Grip for a needle driver and methods of manufacture and use thereof

A grip for a needle driver, the grip having a distal end located at a distal end of the needle driver, the grip comprising:

• a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw hosts a first roller and the second jaw hosts a second roller, and wherein the first roller includes a first groove pattern and the second roller includes a second groove pattern, and wherein the first jaw is pivotally connected to the second jaw via a pin located at a proximal end of the grip, the proximal end of the grip opposing its distal end;
• a guard distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw, wherein the guard has a back edge that faces towards the proximal end of the grip and a front edge that faces towards the distal end of the needle driver;
• a grasping portion that extends from the front edge of the guard to the distal end of the grip, wherein the groove patterns of the rollers are located within the grasping portion;
• a non-grasping portion that extends from the back edge of the guard to the pin;
• and
• a shifting feature distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw that is configured to place the grip in a grasping position that enables a suture to be grasped between the rollers in the grasping portion, wherein the shifting feature moves the second roller in a longitudinal plane towards the distal end of the grip and away from the first roller while the first roller remains stationary in the longitudinal plane, until the second groove pattern of the second roller overlaps the first groove pattern of the first roller to place the grip in the grasping position.

A grip for a needle driver, the grip having a distal end located at a distal end of the needle driver, the grip comprising:

• a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw hosts a first roller and the second jaw hosts a second roller, and wherein the first roller includes a first groove pattern and the second roller includes a second groove pattern, and wherein the first jaw is pivotally connected to the second jaw via a pin located at a proximal end of the grip, the proximal end of the grip opposing its distal end;
• a guard distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw, wherein the guard has a back edge that faces towards the proximal end of the grip and a front edge that faces towards the distal end of the needle driver;
• a grasping portion that extends from the front edge of the guard to the distal end of the grip, wherein the groove patterns of the rollers are located within the grasping portion;
• a non-grasping portion that extends from the back edge of the guard to the pin;
• a canted stationary member seated within the first jaw;
• and
• a beveled disc located at a back end of the second roller of the second jaw, wherein the back end of the second roller faces the proximal end of the grip, wherein upon impingement of the beveled disc on the canted stationary member, the second jaw is shifted distally relative to the first jaw.

A needle driver comprising:

• a grip located at a distal end of the needle driver, the grip including:
• a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw hosts a first roller and the second jaw hosts a second roller, and wherein the first roller includes a first groove pattern and the second roller includes a second groove pattern, and wherein the first jaw is pivotally connected to the second jaw via a pin located at a proximal end of the grip, the proximal end of the grip opposing its distal end;
• a guard distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw, wherein the guard has a back edge that faces towards the proximal end of the grip and a front edge that faces towards the distal end of the needle driver;
• a grasping portion that extends from the front edge of the guard to the distal end of the grip, wherein the groove patterns of the rollers are located within the grasping portion;
• and
• a non-grasping portion that extends from the back edge of the guard to the pin;
• and
• an actuating mechanism connected to the grip that is configured to enable the grip to drive a needle into tissue of a patient when the needle is located in the grasping portion, and to enable the grip to grasp at least one of a needle or a suture when the at least one of the needle or the suture is located in the grasping portion;
• and
• a shifting feature distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw that is configured to place the grip in a grasping position that enables a suture to be grasped between the rollers in the grasping portion, wherein the shifting feature moves the second roller in a longitudinal plane towards the distal end of the grip and away from the first roller while the first roller remains stationary in the longitudinal plane, until the second groove pattern of the second roller overlaps the first groove pattern of the first roller to place the grip in the grasping position.

A needle driver comprising:

• a grip located at a distal end of the needle driver, the grip including:
• a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw hosts a first roller and the second jaw hosts a second roller, and wherein the first roller includes a first groove pattern and the second roller includes a second groove pattern, and wherein the first jaw is pivotally connected to the second jaw via a pin located at a proximal end of the grip, the proximal end of the grip opposing its distal end;
• a guard distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw, wherein the guard has a back edge that faces towards the proximal end of the grip and a front edge that faces towards the distal end of the needle driver;
• a grasping portion that extends from the front edge of the guard to the distal end of the grip, wherein the groove patterns of the rollers are located within the grasping portion;
• and
• a non-grasping portion that extends from the back edge of the guard to the pin;
• and
• an actuating mechanism connected to the grip that is configured to enable the grip to drive a needle into tissue of a patient when the needle is located in the grasping portion, and to enable the grip to grasp at least one of a needle or a suture when the at least one of the needle or the suture is located in the grasping portion;
• a canted stationary member seated within the first jaw;
• and
• a beveled disc located at a back end of the second roller of the second jaw, wherein the back end of the second roller faces the proximal end of the grip, wherein upon impingement of the beveled disc on the canted stationary member, the second jaw is shifted distally relative to the first jaw.

A needle driver comprising:

• a grip located at a distal end of the needle driver, the grip including:
• a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw hosts a first roller and the second jaw hosts a second roller, and wherein the first roller includes a first groove pattern and the second roller includes a second groove pattern, and wherein the first jaw is pivotally connected to the second jaw via a pin located at a proximal end of the grip, the proximal end of the grip opposing its distal end;
• a guard distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw, wherein the guard has a back edge that faces towards the proximal end of the grip and a front edge that faces towards the distal end of the needle driver;
• a grasping portion that extends from the front edge of the guard to the distal end of the grip, wherein the groove patterns of the rollers are located within the grasping portion;
• and
• a non-grasping portion that extends from the back edge of the guard to the pin;
• and
• an actuating mechanism connected to the grip that is configured to enable the grip to drive a needle into tissue of a patient when the needle is located in the grasping portion, and to enable the grip to grasp at least one of a needle or a suture when the at least one of the needle or the suture is located in the grasping portion;
• a shifting feature distributed across the first jaw and the second jaw that is configured to place the grip in a grasping position that enables a suture to be grasped between the rollers in the grasping portion;
• a canted stationary member seated within the first jaw;
• and
• a beveled disc located at a back end of the second roller of the second jaw wherein the back end of the second roller faces the proximal end of the grip, wherein each of the first and second groove patterns includes a plurality of peaks and valleys, and wherein prior to the grip being in its grasping position, the shifting feature begins to be deployed when a beveled edge of the beveled disc comes into contact with a front face of the canted stationary member to define a shifting feature roller gap distance between opposing valleys of the first and second groove patterns;
• and
• wherein when a suture having a diameter that is smaller than the shifting feature roller gap distance is located between the opposing valleys, the beveled disc is increasingly configured to impinge upon the front face of the canted stationary member until the second groove pattern of the second roller overlaps the first groove pattern of the first roller to grasp the suture between the rollers.