Surgical suturing instrument

• US 4,164,225 A
• Filed: 12/28/1977
• Issued: 08/14/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson & Lorenz Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Johnson & Lorenz Incorporated
• Inventors: Zimmet, Arthur, Johnson, Alfred A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feyrer, James R.
• Application Number:
  US05/865,221
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 128/321, 128/326, 128/330, 128/340, 128/334 R, 128/339, 128/346, 29/268, 29/278, 227/19, 227/144, 223/102, 223/104
• US Class Current: 606/145
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/04 for suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials suture materials A61L17/00
• 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 17/0625 the needle being specially adapted to interact with the manipulator, e.g. being ridged to snap fit in a hole of the manipulator A61B17/06109 takes precedence

Abstract

A surgical suturing instrument including a first jaw carrying a capsule which contains a suture having needles attached to its ends, a second jaw for receiving the needles and cooperating with the first jaw to clamp tissue to be sutured, a plunger in the first jaw for transferring the needles from the capsule to the second jaw through the clamped tissue, an actuator arm for successively moving the first jaw to closed position and operating the plunger, a common pivotal mounting for the jaws and the arm, and a latch member pivotally mounted on the first jaw for selectively interconnecting the first jaw with the arm and with the second jaw in succession as the arm is moved in a jaw-closing direction, so that such movement of the arm first closes the jaws and thereafter operates the plunger while the jaws are interlocked. The capsule has a notched bobbin for holding a U-shaped suture with the bight of the suture received in the notch. The second jaw has apertures for receiving the needles and retaining them, by interference, against withdrawal.

Claims

1. A surgical suturing instrument comprising

(a) a first jaw;

(b) a second jaw for cooperating with the first jaw to clamp tissue to be sutured, said second jaw having a handle;

(c) an actuator arm manipulable jointly with the handle;

(d) means for pivotally interconnecting said jaws and said arm for angular movement relative to each other about a common axis from which said jaws extend forwardly and said handle and said arm extend rearwardly;

(e) means, carried by said first jaw and operable by angular movement of said arm relative to said first jaw, for applying a suture to tissue clamped between the jaws; and

(f) latch means for selectively interlocking said first jaw with said arm and with said second jaw in succession during progressive angular movement of said arm in a closing direction toward said handle, such that movement of said arm in said direction initially moves said first jaw to a tissue-clamping, closed position relative to said second jaw and thereafter operates said suture-applying means while the jaws are interlocked;

wherein the improvement comprises;

(g) said latch means comprising a latch member pivotally mounted on said first jaw and including

(i) a first portion for engaging said arm when said first jaw is away from said closed position to interlock said arm and said first jaw and thereby to transmit, to said first jaw, angular motion of said arm in said closing direction, and

(ii) a second portion engageable by said second jaw for pivotally moving said latch member in a given direction to displace said first portion out of interlocking engagement with said arm as said first jaw arrives at said closed position.

2. An instrument as defined in claim 1, wherein said arm has an abutment for engaging said latch member and said first portion of said latch member has a surface engageable by said abutment, said abutment being disposed, in relation to the axis of pivotal motion of said latch member, for exerting force on said latch member surface in a direction opposing pivotal movement of said latch member in said given direction.

3. An instrument as defined in claim 2, including means for resiliently biasing said latch member in a direction opposed to said given direction.

4. An instrument as defined in claim 3, wherein said surface of said latch member has a stop projection for engaging said abutment, when said abutment bears against the surface, to limit pivotal movement of the latch member in a direction opposed to said given direction;

wherein said surface is curved, in a direction away from said stop projection, for sliding engagement with said abutment as said latch member moves pivotally in said given direction; and

wherein the extent of said surface, in the direction away from said stop projection, is such that said abutment becomes disengaged from said surface when said first jaw reaches said closed position.

5. An instrument as defined in claim 4, wherein said first portion of said latch member has a second surface for slidably engaging with said arm during movement of said arm in said closing direction when said first jaw is in said closed position to restrain the latch member against movement in a direction opposed to said given direction, and wherein said second portion of said latch member has a surface for engaging said second jaw when said first jaw is in said closed position to prevent movement of said first jaw away from said closed position while the latch member is restrained as aforesaid, and thereby to interlock said first and second jaws.

