Method and apparatus for treating a portion of a suture and forming a suture tip for attachment to a needle
AssigneeUnited States Surgical Corporation
InventorsJoseph E. Kus, Francis D. Colligan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A delimited portion of suture material is immersed into a freezing media, such as liquid nitrogen, until the delimited portion is frozen. The frozen delimited portion is cut to provide a stiffened, non-brooming suture tip suitable for insertion into a needle bore. The cut, frozen suture tip is inserted into a needle and the needle is crimped to attach the suture to the needle. After attachment, the frozen suture tip returns to ambient temperature, reversing the effects of freezing the suture portion so that the suture adjacent the needle is as flexible as the remainder of the suture.
Claims18
A method for tipping a multifilament surgical suture, comprising:
- a) providing a running length multifilament surgical suture;
- b) freezing a selected portion of the running length of the suture;
- c) cutting the suture at the frozen portion while the portion is in a frozen state to provide a cut, stiffened suture tip suitable for insertion into a needle bore.
A method of making a surgical needle-suture combination, comprising:
- a) providing running length multifilament surgical suture;
- b) freezing a selected portion of the running length of the suture;
- c) cutting the suture at the frozen portion while the portion is in a frozen state to provide a cut, stiffened suture tip;
- d) inserting the cut, stiffened suture tip into a needle;
- e) crimping the needle to attach the suture to the needle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.