Endoscopic needle assembly
AssigneeBoston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
InventorsVladimir Mitelberg, Donald K. Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A needle and suture assembly is provided for use with an endoscopic suturing device with a needle holder arm. The needle assembly includes a needle tip and a needle body. The needle tip has a sharp end. The needle body is tubular and has first and second ends and flexible tab retainers adjacent the second end for retaining the needle body relative to the needle holder arm. The tab retainers elastically deform to allow the needle body to be released from the needle holder arm upon application of force therebetween. The needle body has a suture opening located between the first end and the retainers. A suture extends into the suture opening of the needle body and is fixed therein.
Claims20
A needle and suture assembly for use in association with a suturing device having a movable needle holder arm, comprising:
- a needle assembly including,
- a needle tip including a sharp end;
- a tubular needle body having first and second ends, a lumen, and tab retainers deformed inward into the lumen for releasably retaining the needle body relative to the needle holder arm;
- the tab retainers elastically deformable to allow the needle body to be released from the needle holder arm upon application of a force sufficient to cause flexure of the tab retainers, and a suture opening located between the first end and the retainers
- wherein the needle tip is at the first end of said needle body;
- and
- a suture extending into the suture opening of the needle body and fixed therein.
An endoscopic suturing assembly, comprising:
- suture needle holder arm having a free end with a circumferential groove;
- a suture needle, including,
- a needle tip having an axis including a sharp end;
- a tubular needle body having first and second ends, a lumen extending through the needle body, and elastically deformable tab retainers extending into the lumen, the tubular needle body sized for receiving a portion of the free end with the circumferential groove;
- and
- the tab retainers engaging the free end at the circumferential groove to mount the suture needle on the holder arm;
- whereupon a sufficient relative force applied coaxial with the axis of the needle tip and away from the tip results in elastic deformation of the tab retainers to release the suture needle from over the free end of the suture needle holder arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.