6. An instrument as defined in claim 5, wherein said suture-applying means comprises means in said first jaw for holding a length of flexible suture and at least one needle connected thereto with the needle supported in a position for transfer from said first jaw to said second jaw when said first jaw is in said closed position, and plunger means carried in said first jaw and operable by angular movement of said arm relative to said first jaw for pushing the needle out of said first jaw toward said second jaw through tissue clamped between said jaws;

wherein said second jaw has at least one aperture positioned to receive a needle pushed out of said first jaw by said plunger means, said aperture having first and second openings respectively facing toward and away from said first jaw; and

wherein said second jaw has a flat surface facing away from said first jaw and extending laterally from the second opening of said aperture;

said plunger means being arranged to push a needle from said first jaw entirely through and beyond said second opening of said aperture such that the needle becomes misaligned with said aperture and engages said flat surface thereby to prevent re-entry of the needle into the aperture.

7. An instrument as defined in claim 6, wherein said holding means comprises a capsule removably mounted in said first jaw for holding a length of flexible suture and a pair of needles respectively secured to opposite ends of the suture, said capsule including a rotatably mounted bobbin bearing a centrally disposed septum having a notch for engaging the midpoint of the suture, portions of the suture on opposite sides of the midpoint being wound on the bobbin on opposite sides of said septum, respectively.

8. A surgical suturing instrument comprising

(a) a first jaw;

(b) a second jaw for cooperating with the first jaw to clamp tissue to be sutured, said second jaw having at least one aperture for receiving a needle;

(c) means for pivotally interconnecting the jaws for closing and opening movement;

(d) handle means for closing and opening the jaws; and

(e) means carried by said first jaw for applying a suture to tissue clamped between the jaws, said suture-applying means including

(i) means in said first jaw for holding a length of flexible suture and at least one needle secured thereto, with the needle supported in a position for transfer through clamped tissue to said aperture of said second jaw when the jaws are closed, and

(ii) plunger means in said first jaw, operable by manipulation of said handle means when the jaws are closed, for pushing a needle positioned as aforesaid out of said first jaw and through clamped tissue into said aperture of said second jaw;

wherein the improvement comprises;

(f) said second jaw defining first and second openings of said aperture respectively facing toward and away from said first jaw;

(g) said second jaw further having a flat surface facing away from said first jaw and extending laterally from the second opening of said aperture; and

(h) said plunger means being arranged to push a needle from said first jaw entirely through and beyond said second opening of said aperture such that the needle becomes misaligned with said aperture and engages said flat surface thereby to prevent re-entry of the needle into the aperture.

9. An instrument as defined in claim 8, wherein said second jaw further defines a groove opening toward said first jaw and extending laterally from one side of said aperture, said groove having a depth greater than the axial extent of said aperture so as to open into said aperture throughout the length thereof from said first aperture opening to and beyond said second aperture opening, for accommodating passage of a suture attached to a needle advanced through said aperture.

10. For use with an elongated flexible suture having a pair of needles respectively secured to opposite ends thereof, suture-carrying structure comprising

(a) a capsule adapted to be removably mounted on one jaw of a forceps, said capsule having a rearwardly extending body portion forming a recess for holding said suture with an opening for discharge thereof, and a forwardly extending portion having a pair of channels for holding said needles in position for register with a pair of needle-receiving apertures in another jaw of said forceps when said capsule is mounted on said one jaw to permit transfer of said needles to said apertures upon closing of said forceps;

and

(b) a bobbin rotatably mounted in said body portion of said capsule for holding the central portion of said suture in wound condition;

wherein the improvement comprises

(c) said bobbin having a central septum with a notch for engaging the midpoint of the suture such that portions of the suture on opposite sides of the suture are respectively wound on the bobbin on opposite sides of the septum.

11. Structure as defined in claim 10, wherein said capsule, forwardly of said bobbin, is curved laterally of a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the bobbin, and further including a guide mounted in said recess forwardly of said bobbin for guiding the side portions of the suture from the bobbin along a path substantially perpendicular to said axis as the suture is unwound from the bobbin.

12. Structure as defined in claim 10, wherein said capsule has a pair of lugs respectively projecting laterally outward from opposite sides of said forwardly extending portion for mating with lugs provided on opposite sides of said one forceps jaw to hold the capsule fixed in position in said one jaw.