Ligative suturer

• US 5,662,666 A
• Filed: 03/28/1996
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Masayoshi Yokoyama, Sugan Co. Ltd. (Sheen Man Co. Ltd.), Takamasa Onuki
• Original Assignee: Masayoshi Yokoyama, Sugan Co. Ltd. (Sheen Man Co. Ltd.), Takamasa Onuki
• Inventors: Onuki, Takamasa, Yamamoto, Tetsuya, Yokoyama, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US08/623,265
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 606/139, 606/144, 606/148, 606/151, 606/143, 112/169, 289/17
• US Class Current: 606/148
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0483 Hand-held instruments for holding sutures A61B17/0469 takes precedence; other holders for needles or sutures A61B17/06061; surgical forceps A61B17/28; surgical pincettes A61B17/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12013 for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft

Abstract

A ligative suturer according to the present invention comprises a first rod which is connected with a ligative sutural member, and a second rod which is connected with the first rod to be bendable in the horizontal direction (L, R). A thread guard member which is capable of protrusion and storage is provided in the first rod, while a lever which can select the bending direction of the first rod in response to the situation of employment by an operator is provided in the second rod. Due to this ligative suturer, the operator can regularly bend the first rod toward him whether he handles the suturer with his left or right hand.

Claims

1. A ligative suturer comprising a ligative sutural member being provided on the forward end of a rod with a body part being of a substantially concave sectional shape along the axial direction of said rod and having an opening communicating with the forward end and right and left sides, and a movable body being provided in said opening of said body part with a trunk part being movably held by said body part, a forward end part protruding toward the forward end of said opening, and a thread support part being provided in the vicinity of its forward end for supporting an operative thread,

for supporting a first side of said operative thread by said thread support part of said movable body and winding or sewing a second side of said operative thread around or on a portion to be operated along a prescribed rotational direction for arranging an intermediate portion of said operative thread on the upper side of said rod along said rotational direction while inserting said second side of said operative thread in said opening along said rotational direction, downwardly moving the same from above said movable body and drawing out said operative thread from said opening, thereby forming a knot of said operative thread on said portion to be operated, wherein

said rod comprises:

a first rod being connected with said ligative sutural member, and a second rod being horizontally bendably connected with said first rod,

said first rod is provided with;

a first rod member being connected with said ligative sutural member on its forward end, and

a first connection block being provided to protrude from the rear end of said first rod member with a diameter being smaller than that of said first rod member, and having a first connection part being connected with said second rod on its rear end, and

said second rod is provided with;

a second rod member being provided to be movable along the axial direction of said rod and capable of storing said first connection block protruding from said first rod member on its forward end, and having a first grip member on its rear end,

a third rod member being stored in said second rod member for guiding movement of said second rod member in the axial direction of said rod on its outer peripheral surface and having a flange part on its rear end in a region being exposed from said second rod member,

a first elastic member being provided on the outer peripheral surface of said third rod member between said first grip member and said flange part of said third rod member for regularly urging said second rod member toward the forward end, storing said first connection block and bringing the same into contact with the rear end of said first rod member,

a fourth rod member having a forward end being stored in the rear end of said second rod member, a lever member having an end being pivotally supported on said forward end side to be horizontally movable, and a second grip member being provided on its rear end,

a second elastic member being provided on the outer peripheral surface of said fourth rod member between said flange part of said third rod member and said second grip member for urging said fourth rod member toward the rear end with elastic force being larger than that of said first elastic member,

first and second slide members having first and second slide blocks being stored in said third rod member on portions closer to the forward end than said lever member for horizontally holding said first connection part and being forwardly pushed by said lever member following movement of said fourth grip member toward the forward end, and first and second contact bars being provided on the forward ends of said first and second slide blocks respectively to be in contact with said first connection block,

a second connection block being stored in the forward end of said third rod member and having a second connection part being horizontally movably connected with said first connection part and first and second guide passages storing said first and second contact bars therein for guiding sliding of said first and second contact bars on its forward end, and

a third elastic member being provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of said first and second contact bars between said first and second slide blocks and said second connection block for regularly urging said first and second slide members toward the rear ends.

2. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, being provided on the upper surface of said first rod with a thread guard for hanging said operative thread thereon for arranging said intermediate portion of said operative thread on the upper side of said rod.

3. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 2, wherein said thread guard is provided with:

a thread guard member being provided in said first rod and rotated about a central axis being provided on said first connection block, for enabling protrusion and storage,

a forwardly movable working bar being stored along guide grooves being horizontally provided to hold said first connection block to be pushed by said first or second contact bar toward the forward end following said forward movement of said first or second contact bar,

an engaging pin being provided on said working pin to engage with said thread guard member so that said thread guard member protrudes following forward movement of said working bar, and storing said thread guard member following rearward movement of said working bar, and

a fourth elastic member being provided between the forward end of said first rod member and said working bar for regularly urging said working bar toward the rear end.

4. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first and second grip members are provided with a locking mechanism for maintaining said first and second grip members in stationary states against urging force of said first and second elastic members when said first and second grip members are most approached to each other.

5. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 4, wherein said locking mechanism comprises:

a guide surface being provided on said second grip member and including a locking groove including a first groove extending in the axial direction of said rod along the side surface of said first grip member and a second groove communicating with said first groove and extending in a direction perpendicular to said first groove, and

a locking bar being provided on the side surface of said first grip member for engaging in said locking groove.

6. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first rod has an outwardly inclined surface so that a surface of said first rod to be in contact with said second rod comes into contact with said second rod in a most bent state of said first rod.

7. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, wherein a member having a large coefficient of friction is mounted on a surface of said second rod to be in contact with said first rod.

8. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, wherein only said thread support part is different in color from the remaining elements.

9. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, wherein said ligative sutural member is detachably provided on the forward end of said first rod.

10. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 9, wherein said ligative sutural member is provided with:

a neck portion, being provided on the rear end of said body part, having a smaller diameter than said body part, and

first and second convex parts, having different widths, being provided around said neck portion on positions being outwardly opposite to each other, and

said first rod is provided on its forward end with;

an opening being defined by a flange part having first and second window parts in positions corresponding to said first and second convex parts respectively for receiving said neck portion being provided on said body part,

a contact plate being provided in said first rod for blocking said opening being provided in the forward end of said first rod, and

a fifth elastic member for urging said contact plate toward the forward end of said first rod.

11. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 10, wherein said fourth elastic member is identical to said fifth elastic member.

12. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 1, wherein said body part is provided with:

an upper convex part being formed on the upper surface to downwardly extend from the forward end toward the rear end,

a lower convex part being provided on the lower surface to be continuous with said upper convex part at a prescribed space, and

a space part being defined in the rear end by said upper and lower convex parts, and

said movable body has;

a substantially circular thread support part, being provided on its forward end, having a notched portion extending toward the forward end on its rear side, and

a support hole, being provided on its rear end, for receiving said upper and lower convex parts with a prescribed space.

13. The ligative suturer in accordance with claim 12, wherein said movable body is so provided that said thread support part is downward beyond said support hole toward the forward end.