Bonding assembly and method for sternum closing

A banding assembly for use following surgery involving a median sternotomy, and for applying a clamp to closingly abut the split halves of the sternum, the banding assembly comprising in elongated array the following components:

• a surgical needle having a shape that renders it readily insertable from one parasternal location alongside the sternum to underpass the sternum halves and emerge alongside the sternum at an opposite parasternal location;
• an elongated thin flat band, the needle being connected to one end of said band so that the band can be drawn in following underpass run of the sternum halves when the needle is withdrawn outwardly from said opposite parasternal location;
• and
• a buckle carried at the other end of said band, the buckle having a band guide and retaining slide through course for accommodating sliding pass through of the said one end of the band for establishing a closed band loop about the sternum halves which loop can be drawn tight to apply compressive clamp together force to bring the sternum halves onto abutment, the band being relatively wide as compared to its thickness to effectuate a sterna non-invasive, non-traumatizing compressive force distribution along an appreciable reach of the sternum,
• the buckle and the band carrying cooperating loop locking means inoperable when the band is drawn in a loop draw tight direction but operable to loop lock the band preventing any movement thereof in an opposite direction and thereby sustaining set the looped compressive embrace of the abutting sternum halves,
• said buckle-band loop locking means including a projection on the on and a plurality of spaced slotted openings in the other in which said projection can engage.
• said buckle including a longitudinal saddle part and flanges inturned from the margins of said saddle spaced from said needle and therewith defining the band guide and retaining slide through course, the projection being carried on a spring leaf extending upwardly through an opening in the saddle, the slotted openings being disposed in a section of said band proximate the said other end thereof and being present in a sufficient number thereof to allow for engagement of said buckle projection therewith over a range of tight closed loop sizes in correspondence to use of the assembly with sterna having different sizes.

For use in a surgical procedure that involves approximating separated parts of an osseous structure, a banding assembly for applying a clamp to closingly abut the parts of the structure, the assembly comprising in elongate array the following components:

• a surgical needle having a shape that renders it readily insertable from one location alongside the structure to surround structure parts and emerge alongside the structure at an opposite location;
• an elongated thin flat band, the needle being connected to one end of said band so that the band can be drawn in following surrounding run of the structure when the needle is withdrawn outwardly from said opposite location;
• and
• a buckle carried at the other end of said band, the buckle having a band guide and retaining slide through course for accommodating sliding pass through of the said one end of the band for establishing a closed band loop about parts which loop can be drawn tight to apply compressive clamp together force to bring the parts into approximating abutment, the band being relatively wide as compared to its thickness to effectuate a non-invasive, non-traumatizing compressive force distribution along an appreciable reach of the structure,
• said buckle band guide and retaining slide through course being defined by inturned buckle flanges arranged opposite each other, the band along an intermediate length portion being demarked by a section of diminished width to facilitate insertion of said band into the slide through course by entry passage of the said intermediate length portion through the space between the confronting flanges for effecting formation of a closed loop with the band,
• the buckle and the band carrying cooperating loop locking means inoperable when the band is drawn in a loop draw tight direction but inoperable to loop lock the band preventing any movement thereof in an opposite direction thereby sustaining set the looped compressive embrace of the structure parts.

For use following surgery that involves a median sternotomy, a banding assembly for applying a clamp to closingly abut the split halves of the sternum, the assembly comprising in elongate array the following components:

• a surgical needle having a shape that renders it readily insertable from one parasternal location alongside the sternum to underpass the sternum halves and emerge alongside the sternum at an opposite parasternal location;
• an elongated thin flat band, the needle being connected to one end of said band so that the band can be drawn in following underpass run of the sternum halves when the needle is withdrawn outwardly from said opposite parasternal location;
• and
• a buckle carried at the other end of said band, the buckle having a band guide and retaining slide through course for accommodating sliding pass through of the said one end of the band establishing a closed band loop about the sternum halves which loop can be drawn tight to apply compressive clamp together force to bring the sternum halves into abutment, the band being relatively wide as compared to is thickness to effectuate a sterna non-invasive, non-traumatizing compressive force distribution along an appreciable reach of the sternum,
• said buckle band guide and retaining slide through course being defined by inturned buckle flanges arranged opposite each other, the band along an intermediate length portion being demarked by a section of diminished width to facilitate insertion of said band into the slide through course by entry passage of the said portion through the space between the confronting flanges for effecting formation of a closed loop with the band,
• the buckle having a buckle holding means for holding the buckle during approximations of the sternum halves, the buckle holding means allowing for the positioning of the jaw tips of a surgical implement therein,
• the buckle and the band carrying cooperating loop locking means being inoperable when the band is drawn in a loop draw tight direction but operable to loop lock the band preventing any movement thereof in an opposite direction and thereby sustaining set the looped compressive embrace of the abutting sternum halves.

