Suture device

A suture passer and needle pusher device comprising:

• a hollow tube having a straight proximal tube portion defining a longitudinal axis T of the tube and having a proximal end, and a curved distal tube portion extending from said straight proximal tube portion up to a distal end of the hollow tube, the distal end being configured to receive and pass a suture needle into said curved distal tube portion, a handpiece coupled to the proximal end of the hollow tube, where the handpiece defines an actuation axis A and comprises a housing chamber and an actuator, the actuator being housed inside said housing chamber and being configured to move between a first operating position and a second operating position along said actuation axis A;
• a chuck inside the hollow tube and connected to the actuator, the chuck being configured to be moved by said handpiece between a first configuration and a second configuration;
• wherein:
• said curved portion of distal tube describes an arc of circumference subtended by a first angle in the center of not less than 45° and is configured to accommodate inside a curved suture needle also describing a second arc of circumference no longer of said first arc of circumference, said second arc of circumference having the same radius as said first arc of circumference;
• the actuator also includes a coaxial spring, said coaxial spring being constrained to the actuator and configured to oppose the movement of the actuator from the first operating position to the second operating position and to support the movement of the actuator from the second operating position to the first operating position, such that when the actuator is in the first operating position, the coaxial spring is extended and the internal chuck is retracted proximally to the inside of the curved distal tube portion in the first configuration so as to fully accommodate said suture needle inside said curved distal portion, and when the actuator is in the second operative position, the coaxial spring is compressed and the internal chuck extends out of the curved distal tube portion in the second configuration with respect to the first configuration so as to push said suture needle completely out of the said curved distal portion, and
• wherein said curved distal tube portion is configured so that, when the curved suture needle is about to exit completely outside the curved distal tube portion, the tip of the curved suture needle is directed either perpendicularly to said longitudinal axis of tube T or is at least partially directed along the longitudinal axis of tube T towards said handpiece.