Surgical suturing apparatus

• US 5,320,632 A
• Filed: 11/10/1992
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harald Heidmueller
• Original Assignee: Harald Heidmueller
• Inventors: Heidmueller, Elke
• Primary Examiner(s): Graysay, Tamara L.
• Application Number:
  US07/974,119
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 606/139, 606/144, 606/145, 606/147, 606/148, 606/151, 606/184, 606/185, 606/186, 606/187, 112/169, 112/80.03
• US Class Current: 606/144
• 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 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• 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 2017/06019 by means of a suture-receiving lateral eyelet machined in the needle lateral opening for attaching suture to suture anchor A61B2017/0414
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06042 located close to needle tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06057 Double-armed sutures, i.e. sutures having a needle attached to each end

Abstract

For sewing up a surgical opening (32), an instrument (10) is provided to be introduced thereinto. Needle holders (19), having needles (25) attached thereon, are laterally extended out of the instrument (10). By raising the instrument (10), the needles (25) are pierced through the cutaneous tissue (33) from the inside to the outside while the thread (30) passing through the needles (25) forms a loop within the patient'"'"'s body. A needle catcher (26) is used for withdrawing the needles (25) out of the patient'"'"'s body, the needles (25) being released from the needle holders (19). Finally, the thread loop can be tied into a knot above the surgical opening (32) outside the patient'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. A surgical suturing apparatus comprising a relatively elongated instrument (10, 40) having generally opposite spaced first and second end portions (generally 11, 13;

42a,43a,

     44), means (19) located at said first end portion (11;

42a 43a) for removably supporting needles (25) at said first end portion (11;

42a, 43a) with tips of said needles directed toward said second end portion (13, 44,), and means (18,

     18) for mounting said needles for reciprocal sliding movement relative to each other.

2. A surgical suturing apparatus comprising a relatively elongated instrument (10, 40) having generally opposite spaced first and second end portions (generally 11, 13;

42a,43a,

     44) means (19) located at said first end portion (11;

42a 43a) for removably supported needles (25) at said first end portion (11;

42a, 43a) with tips of said needles directed toward said second end portion (13, 44,), means (18,

     18) for mounting said needles for reciprocal sliding movement relative to each other, and means (18,

     23) for guiding said needles during the reciprocal sliding movement therebetween.

3. A surgical suturing apparatus comprising a relatively elongated instrument (10, 40) having generally opposite spaced first and second end portions (generally 11, 13;

42a,43a,

     44), means (19) located at said first end portion (11;

42a 43a) for removably supporting needles (25) at said first end portion (11;

42a, 43a) with tips of said needles directed toward said second end portion (13, 44,), and means (26) disposed between said elongated instrument first and second end portions for clampingly gripping the needle tips.

4. A surgical suturing apparatus comprising a relatively elongated instrument (10, 40) having generally opposite spaced first and second end portions (generally 11, 13;

42a,43a,

     44), means (19) located at said first end portion (11;

42a 43a) for removably supporting needles (25) at said first end portion (11;

42a, 43a) with tips of said needles directed toward said second end portion (13,

     44), means (17, 20;

     41) for displacing needle tips from a first relatively close body opening insertion position (FIGS. 1 and

     6) to a second relatively more remote skin penetration position (FIGS. 2 and

     7) to effect respective introduction of the needles within a body opening and subsequent needle penetration into the skin contiguous thereto, and means (18,

     18) for mounting said needles for reciprocal sliding movement relative to each other.

5. A surgical suturing apparatus comprising a relatively elongated instrument (10, 40) having generally opposite spaced first and second end portions (generally 11, 13;

42a,43a,

     44), means (19) located at said first end portion (11;

42a 43a) for removably supporting needles (25) at said first end portion (11;

42a, 43a) with tips of said needles directed toward said second end portion (13, 44,), means (17, 20;

     41) for displacing needle tips from a first relatively close body opening insertion position (FIGS. 1 and

     6) to a second relatively more remove skin penetration position (FIGS. 2 and

     7) to effect respective introduction of the needles within a body opening and subsequent needle penetration into the skin contiguous thereto, means (18,

     18) for mounting said needles for reciprocal sliding movement relative to each other, and means (18,

     23) for guiding said needles during the reciprocal sliding movement therebetween.

6. A surgical suturing apparatus comprising a relatively elongated instrument (10, 40) having generally opposite spaced first and second end portions (generally 11, 13;

42a,43a,

     44), means (19) located at said first end portion (11;

42a 43a) for removably supporting needles (25) at said first end portion (11;

42a, 43a) with tips of said needles directed toward said second end portion (13, 44,), means (17, 20;

     41) for displacing needle tips from a first relatively close body opening insertion position (FIGS. 1 and

     6) to a second relatively more remote skin penetration position (FIGS. 2 and

     7) to effect respective introduction of the needles within a body opening and subsequent needle penetration into the skin contiguous thereto, and means (26) disposed between said elongated instrument first and second end portions for clampingly gripping the needle tips.