Tissue repair
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising a needle, a suture, stitching elements to cause the needle and the suture to automatically form a stitch in a body tissue in response to a triggering event, and an element to receive the triggering event.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The proposed meniscus suturing machine provides quick, strong, reliable sutures to torn medial menisci. An electronically controlled pneumatic system powers the suturing process. The meniscus suturing machine utilizes the chain stitch, a common sewing stitch, and applies it to the repair of torn menisci using only a single thread. The designed device is simple to use, with an on/off switch and fire button. While the device is simple, it has internal fault protection devices such as an automatic emergency shutoff and suture recovery loop. The device also comes apart easily, with a disposable needle-thread system. An autoclave sterilizes the remaining portion of the device. The initial application of the design is to suture medial menisci, but modifications will allow the suturing device to accommodate other areas too, such as the lateral meniscus. The benefits of the suturing device include a reduction in operating time and complexity of meniscus repairs.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. Apparatus comprising
a needle, a suture, stitching elements to cause the needle and the suture to automatically form a stitch in a body tissue in response to a triggering event, and an element to receive the triggering event.
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19. A method comprising
receiving a triggering event with respect to a stitching device that has been placed in a position for forming a stitch in a body tissue, and automatically forming a stitch in the body tissue in response to the triggering event.
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28. A method comprising
positioning a stitching device in the vicinity of a body tissue to be stitched, performing a triggering event to cause the stitching device to automatically form a stitch in response to the triggering event, repositioning the stitching device for forming another stitch, and performing another triggering event to cause the stitching device to automatically form another stitch.
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29. A method comprising
piercing a body tissue using a needle bearing a suture, automatically piercing a loop previously formed in the suture, and automatically forming another loop in the suture.
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30. Apparatus comprising
a suturing device comprising a handle for holding the device and a needle for piercing a body tissue, a receptor positioned to receive a point of the needle after the needle has pierced the body tissue, and a spanning element configured to clear a knee in which the body tissue is located and to hold an axis of the needle and the receptor in fixed positions relative to one another.
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31. Apparatus comprising
two masses of body tissue, and a chain-stitched suture penetrating both masses and tending to hold the two masses together.
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33. Apparatus comprising
a suturing device comprising a needle, a handle, a suture, a suture management system to manage the suture, at least portions of the needle, suture, and the suture management system being removable from the handle and disposable.
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34. Apparatus comprising
a suturing device to form sutures in tissue, the suturing device including a suture management system having controllable tensioning elements to selectively produce snug sutures or to reduce tension to permit a loop to be formed in the suture.
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35. Apparatus comprising
a receptor to form a loop in a suture for a chain stitch after a needle has carried the suture through a body tissue, the receptor including a hooking mechanism, and a guide to direct motion of the hooking mechanism toward and away from the needle.
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42. Apparatus comprising
a pneumatic system to drive a needle and a receptor of a suturing device, the pneumatic system including separate pneumatic cylinders to respectively drive the needle and the receptor, and a controller to control the pneumatic system to perform a sequence of steps to form a chain stitch in a body tissue.
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43. Apparatus comprising
a thread management system for a suturing device, the thread management system including a frictional clutch arranged to apply tension to thread as it is fed to a needle of the suturing device, and a brake arranged to relieve tension on the thread during a portion of a stitching operation on a body tissue.
Specification