Suture retainer with multiple circumferentially spaced attachment points and suture retention method

• US 20060184200A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ANPA Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ANPA Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Jervis, James E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,062,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/232
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0487 Suture clamps, clips or locks, e.g. for replacing suture knots; Instruments for applying or removing suture clamps, clips or locks suture anchors A61B17/0401; wound clamps or clips A61B17/08; ligaturing clamps or clips A61B17/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06061 Holders for needles or sutures, e.g. racks, stands hand-held holding instruments A61B17/0483; holders for articles A61B50/20; racks for syringes or for hypodermic or infusion needles A61M5/008

Abstract

The suture retainer according to one aspect of the invention has a retainer body and a plurality of suture attachment mechanisms spaced circumferentially about the retainer body, each of the suture attachment mechanisms (such as a pair of teeth) being adapted to hold a suture strand at a discrete attachment point. Another aspect of the invention provides a method of securing a suture in a suture retainer, including the following steps: providing a suture retainer having a retainer body and a plurality of suture attachment mechanisms spaced circumferentially about the retainer body; and attaching a suture strand to the retainer body at each of the suture attachment mechanisms. Yet another aspect of the invention provides a suturing method including the steps of: attaching a first end of a suture strand to a suture retainer; contacting a tissue contact portion of the suture strand with tissue to be sutured, the tissue contact portion being disposed between the first end of the suture strand and a second end of the suture strand; and attaching the second end of the suture strand to the suture retainer at a plurality of suture attachment points spaced circumferentially about the suture retainer.

Claims

1. A suture retainer comprising a retainer body and a plurality of suture attachment mechanisms spaced circumferentially about the retainer body, each of the suture attachment mechanisms being adapted to hold a suture strand at a discrete attachment point.

2. The suture retainer of claim 1 wherein each suture attachment mechanism comprises at least a pair of teeth.

3. The suture retainer of claim 1 wherein each suture attachment mechanism is adapted to releasably hold the suture strand.

4. The suture retainer of claim 1 further comprising a suture guide mechanism adapted to maintain an angle between the suture strand and one of the suture attachment mechanisms.

5. The suture retainer of claim 4 wherein the suture guide mechanism comprises a projection from the retainer body.

6. The suture retainer of claim 4 wherein the suture guide mechanism is adapted to be a first contact point of the suture strand with the suture retainer.

7. The suture retainer of claim 1 wherein the suture attachment mechanisms comprise needle-end suture attachment mechanisms, the suture retainer further comprising a non-needle-end suture attachment mechanism adapted to hold a non-needle-end of the suture strand.

8. The suture retainer of claim 7 wherein the non-needle-end suture attachment mechanism is disposed radially inward from each of the needle-end suture attachment mechanisms.

9. The suture retainer of claim 7 wherein the retainer body comprises a first member and a second member, at least a portion of the second member being adapted to be inserted into the first member to comprise the non-needle-end suture attachment mechanism.

10. The suture retainer of claim 9 wherein the second member comprises a slot which interacts with the first member to hold the non-needle-end of the suture strand.

11. The suture retainer of claim 1 wherein the retainer body comprises a first member and a second member, at least a portion of the second member being adapted to be inserted into the first member to hold a non-needle-end of the suture strand.

12. The suture retainer of claim 11 further comprising an alignment mechanism adapted to orient the second member with respect to the first member.

13. The suture retainer of claim 11 further comprising a movable connection between the first member and the second member.

14. The suture retainer of claim 11 further comprising a snap connection between the first member and the second member.

15. The suture retainer of claim 11 further comprising a suture guide mechanism projecting from the first member.

16. The suture retainer of claim 11 further comprising a suture guide mechanism projecting from the second member.

17. A method of securing a suture in a suture retainer comprising:

providing a suture retainer comprising a retainer body and a plurality of suture attachment mechanisms spaced circumferentially about the retainer body; and

attaching a suture strand to the retainer body at each of the suture attachment mechanisms.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the suture attachment mechanisms each comprise at least a pair of teeth, the method further comprising inserting the suture strand between each of the pairs of teeth.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising releasing the suture strand from the suture attachment mechanisms after the attaching step.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising reattaching the suture strand to the suture attachment mechanisms after the releasing step.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising contacting the suture strand with a suture guide to maintain an angle between the suture strand and one of the suture attachment mechanisms.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the contacting step comprises contacting with the suture guide a portion of the suture strand between a point where the suture strand leaves a tissue surface and a point where the suture strand contacts a suture attachment mechanism.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the attaching step comprises attaching a needle-end of the suture strand to needle-end suture attachment mechanisms, the method further comprising attaching a non-needle-end of the suture strand to the suture retainer.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the retainer body comprises a first member and a second member, the step of attaching the non-needle-end of the suture strand comprising inserting at least a portion of the second member into the first member to hold the non-needle-end of the suture strand.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the retainer body comprises a movable connection between the first member and the second member, the inserting step comprising moving the second member about the movable connection with respect to the first member.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising snapping the first and second members together.

27. A suturing method comprising:

attaching a first end of a suture strand to a suture retainer;

contacting a tissue contact portion of the suture strand with tissue to be sutured, the tissue contact portion being disposed between the first end of the suture strand and a second end of the suture strand; and

attaching the second end of the suture strand to the suture retainer at a plurality of suture attachment points spaced circumferentially about the suture retainer.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of attaching the second end of the suture strand comprises placing the second end of the suture strand between a plurality of pairs of teeth, each pair of teeth being disposed at one of the suture attachment points.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising detaching the second end of the suture strand from the suture attachment points.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising reattaching the second end of the suture strand to the suture retainer at the plurality of attachment points after the detaching step.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of attaching the first end of the suture strand comprises inserting at least a portion of a first suture retainer body member into a second suture retainer body member.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the step of attaching the first end of the suture strand comprises placing the first end of the suture strand into a slot formed in the first suture retainer body member.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the inserting step comprises aligning the first suture retainer body member with the second suture retainer body member.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the aligning step comprises rotating the second body member to align a second suture retainer body member alignment element with a first suture retainer body member alignment element.

35. The method of claim 27 further comprising contacting the second end of the suture strand with a suture guide to maintain an angle between the suture strand and one of suture attachment mechanisms.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the step of contacting the second end of the suture strand with the suture guide comprises making a first contact of the second end of the suture strand with the suture retainer.