US 6,263,558 B1 · Method and apparatus for forming double-armed sutures

Abstract

A semi-automated machine for preparing double-armed sutures, i.e., a suture with a surgical needle at either end of the suture, from a bulk supply of surgical needles and an indefinite length of suture material is described. Each of the surgical needles has a suture receiving opening formed therein for receiving a suture. The machine includes a needle singulation station, a precise positioning station, a suture feeding and cutting station, a swage station, a pull-test station and an off-load station. A universal gripper mounted on a rotary indexing device automatically receives each individual needle in a predetermined orientation and conveys the needle for sequential processing from station to station to form the needle-suture assembly. A suture drawing and cutting station automatically inserts an end of the indefinite length of suture into the first of the pair of needles that form the double-armed suture. A swage station is provided for swaging the needle to close the suture receiving opening about the suture to secure said suture thereto. The suture drawing and cutting station then cuts the indefinite length, and inverts the cut end for insertion into the second of the pair of needles. The swage station then swages the second needle to close the suture receiving opening about the suture to secure said suture thereto and thereby form the double-armed suture.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A needle threading and swaging apparatus for attaching a single suture to either a single suture or a pair of surgical needles, each needle having a suture receiving opening formed therein, said apparatus comprising:

(a) at least two universal grippers, each gripper sequentially receiving a first surgical needle and indexing said first surgical needle in a predetermined orientation from a first predetermined location through a swage station,
(b) a suture cutting and inserting station located at a second predetermined location for automatically cutting an indefinite length of suture material to a definite length, said definite length having a first end and a second end, said suture cutting and inserting station having a first gripper for inserting a first end of said suture into the suture receiving opening formed in the first surgical needle, and a second invertible gripper for gripping the indefinite length suture, and after the suture has been cut, automatically inserting said suture into said suture receiving opening formed in a second surgical needle;
(c) a rotatable carriage for said second invertible gripper, to rotate said second gripper and invert a cut end of said suture for insertion into said second surgical needle in the event double-armed sutures are to be formed;
(d) a swage station for sequentially swaging each surgical needle to close the suture receiving openings of each surgical needle about a definite length of suture, wherein the first needle is secured to the first end of said definite length of suture and the second needle to the second end of said definite length of suture when a double-armed needle and suture assembly is to be formed.

1 more element

A needle threading and swaging apparatus for attaching a suture to a pair of surgical needles, each needle having a suture receiving opening formed therein to form a double-armed suture, said apparatus comprising:

(a) at least a first and a second universal gripper for sequentially receiving a first and a second surgical needle of said pair at a first predetermined location and transferring said needles in a predetermined orientation to a swaging station;
(b) a suture drawing and cutting station for automatically cutting an indefinite length of suture material to a definite length and automatically inserting a first end of said definite length suture into said suture receiving opening formed in the first surgical needle and automatically inverting and inserting a second end of said definite length suture into said suture receiving opening formed in the second surgical needle after the indefinite length of suture has been cut;
(c) a swage station for sequentially swaging the first and the second of said pair of surgical needles to close the respective suture receiving openings in the first and the second surgical needles about the first and second ends of said definite length suture to secure said suture thereto and form therefrom a double-armed needle and suture assembly;
whereby surgical needles and an indefinite length of suture material are formed into a plurality of double-armed surgical needle and suture assemblies.

1 more element

A method of forming a double-armed suture, wherein the suture is swaged to a pair of surgical needles, said method comprising:

(a) sequentially positioning a first and then a second surgical needle in a predetermined position in a swage station for subsequent sequential swaging;
(b) automatically inserting and swaging a first end of an indefinite length of suture material into a suture receiving opening in the first of said needles, thereby drawing said indefinite length to a definite length, said definite length having a first end and a second end;
(c) cutting said definite length of suture from said indefinite length of suture material along a cut axis;
(d) inverting the second end of said definite length of suture, and automatically inserting and swaging second end of said indefinite length of suture material into a suture receiving opening in the second of said needles to thereby form a double-armed suture assembly.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for forming double-armed sutures

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for forming double-armed sutures

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30