Expandable Needle Suture Apparatus and Associated Handle Assembly With Rotational Suture Manipulation System
AssigneeDePuy Mitek, LLC
InventorsThomas Weisel, Martin Padget
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical suturing device (10) having an axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end is operable to move a suture (32) through body tissue (34). A handle assembly (110) is coupled to an elongated shaft (14) having a hollow configuration. An actuating rod (16) is disposed to extend between the handle assembly (110) and the shaft (14). A thumb actuation assembly is coupled to a proximal end of the actuating rod (16) for moving the rod both axially and rotationally. A needle assembly (2) at the distal end of the actuating rod (16) is movable with the actuating rod (16) between an extended state and a retracted state and at various angular orientations.
Claims8
1-35. (canceled)
A method for placing suture across a body wall of a patient, comprising the steps of:
- providing a suture device including a hollow shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, an actuating rod disposed in the shaft, and a needle assembly carried by the rod between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- providing the needle assembly with a needle having a sharp distal tip;
- bifurcating the needle to form at least one pair of arms defining a suture slot, the arms being movable between a proximate position associated with a first slot size and a spaced position associated with a second slot size greater than the first slot size;
- penetrating the body wall with a needle assembly in the retracted position and the arms in the proximate position;
- advancing the needle assembly to the deployed position to move the arms to the spaced position associated with the second slot size;
- and
- rotating the needle assembly to vary the orientation of the suture slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.