Suture spools for tissue suturing device

• US 10,687,801 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nobles Medical Technologies II, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nobles Medical Technologies II, Inc.
• Inventors: Nobles, Anthony A., Haines, Daniel W., Brosch, Benjamin G., Ly, Tuan, Pham, Liem
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodjom, Katherine M
• Application Number:
  US15/578,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20190029672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0057 Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0483 Hand-held instruments for holding sutures A61B17/0469 takes precedence; other holders for needles or sutures A61B17/06061; surgical forceps A61B17/28; surgical pincettes A61B17/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0491 Sewing machines for surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0493 Protective devices for suturing, i.e. for protecting the patient's organs or the operator
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06123 Flat cylinders, e.g. including an inner reel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00575 for closure at remote site, e.g. closing atrial septum defects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00663 the implement being a suture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/047 having at least one proximally pointing needle located at the distal end of the instrument, e.g. for suturing trocar puncture wounds starting from inside the body J-shaped suture needles A61B2017/0608
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0472 Multiple-needled, e.g. double-needled, instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22038 with a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320044 Blunt dissectors blunt suture needles A61B2017/06085

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of devices, systems and methods for suturing biological tissue incorporating one or more suture spools. The suture spools can be located external to a handle or elongate body of a suturing device, and can contain the sutures within an inner circumference of the suture spools. The suture spools can be configured to reduce entanglement of sutures during use in an operation.

Claims

1. A device for suturing biological tissue, the device comprising:

an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end;

at least one arm extendible from the elongate body, the at least one arm configured to move between a retracted position wherein the at least one arm is within the elongate body and a deployed position wherein the at least one arm extends away from the elongate body, the at least one arm configured to hold a first portion of a suture;

at least one needle moveable relative to the elongate body between a retracted position and a deployed position, wherein the at least one needle when moving from its retracted position to its deployed position is configured to pass through tissue and capture the suture first portion held by the at least one arm, and is further configured to move from the deployed position to the retracted position to bring the suture first portion through the tissue;

a handle located at the proximal end of the elongate body, the handle having one or more actuators configured to cause movement of the at least one arm and the at least one needle; and

at least one suture spool mountable in fixed relationship to and located external to the elongate body and the handle, the at least one suture spool configured to retain a second portion of the suture, wherein the at least one suture spool comprises a cylindrical portion having an open proximal end, an aperture located on a distal end, and a conical portion between the cylindrical portion and the aperture,

wherein, when the suture first portion is captured by the at least one needle and the at least one needle brings the suture first portion through the tissue, the at least one suture spool is configured such that the at least one suture unwinds from the at least one suture spool.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the suture unwinds through the aperture of the at least one suture spool.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one suture spool comprises an inner circumference around which the suture winds.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one suture spool is mountable between the handle and the at least one arm.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one spool is mountable around the elongate body such that the at least one spool is offset to one side of a longitudinal axis of the elongate body.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one spool is attachable to a Y-connector positioned around the elongate body.

7. The device of claim 1, comprising at least two spools mounted around the elongate body, the at least two spools corresponding to two arms extendible from the elongate body and two needles configured to capture sutures held by the two arms.

8. The device of claim 1, comprising four spools mounted around the elongate body, the four spools corresponding to four arms extendible from the elongate body and four needles configured to capture sutures held by the four arms.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one suture spool is mounted in fixed relationship to and located external to the elongate body and the handle, and the at least one suture spool contains a suture wound thereon that extends to the at least one arm.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one needle moves distally to proximally when moving from the retracted position to the deployed position.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one needle moves proximally to distally when moving from the retracted position to the deployed position.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm is located at or near the distal end of the elongate body.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a peelable outer sheath located over the elongate body, wherein the at least one suture is configured to extend from the at least one suture spool between the outer sheath and the elongate body to the at least one arm.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the outer sheath comprises a peelable outer sheath.

15. A device for suturing a body opening, the device comprising:

an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end;

at least one arm extendible from the elongate body, the at least one arm configured to move between a retracted position wherein the at least one arm is within the elongate body and a deployed position wherein the at least one arm extends away from the elongate body, the at least one arm configured to hold a first portion of a suture;

at least one needle moveable relative to the elongate body between a retracted position and a deployed position, wherein the at least one needle when moving from its retracted position to its deployed position is configured to pass through tissue and capture the suture first portion held by the at least one arm, and is further configured to move from the deployed position to the retracted position to bring the suture first portion through the tissue;

a handle located at the proximal end of the elongate body, the handle having a first actuator configured to cause movement of the at least one arm and a second actuator configured to cause movement of the at least one needle; and

at least one suture spool mounted around the elongate body between the handle and the at least one arm, the at least one suture spool configured to retain a second portion of the suture, wherein the at least one suture spool is mounted around the elongate body with a Y-connector mounted on the elongate body,

wherein, when the suture first portion is captured by the at least one needle and the at least one needle brings the suture first portion through the tissue, the at least one suture spool is configured such that the at least one suture unwinds from the at least one suture spool.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising a suture wound on the at least one suture spool, the suture extending from the suture spool through an interior of the elongate body to the at least one arm.

17. The device of claim 15, comprising a single arm and a single needle.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the arm is proximal to the needle.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the arm is distal to the needle.

20. A suturing device for suturing a body opening, the device comprising:

an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end;

four arms extendible from the elongate body, the four arms configured to move between a retracted position wherein each of the four arms is within the elongate body and a deployed position wherein the each of the four arms extends away from the elongate body, each of the four arms configured to hold a first portion of each of four sutures;

four needles moveable relative to the elongate body between a retracted position and a deployed position, wherein each of the four needles when moving from its retracted position to its deployed position is configured to pass through tissue and capture the suture first portion held by each of the four arms, and is further configured to move from the deployed position to the retracted position to bring each of the suture first portions through the tissue;

a handle located at the proximal end of the elongate body, the handle having at least a first actuator configured to cause movement of each of the four arms and at least a second actuator configured to cause movement of each of the four needles; and

four suture spools mounted around the elongate body between the handle and the four arms, each of the four suture spools configured to retain a second portion of each of the four sutures, wherein at least one of the four suture spool comprises a cylindrical portion having an open proximal end, an aperture located on a distal end, and a conical portion between the cylindrical portion and the aperture,

wherein, when each of the first portions of the four sutures is captured by each of the four needles and each of the four needles brings each of the suture first portions through the tissue, the four suture spools are configured such that each of the four sutures unwinds from each of the four suture spools.

21. The suturing device of claim 20, further comprising a peel-away sheath at least partially surrounding the elongate body, each of the four sutures configured to extend from the four suture spools through the peel-away sheath to the four arms.

22. The suturing device of claim 21, further comprising a guide piece located distal to the four suture spools and proximal to the peel-away sheath, the guide piece having four apertures, wherein each of the four sutures extends through one of the four apertures.