Surgical suturing device

• US 5,690,652 A
• Filed: 01/06/1997
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe Gmbh
• Original Assignee: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe Gmbh
• Inventors: Trapp, Rainer, Wurster, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THUY D
• Application Number:
  US08/778,972
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 606/144, 606/145, 606/147, 606/148, 606/139, 112/169
• US Class Current: 606/144
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0491 Sewing machines for surgery
• 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
• 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 2017/06047 located at the middle of the needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0609 having sharp tips at both ends, e.g. shuttle needle alternately retained and released by first and second facing jaws of a suturing instrument MIS suturing instruments A61B17/0469; jaws of MIS forceps A61B2017/2926

Abstract

In a surgical suturing device especially for endoscopic surgery, an operating mechanism is provided which includes a drive and a locking mechanism operated by a handle from which an operating rod extends to an operating mechanism which carries at its free end a suturing head comprising two jaws between which a needle with opposite needle tips and a central eye can be exchanged while being alternately locked with the two jaws, the whole procedure being controllable by a single handle.

Claims

1. A surgical suturing device particularly for endoscopic surgery, comprising a handle mechanism and a drive and locking mechanism, a shaft connected to the drive and locking mechanism and including coupling means, a suturing head mounted at an end of said shaft and having jaws supported so as to be movable relative to each other, a needle guide disposed at the free end of each jaw, and a needle having ends with needle tips and an eye in its center and being adapted to be received and retained at its opposite ends in said needle guides by operation of said drive and locking mechanism, said drive and locking mechanism comprising a base plate, a slide member slideably supported on said base plate, a drive rod having one end rigidly connected to said slide member for operating said jaws and the opposite end connected to said handle mechanism for moving said rod and said slide member along said base plate, a pull and push rod extending between said jaws and said slide member and being engaged thereby by a spring member for pulling said rod, said rod being slideably supported on a stop projecting from said base plate and by said slide member, a toothed rack mounted on said slide member for movement therewith, a pawl pivotally supported on said base plate and extending through a cutout in said slide member into engagement with said toothed rack for holding said slide member in a particular position, means for disengaging said pawl from said toothed rack where said slide member with said toothed rack has been moved to one end position, means for holding said pawl disengaged until said slide member has moved to its opposite end position, means for returning said pawl into engagement with said toothed rack when said slide member reaches said opposite end position, a transfer structure for controlling the engagement of said needle with said jaws, including a cylindrical partially circular transfer member rotatably supported by a shaft mounted on said base plate and having a W-shaped recess formed in its circumferential surface, and cam areas for actuating a locking mechanism for locking said needle alternately in engagement with said jaw, said locking mechanism including a control plate disposed in parallel spaced relationship above said base plate and coupled, by a bolt, with said slide member for movement therewith, said bolt extending through an elongated hole in said base member to allow the movement of said bolt with said slide member, said control plate having an elongated hole receiving said shaft mounted on said base plate so as to permit movement of said control plate with said slide member, a shift lever pivotally mounted on said control plate and having a free end with a shift pin extending therefrom through a cutout in said control plate into engagement with said W-shaped recess on said transfer member, a return spring engaging said shift lever so as to bias said shift lever into a center position in longitudinal alignment with said control plate, at least one control rod having a proximal end biased into engagement with said cam on said transfer member and a distal end for reception in a recess formed in said needle adjacent the opposite ends thereof for locking said needle in said jaw, said needle being curved so as to have a shape corresponding to the path of relative movement of said jaws.

2. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein said pull and push rod has an adjustable end by which the opening angle of said jaws can be adjusted by controlling the travel length of the drive rod actuating said jaws.

3. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein a return spring is disposed between said drive rod and said stop for biasing said drive rod in a jaw opening direction, said return spring being substantially weaker than said spring member for pulling said drive rod in jaw closing direction.

4. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein said pawl has a cam projecting therefrom and a leaf spring is provided engaging said cam for biasing said pawl into engagement with said toothed rack, said cam on said pawl and said leaf spring being so arranged that said pawl is held disengaged from said toothed rack after being disengaged by said slide member in one end position of said slide member.

5. A surgical suturing device according to claim 4, wherein said spring forms with said pawl a bi-stable snap-spring mechanism.

6. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein said control plate and said base plate are coupled by a coil spring which extends parallel to said two plates and biases said two plates in the opening direction of said handle.

7. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein said suturing head includes a stationary jaw and a movable jaw.

8. A surgical suturing device according to claim 7, wherein said needle is locked in said stationary jaw by said control rod when said control rod is received in the recess in the respective needle end and is held in said movable jaw by a spring-loaded pin which is received in the respective needle recess and held therein by said spring with an adjustable force so selected that the needle can be engaged and disengaged without being damaged.

9. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein said suturing head includes two movable jaws in each of which said needle is engageable at opposite ends by a control pins operable by said control rods.

10. A surgical suturing device according to claim 9, wherein said control pins each have an end of increased thickness disposed in an increased diameter portion of a bore receiving said control pin, and slide control members are provided which have curved end faces with which said ends of increased thickness of said control pins are engaged by springs disposed in said increased diameter portions of said bores, said curved end faces having a center of curvature coinciding with the pivot axis of said jaws such that the axial position of said control pins is not affected by the angular position of said jaws.

11. A surgical suturing device according to claim 10, wherein said control rods have at their distal ends parts which are connected to said slide control members by an intermediate spring.

12. A surgical suturing device according to claim 1, wherein said needle is triangular in cross-section.

13. A surgical suturing device according to claim 12, wherein said needle has oppositely pointed tips with the eye disposed in the center, a flat back portion in the center of the needle and ledges in the area between the center and the tips.

14. A surgical suturing device according to claim 13, wherein said needle tips have flat inclined areas for improved insertion of the needle tips into the needle guides.

15. A surgical suturing device according to claim 12, wherein said needle is triangular in cross-section.

16. A surgical suturing device according to claim 15, wherein said recess adjacent the needle tip is cylindrical in shape.

17. A surgical suturing device according to claim 15, wherein said recess adjacent the needle tip is prismatic in shape.