A61B 17/06
Needles
Official title: Needles {; Sutures; Needle-suture combinations}; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials
A61B17/06 (Needles) appears on 7,009 US grants and 7,956 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in A61B- Granted patents
- 7,009
- Published applications
- 7,956
- Assignees
- 1,621
- Inventors
- 8,269
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 14 | 0 |
| 1977 | 13 | 0 |
| 1978 | 16 | 0 |
| 1979 | 11 | 0 |
| 1980 | 9 | 0 |
| 1981 | 13 | 0 |
| 1982 | 6 | 0 |
| 1983 | 11 | 0 |
| 1984 | 8 | 0 |
| 1985 | 19 | 0 |
| 1986 | 23 | 0 |
| 1987 | 19 | 0 |
| 1988 | 7 | 0 |
| 1989 | 18 | 0 |
| 1990 | 36 | 0 |
| 1991 | 49 | 0 |
| 1992 | 48 | 0 |
| 1993 | 78 | 0 |
| 1994 | 94 | 0 |
| 1995 | 133 | 0 |
| 1996 | 124 | 0 |
| 1997 | 117 | 0 |
| 1998 | 149 | 0 |
| 1999 | 141 | 0 |
| 2000 | 144 | 0 |
| 2001 | 86 | 40 |
| 2002 | 85 | 148 |
| 2003 | 115 | 199 |
| 2004 | 79 | 257 |
| 2005 | 71 | 309 |
| 2006 | 115 | 290 |
| 2007 | 80 | 299 |
| 2008 | 87 | 351 |
| 2009 | 103 | 283 |
| 2010 | 197 | 345 |
| 2011 | 253 | 375 |
| 2012 | 274 | 407 |
| 2013 | 294 | 355 |
| 2014 | 341 | 372 |
| 2015 | 316 | 365 |
| 2016 | 326 | 348 |
| 2017 | 330 | 412 |
| 2018 | 307 | 352 |
| 2019 | 365 | 443 |
| 2020 | 360 | 366 |
| 2021 | 285 | 324 |
| 2022 | 298 | 330 |
| 2023 | 264 | 270 |
| 2024 | 235 | 267 |
| 2025 | 293 | 246 |
| 2026 | 150 | 203 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- A61B 17/06166Sutures2,688
- A61B 17/06066Needles2,546
- A61B 17/06004Means for attaching suture to needle1,725
- A61B 17/062Needle manipulators1,567
- A61B 2017/06052Needle-suture combinations in which a suture is extending inside a hollow tubularIndexing code978
- A61B 17/06114Packages or dispensers for needles or sutures785
- A61B 2017/06057Double-armed sutures, i.e. sutures having a needle attached to each endIndexing code442
- A61B 17/06061Holders for needles or sutures350
Recent patents
- Variable density soft anchors and methods of tissue repairs6 Oct 2026US 12,751,711 B2Arthrex, Inc.
- Device for cardiac surgery and methods thereof6 Oct 2026US 12,751,713 B2LSI Solutions, Inc.
- Knotless all suture tissue repair22 Sep 2026US 12,740,778 B2ArthroCare Corporation
- Knotless all suture tissue repair22 Sep 2026US 12,740,779 B2ArthroCare Corporation
- Grip for a needle driver and methods of manufacture and use thereof22 Sep 2026US 12,740,780 B2Ergosurgical Group Corp.
- Catheter devices and methods of closing openings in tissue8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306084 A1
- Suturing device8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306094 A1Ergosurgical Group Corp.
- Self-Cinching Suture Construct Apparatus8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306095 A1INS Ortho, Inc.
- Systems and methods for endoluminal valve creation8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306131 A1InterVene, Inc.
- Method and apparatus for passing suture1 Oct 2026US 2026/0294426 A1Clauson Creative Engineering, Inc.
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
- Surgical device for stapling and/or fastening body tissues2,247US 5,582,611 AOlympus Optical Co., Ltd. · 1996
- Devices and methods for treating e.g. urinary stress incontinence2,153US 6,517,566 B1Surgical Connections, Inc. · 2003