A fascia suturing system, comprising:
- a suture delivery device having a delivery body configured to facilitate insertion through a laparoscopic or robotic skin incision into an abdominal cavity of a patient, the suture delivery device equipped with a plurality of deployable wings and a plurality of deployable shields for positioning at least two sutures beneath a fascia opening and a peritoneum layer, each suture having first and second free ends;
- and
- a suture retention and routing system carried by the delivery body, the suture retention and routing system comprising:
- a pair of suture positioning grooves running longitudinally along opposing sides of the delivery body from a stopper located on the delivery body to a suture guide on each side of the delivery body, said suture positioning grooves continuing along an outer surface of each of the plurality of deployable shields to guide and retain the at least two sutures along a defined suture path;
- the suture guide on each side of the delivery body, each suture guide comprising a pair of suture guide notches on a bottom surface thereof configured to retain the at least two sutures against opposing sides of the delivery body during deployment of the plurality of deployable wings and the plurality of deployable shields, wherein each suture guide is positioned behind a respective one of the plurality of deployable wings when said wing is folded flat against the delivery body;
- each wing of the plurality of deployable wings comprising a wing aperture and a suture gap, wherein the wing aperture is sized and shaped such that a needle of a suture retriever passing through any needle guide lumen directed at that wing reaches the at least two sutures within a suture retrieval space defined between the wing and an adjacent shield without mechanical interference from the wing, and wherein the suture gap is oriented longitudinally along the wing with a wider opening at an outer edge of the wing configured to allow a respective one of the at least two sutures to pass laterally through the wing to the suture guide positioned behind the wing, the plurality of deployable shields being free of any suture gap such that the at least two sutures rest upon the outer surface of each shield and turn through the suture gap of the adjacent wing into the suture retrieval space;
- and
- a mounting structure at a proximal end of the delivery body serving as a pivot point for a proximal end of each of the plurality of deployable shields, the mounting structure comprising a plurality of slots configured to guide the at least two sutures around the proximal end of the delivery body, wherein the plurality of slots comprises a pair of straight-across slots configured to align the at least two sutures in a parallel orientation relative to one another, and a pair of crossing slots configured to align the at least two sutures in a crossing orientation relative to one another, thereby enabling a user to selectively configure the at least two sutures as either parallel or crossing prior to insertion.