gerald I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dornbusch, Dianne
• Application Number:
  US15/857,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20180153541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0482 Needle or suture guides guides for drills, pins or wire A61B17/17; for puncturing needles A61B17/3403
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0491 Sewing machines for surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06114 Packages or dispensers for needles or sutures packages for sharps A61B50/3001; for dental floss A61C15/043; packages for needles in general B65D85/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06028 by means of a cylindrical longitudinal blind bore machined at the suture-receiving end of the needle, e.g. opposite to needle tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06052 Needle-suture combinations in which a suture is extending inside a hollow tubular needle, e.g. over the entire length of the needle hollow suture needles A61B2017/061
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0813 Accessories designed for easy sterilising, i.e. re-usable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery

Abstract

A tissue closure device includes a pusher assembly having a drive arm extending from a drive shaft and a needle driver at a distal end of the drive arm, wherein the needle driver is capable of releasably engaging and rotating a suturing needle having a pointed end and a blunt end about a rotational axis and a cartridge having a protective housing and the suturing needle, the cartridge extending from a distal end of a cartridge holder assembly and releasably attached to the cartridge holder assembly. A pointed end of the suturing needle may be positioned within the protective housing before and after a complete rotation of the suturing needle about the rotational axis. A removable electronic module may be provided controlled by an actuator that mechanically engages the drive shaft to rotate the drive shaft and the needle driver, thereby rotating the suturing needle about the rotational axis.

Claims

1. A surgical suturing device comprising:

a needle defined at least in part by a leading end, a trailing end, an arced body between the leading and trailing ends, and at least one engagement surface formed into the needle, a length of suture material connected to the needle, a needle rotation drive including an electric motor that reciprocates between a driven position and a returned position a control system for operating said needle rotation drive, the control system including a controller including a processor, and a processor-readable tangible non-transient medium coupled to the control system, the processor-readable tangible non-transient medium storing a computer program for operating the surgical suturing device, wherein the computer program includes;

instructions for causing the control system to operate the needle rotation drive to cause the needle rotation drive to engage the at least one engagement surface of the needle to rotate the needle in a circular path in a first rotational direction along a circular needle track defined by a portion of the suturing device, wherein the leading end of the suturing needle is positioned within a protective housing of the surgical suturing device after a complete rotation of the suturing needle; and

instructions for causing the control system to detect the rotational position of a portion of the needle rotation drive.

2. The surgical suturing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the control system to detect the rotational position of a portion of the needle rotation drive include instructions for processing a signal received from a sensor that is configured to react to the rotational position of a portion of the needle rotation drive.

3. The surgical suturing device of claim 2, wherein the sensor is a Hall Effect sensor.

4. The surgical suturing device of claim 2, wherein the computer program further includes instructions for reducing an applied torque level of said electric motor in response to said signal.

5. The surgical suturing device of claim 4, wherein the computer program further includes instructions for continuing to drive said needle to a stopping point at said reduced applied torque level.

6. The surgical suturing device of claim 4, wherein the computer program further includes instructions for shutting off electrical power to said electric motor in response to a current spike caused by the electric motor not turning any further as a result of reaching the stopping point.

7. The surgical suturing device of claim 2, wherein the sensor is an electromagnetic sensor.

8. A surgical suturing device comprising:

a needle defined at least in part by a leading end, a trailing end, an arced body between the leading and trailing ends, and at least one engagement surface formed into the needle, a length of suture material connected to the needle, a needle rotation drive including an electric motor that reciprocates between a driven position and a returned position, a control system for operating said needle rotation drive, the control system including a controller including a processor, and a processor-readable tangible non-transient medium coupled to the control system, the processor-readable tangible non-transient medium storing a computer program for operating the surgical suturing device, wherein the computer program includes;

instructions for causing the control system to operate the needle rotation drive to cause the needle rotation drive to engage the at least one engagement surface of the needle to rotate the needle in a circular path in a first rotational direction along a circular needle track defined by a portion of the suturing device; and

instructions for causing the control system to detect the rotational position of a portion of the needle rotation drive.

9. The surgical suturing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions for causing the control system to detect the rotational position of a portion of the needle rotation drive include instructions for processing a signal received from a sensor that is configured to react to the rotational position of a portion of the needle rotation drive.

10. The surgical suturing device of claim 9, wherein the sensor is a Hall Effect sensor.

11. The surgical suturing device of claim 9, wherein the computer program further includes instructions for reducing an applied torque level of said electric motor in response to said signal.

12. The surgical suturing device of claim 11, wherein the computer program further includes instructions for continuing to drive said needle to a stopping point at said reduced applied torque level.

13. The surgical suturing device of claim 11, wherein the computer program further includes instructions for shutting off electrical power to said electric motor in response to a current spike caused by the electric motor not turning any further as a result of reaching the stopping point.

14. The surgical suturing device of claim 9, wherein the sensor is an electromagnetic sensor.