Multi-element biased suture clip
AssigneeAbbott Laboratories
InventorSteven C. Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A suture clamping system, including a plurality of elements positioned together in a row, wherein at least one of the elements is flexible, the plurality of elements each being dimensioned such that an opening slot is formed through the row of elements when the at least one flexible element is biased into a first position, and wherein a tortuous path is formed through the row of elements when the elements are not biased. A method of clamping a suture pair, including biasing a row of adjacent flexible elements to a first position in which an opening slot is formed therealong; receiving the suture pair into the opening slot; and removing the biasing such that the adjacent flexible elements move to positions which hold the suture pair in a tortuous path.
Claims38
A suture clamp, comprising:
- a plurality of elements positioned together in a row, the plurality of elements defining a slot sized to accept a suture element through the row of elements when at least one of the elements is in a first position, and wherein a tortuous path for the suture element is formed through the row of elements when at least one of the elements is in a second position, wherein the at least one element comprises a flexible element which is in the second position when not biased, and which moves into the first position when biased.
A suture clamp, comprising:
- a plurality of elements positioned together in a row, the plurality of elements defining a slot sized to accept a suture element through the row of elements when at least one of the elements is a flexible element which is biased to move into a first position, and wherein a tortuous path for the suture element is formed through the row of elements when the flexible element is not biased.
A suture clamp system, comprising:
- a suture clamp comprising a plurality of elements positioned together in a row, the plurality of elements defining a slot sized to accept a suture element through the row of elements when at least one of the elements is biased into a first position;
- and
- a biasing device which is slidably received over the row of elements, and which biases the at least one flexible element into the first position.
A method of clamping a suture with a suture clamp system comprising a plurality of elements positioned together in a row, wherein the elements are dimensioned such that when at least one of the elements is biased into a first position, a slot sized to accept the suture is formed through the row of elements, and wherein a tortuous path is formed through the row of elements when the elements are not biased, comprising:
- biasing the at least one flexible element into the first position;
- receiving the suture into the slot;
- and removing the biasing such that the tortuous path is formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.