Suturing instrument with rotatably mounted needle driver and catcher
First Claim
1. An instrument for suturing anatomical tissue with a suture needle, said suturing instrument comprisinga handle;
- an elongate tubular member connected to and extending distally from said handle along a longitudinal axis;
a needle driver disposed in said tubular member and mounted by said handle for rotation about said longitudinal axis along a first arcuate path; and
a needle catcher disposed in said tubular member and mounted by said handle for rotation about said longitudinal axis along a second arcuate path coplanar with said first arcuate path;
said needle driver and said needle catcher each including needle holding members operable to grasp and release the suture needle so that, when said needle holding members of said needle driver are operated to grasp the suture needle, said needle driver can be rotated to drive the suture needle through anatomical tissue positioned between said needle driver and said needle catcher, and when said needle holding members of said needle catcher are operated to grasp the suture needle, said needle holding members of said needle driver can be operated to release the suture needle, thereby allowing said catcher to be rotated to pull the suture material through the anatomical tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument for suturing anatomical tissue with a suture needle includes a handle, a needle driver mounted by the handle for rotation along a first arcuate path having a radius of curvature commensurate with a radius of curvature of the suture needle, and a needle catcher mounted by the handle for rotation along a second arcuate path coplanar with the first arcuate path and having a radius of curvature commensurate with the radius of curvature of the suture needle. The needle driver and the needle catcher each include needle holding members selectively operable to grasp and release the suture needle so that, when the needle holding members of the driver are operated to grasp the suture needle, the driver can be rotated to drive the suture needle through anatomical tissue positioned between the driver and the catcher, and when the needle holding members of the catcher are operated to grasp the suture needle, the needle holding members of the driver can be operated to release the suture needle, thereby allowing the catcher to be rotated to pull the suture material through the anatomical tissue.
474 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An instrument for suturing anatomical tissue with a suture needle, said suturing instrument comprising
a handle; -
an elongate tubular member connected to and extending distally from said handle along a longitudinal axis; a needle driver disposed in said tubular member and mounted by said handle for rotation about said longitudinal axis along a first arcuate path; and a needle catcher disposed in said tubular member and mounted by said handle for rotation about said longitudinal axis along a second arcuate path coplanar with said first arcuate path; said needle driver and said needle catcher each including needle holding members operable to grasp and release the suture needle so that, when said needle holding members of said needle driver are operated to grasp the suture needle, said needle driver can be rotated to drive the suture needle through anatomical tissue positioned between said needle driver and said needle catcher, and when said needle holding members of said needle catcher are operated to grasp the suture needle, said needle holding members of said needle driver can be operated to release the suture needle, thereby allowing said catcher to be rotated to pull the suture material through the anatomical tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of suturing anatomical tissue using a length of suture material attached to a curved suture needle, said method comprising the steps of
providing a suturing instrument having an elongate tubular member extending along a longitudinal axis with a needle driver and a needle catcher disposed in the tubular member and operative to rotate within the tubular member offset from and about the longitudinal axis; -
grasping the suture needle with the needle driver mounted by a handle by remotely operating a needle holding member of the needle driver; positioning the anatomical tissue between a tip of the suture needle and the needle catcher mounted by the handle; rotating the needle driver in a first direction along an arcuate path to cause the tip of the needle to penetrate the anatomical tissue; receiving the tip of the suture needle in the needle catcher; grasping the suture needle with the needle catcher; releasing the suture needle from the needle driver; and rotating the needle catcher in the first direction along a second arcuate path. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method of suturing anatomical tissue using a length of suture material attached to a curved suture needle, said method comprising the steps of
grasping the suture needle with a needle driver mounted by a handle by remotely operating a needle holding member of the needle driver; -
positioning the anatomical tissue between a tip of the suture needle and a needle catcher mounted by the handle; rotating the needle driver in a first direction along an arcuate path to cause the tip of the needle to penetrate the anatomical tissue; receiving the tip of the suture needle in the needle catcher; grasping the suture needle with the needle catcher; releasing the suture needle from the needle driver; rotating the needle driver in a second direction opposite the first direction to receive the tip of the suture needle held by the needle catcher; grasping the suture needle with the needle driver; releasing the suture needle from the needle catcher; rotating the needle driver in the first direction to cause the tip of the suture needle to penetrate through the anatomical tissue; and rotating the needle catcher in the first direction along a second arcuate path.
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Specification