Surgical pledget

• US 4,823,794 A
• Filed: 12/03/1984
• Issued: 04/25/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William S. Pierce
• Original Assignee: William S. Pierce
• Inventors: Pierce, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prebilic, Paul
• Application Number:
  US06/676,601
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 128/334 R, 128/334 C, 128/335, 128/335.5, 128/DIG. 26, 24/128 R, 24/17 AP
• US Class Current: 606/232
• 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 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0414 having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/048 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds A61L31/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/06 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds A61L31/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 27/18 Homopolymers or copolymers or tetrafluoroethene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 Polyurethanes

Abstract

A surgical pledget including a suture entrance slit extending through the pledget from a side wall to a central suture location within the pledget and means for retaining the suture at the suture location so that the pledget may be positioned on a medial portion of a suture.

Claims

1. A pledget for use in cardiovascular surgery to distribute the tension of a suture strand over a broad area of cardiovascular tissue, the pledget including an integral body consisting of a single piece of soft, resilient and suture compressable pledget material, the body including a surface adapted to engage cardiovascular tissue to be sutured, a wall, a suture strand hole extending through the body away from the wall permitting a suture strand to be freely drawn through the hole during suturing, and a slit extending from the wall to the hole, the slit intersecting the hole tangentially, the resiliency of the pledget material keeping the slit closed with opposed sides of the slit abutting each other except while an acute angle suture strand is passed through the slit to the hole, the body including a continuous portion on one side of the hole with the portion including an acute angle tip at the junction of the slit and the hole whereby upon movement of of a suture strand from the wall, along the slit, past the portion and into the hole the portion engages the strand and resists withdrawal of the strand from the hole along the slit.

2. A pledget as in claim 1 wherein said slit is nonplanar.

3. A pledget as in claim 2 wherein said slit includes two generally planar legs.

4. A pledget as in claim 3 wherein said slit is L-shaped.

5. A pledget as in claim 2 wherein said slit is curved.

6. A pledget as in claim 1 includes means in the slit resisting withdrawal of a suture strand from the hole.

8. A pledget as in claim 1 wherein the suture location comprises a hole extending through the body.

9. A pledget as in claim 8 wherein the slit intersects the hole tangentially.

7. A pledget for use in cardiovascular surgery to distribute the tension of a suture strand over a broad area of cardiovascular tissue, the pledget including an integral body consisting of a single piece of soft, resilient and suture compressable pledget material, the body including a surface adapted to engage cardiovascular tissue to be sutured, a wall, a suture strand location extending through the body away from the wall, and a non-planar slit extending through the thickness of the body from the wall to the suture strand location, the resiliency of the body keeping the slit closed with opposed sides abutting each other except when a suture strand is moved through the slit to the suture strand location whereby a suture strand may be moved from the wall through the slit to the suture strand location, the closed non-planar slit resisting withdrawal of the suture strand from the suture strand location.

10. A pledget as in claim 7 wherein the slit includes two generally planear legs.

11. A pledget as in claim 10 wherein said slit is L-shaped.

12. A pledget as in claim 7 wherein the slit is curved.