A61B 17/04
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: for suturing wounds
Official title: for suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials
A61B17/04 (Surgical instruments, devices or methods: for suturing wounds) appears on 13,085 US grants and 15,334 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in A61B- Granted patents
- 13,085
- Published applications
- 15,334
- Assignees
- 2,656
- Inventors
- 13,698
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 22 | 0 |
| 1977 | 19 | 0 |
| 1978 | 19 | 0 |
| 1979 | 15 | 0 |
| 1980 | 12 | 0 |
| 1981 | 19 | 0 |
| 1982 | 11 | 0 |
| 1983 | 17 | 0 |
| 1984 | 19 | 0 |
| 1985 | 28 | 0 |
| 1986 | 38 | 0 |
| 1987 | 31 | 0 |
| 1988 | 25 | 0 |
| 1989 | 32 | 0 |
| 1990 | 61 | 0 |
| 1991 | 70 | 0 |
| 1992 | 76 | 0 |
| 1993 | 117 | 0 |
| 1994 | 147 | 0 |
| 1995 | 206 | 0 |
| 1996 | 194 | 0 |
| 1997 | 188 | 0 |
| 1998 | 254 | 0 |
| 1999 | 241 | 0 |
| 2000 | 249 | 0 |
| 2001 | 177 | 99 |
| 2002 | 149 | 290 |
| 2003 | 223 | 358 |
| 2004 | 165 | 433 |
| 2005 | 118 | 496 |
| 2006 | 201 | 521 |
| 2007 | 152 | 559 |
| 2008 | 143 | 598 |
| 2009 | 195 | 551 |
| 2010 | 343 | 648 |
| 2011 | 409 | 650 |
| 2012 | 471 | 728 |
| 2013 | 544 | 686 |
| 2014 | 619 | 762 |
| 2015 | 637 | 693 |
| 2016 | 653 | 712 |
| 2017 | 629 | 767 |
| 2018 | 580 | 664 |
| 2019 | 681 | 874 |
| 2020 | 694 | 729 |
| 2021 | 624 | 663 |
| 2022 | 582 | 674 |
| 2023 | 527 | 591 |
| 2024 | 504 | 588 |
| 2025 | 599 | 577 |
| 2026 | 356 | 423 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- A61B 17/06Needles7,009
- A61B 17/0401Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone6,684
- A61B 17/0469Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery4,906
- A61B 17/0482Needle or suture guides2,243
- A61B 2017/0496For tensioning suturesIndexing code2,031
- A61B 17/0487Suture clamps, clips or locks1,865
- A61B 17/0483Hand-held instruments for holding sutures1,111
- A61B 17/0485Devices or means987
All 14 subgroupsShow fewer
- A61B 17/0467Instruments for cutting sutures802
- A61B 17/0491Sewing machines for surgery538
- A61B 17/0466Suture bridges268
- A61B 17/0493Protective devices for suturing, i.e. for protecting the patient's organs or the184
- A61B 2017/0495Reinforcements for suture linesIndexing code109
- A61B 2017/0498For advancing a suture filament along a helical path through tissueIndexing code64
Recent patents
- Device for heart repair6 Oct 2026US 12,751,709 B2Cardiomech AS
- Devices and methods for occluding or promoting fluid flow6 Oct 2026US 12,751,710 B2Vasorum Ltd.
- Variable density soft anchors and methods of tissue repairs6 Oct 2026US 12,751,711 B2Arthrex, Inc.
- Knotless micro-suture anchors and anchor arrays for anatomical attachment of soft tissue to bone6 Oct 2026US 12,751,712 B2Integrity Orthopaedics, Inc.
- Device for cardiac surgery and methods thereof6 Oct 2026US 12,751,713 B2LSI Solutions, Inc.
- Catheter devices and methods of closing openings in tissue8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306084 A1
- Dynamic abdominal wall traction system for open abdomen wounds8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306091 A1Servicio CáNtabro De Salud
- Surgical Constructs and Methods of Tissue Fixation8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306092 A1Arthrex, Inc.
- Suture anchor devices, systems, and methods8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306093 A1NovantX, LLC
- Suturing device8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306094 A1Ergosurgical Group Corp.
Most cited
By later US patents
- Surgical device for stapling and/or fastening body tissues3,256US 5,389,098 AOlympus Optical Co., Ltd. · 1995
- Robotic arm DLUs for performing surgical tasks2,751US 6,231,565 B1United States Surgical Corporation · 2001
- Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures2,609US 6,436,107 B1Computer Motion, Inc. · 2002
- Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures2,567US 5,855,583 AComputer Motion, Inc. · 1999
- Endoscopic surgical instrument and staples for applying purse string sutures2,477US 5,484,451 AEthicon, Inc. · 1996