Fixturing assembly

• US 6,939,365 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Arbor Surgical Technologies, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Drews, Michael J., Modesitt, D. Bruce, Holmgren, Neil, Fogarty, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prebilic, Paul B.
• Application Number:
  US10/379,311
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 623/2.1, 606/227, 606/228, 606/153
• US Class Current: 606/227
• 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 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0608 J-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2409 Support rings therefor, e.g. for connecting valves to tissue annuloplasty rings A61F2/2442
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2415 Manufacturing methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2445 Annuloplasty rings in direct contact with the valve annulus
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30545 for adjusting a diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0041 using additional screws, bolts, dowels or rivets, e.g. connecting screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0066 stapled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/001 for adjusting a diameter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/91 Heart

Abstract

A fixturing assembly is provided that includes a needle and a fixturing device. The needle includes a first sharpened end and a second end including a can. The fixturing device includes an elongate filament having first and second ends, and an enlarged fixturing device on the first end of the filament. The second end of the filament is held by the can by frictional resistance, the second end of the filament being removable from the can when a tensile force is applied between the needle and the second end of the filament that exceeds the frictional resistance. For example, the can may include a coil, corrugations, or a roughened inner surface to removably hold the end of the fixturing device.

Claims

1. A fixturing assembly comprising:

a needle comprising a needle body and a needle first end and needle second end,

said needle second end comprising a can, the can comprising a coil, and

a fixturing device comprising a fixturing device first end, a fixturing device second end,

wherein at least a portion of the fixturing device first end is held by the coil of the can by a frictional resistance and removable from the can when the frictional resistance is overcome,

wherein the needle second end is directly attached to the can.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the needle further comprises a curved portion.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fixturing device first end comprises a radially expandable portion.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the radially expandable portion expands when the fixturing device first end is removed from the can.

3. A fixturing assembly, comprising:

a needle comprising a needle body and a needle first end and a needle second end,

said needle second end comprising a can, the can comprising a coil, and

a fixturing device comprising a fixturing device first end, a fixturing device second end, wherein at least a portion of the fixturing device first end is held by the coil of the can by frictional resistance and removable from the can when the frictional resistance is overcome,

wherein the needle second end is formed as the can.

4. A fixturing assembly, comprising:

a needle comprising a needle body and a needle first end and a needle second end,

said needle second end comprising a can, the can comprising a coil, and

a fixturing device comprising a fixturing device first end, a fixturing device second end, wherein at least a portion of the fixturing device first end is held by the coil of the can by a frictional resistance and removable from the can when the frictional resistance is overcome,

wherein the fixturing device second end comprises an interference fit piece.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the interference fit piece comprises a pledget.

6. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the interference fit piece comprises a ball.

7. The assembly of claim 6, further comprising a pledget retained by the ball.

10. A fixturing assembly, comprising:

a needle comprising a needle second end;

a can comprising a can first end;

a line comprising a line first end and a line second end, wherein the line first end is attached to the needle second end and wherein the line second end is attached to the can first end; and

a fixturing device comprising a fixturing device first end and a fixturing device second end, wherein at least a portion of the fixturing device first end is frictionally engaged by and removable from the can;

wherein the can further comprises a flexible section and the flexible section comprises a coil.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the line is a suture.

12. The assembly of claim 10, further comprising an interference fit piece attached to the fixturing device second end.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the interference fit piece comprises a pledget.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the interference fit piece comprises a ball.

15. The assembly of claim 14, further comprising a pledget retained by the ball.

16. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the fixturing device first end comprises a radially expandable portion.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the radially expandable portion expands when the fixturing device first end is removed from the can.

18. A fixturing assembly, comprising:

a needle comprising a first sharpened end and a second end comprising a can;

a fixturing device comprising an elongate filament having first and second ends, an enlarged fixturing device on the first end of the filament, the second end of the filament being held within the can by frictional resistance, the second end of the filament being removable from the can when a tensile force is applied between the needle and the first end of the filament that exceeds the frictional resistance,

wherein the can comprises a corrugated surface that provides a predetermined frictional resistance between an inner surface of the can and the second end of the filament.

19. The fixturing assembly of claim 18, further comprising an expandable fixturing device on the second end of the filament that expands when the second end of the filament is removed from the can.

21. The fixturing assembly of claim 18, wherein the filament comprises a wire or fiber.

22. The fixturing assembly of claim 18, further comprising a pledget carried on the first end of the filament.

20. A fixturing assembly, comprising;

a needle comprising a first sharpened end and a second end comprising a can;

a fixturing device comprising an elongate filament having first and second ends, an enlarged fixturing device on the first end of the filament, the second end of the filament being held within the can by frictional resistance, the second end of the filament being removable from the can when a tensile force is applied between the needle and the first end of the filament that exceeds the frictional resistance,

wherein the can comprises a coil that removably receives the second end of the filament.

23. A fixturing assembly comprising:

a needle comprising a first sharpened end and a second end coupled to a can;

a fixturing device comprising an elongate filament having first and second ends,

an enlarged fixturing device on the first end of the filament, the second end of the filament being held within the can by frictional resistance, the second end of the filament being removable from the can when a tensile force is applied between the needle and the first end of the filament that exceeds the frictional resistance, a pledget carried on the first end of the filament,

wherein the frictional resistance of the can is less than the force necessary to deform the pledget.