A method for closing the split halves of a sternum following surgery involving a median strenotomy, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a banding assembly which includes, in an elongate array,
• a surgical needle having a shape that renders it readily insertable from one parasternal location alongside the sternum to underpass the sternum halves and emerge alongside the sternum at an opposite parasternal location,
• an elongated thin flat band, the needle being connected to one end of the said band so that the band can be drawn in following underpass run of the sternum halves when the needle is withdrawn outwardly from said opposite parasternal location,
• a buckle carried at the other end of said band, the buckle having a band guide and retaining slide through course for accommodating sliding pass through of the said one end of the band for establishing a closed band loop about the sternum halves which loop can be drawn tight to apply compressive clamp together force to bring the sternum halves into abutment, the band being relatively wide as compared to its thickness to effectuate a sterna non-invasive, non-traumatizing compressive force distribution along an appreciable reach of the sternum,
• said buckle band guide and retaining slide through course is defined by inturned buckle flanges spaced confrontingly one with the other, the band along an intermediate length portion being demarked by lateral width diminution to facilitate sidewise insertion of said band into slide through course by entry passage of the said portion through the space between the confronting flanges for effecting formation of a closed loop with the band,
• the band including transversely weakened structure therein at longitudinally spaced locations therein for readily frangibly separating band excess length run from the drawn tight end of said buckle along a desired weakened structure location generally coincident with the end of the buckle, so that following separation of the excess band length run at said desired weakened structure location, no appreciable remainder band length extends beyond the buckle, thereby avoiding sharp edged structure protrusion from the closed clamp loop,
• the buckle having a buckle holding means for holding the buckle during approximation of the sternum halves, the buckle holding means including jaw tip receiving means and allowing for the positioning of the jaw tips of a surgical implement therein,
• the buckle and the band carrying cooperating loop locking means inoperable when the band is drawn in a loop draw tight direction but operable to loop lock the band preventing any movement thereof in an opposite direction and thereby sustaining set the looped compressive embrace of the abutting sternum halves;
• (b) exposing the split halves of the sternum;
• (c) threading the surgical needle portion of the band assembly through the intercostal tissue along the outer edge of the first half of the sternum;
• (d) further threading the surgical needle of the banding assembly through the intercostal tissue along the outer edge of the second half of the sternum so that a sufficient working length of the band has been drawn through;
• (e) removing the surgical needle from the band;
• (f) inserting the diminished width portion of the band through the buckle band guide and retaining slide through course so that the intermediate portion of the band passes through the buckle and a closed loop is formed;
• (g) gripping the wider width portion of the band with a first surgical implement having jaws;
• (h) gripping the buckle member using a second surgical implement having a pair of jaw tips, said gripping being achieved by positioning the jaw tips of the second surgical implement in the jaw tip receiving means of the buckle holding means;
• (i) holding the buckle member with the second surgical implement;
• (j) pulling the wider width portion of the band in the draw tight direction so that with the sternum halves proximated in abutment with the other, the closed loop is drawn into a tight compressive interengagement against the sternum halves to effect abutted closure thereof, and the loop locking means being operable to loop lock the band within the buckle member preventing any movement thereof, and sustaining set the looped compressive embrace of the abutting sternum halves;
• and
• (k) applying a pull-up force on the band portion near to and extending beyond the end of the buckle in the draw loop tight direction, so that the transversely weakened structure under the drawn tight end of the buckle on which the pull-up force is applied, frangibly separates from the drawn tight end of the buckle, as to leave no appreciable remainder band length beyond the buckle end, thereby avoiding sharp edged structure protrusion from the closed clamp loop.