Patent · US Expired

Needle holder with suture filament grasping abilities

US5951587A · kind A · utility

119Cited by
5References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 9, 1997
Grant dateSep 14, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 9, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B17/0483
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A surgical needle holder for use in open or laparoscopic surgery, that grasps a needle or a suture filament . The needle holder has a lower jaw, and an upper jaw moveable from an open to a closed position. The lower jaw has a pair of lower jaw ledge surfaces and a groove. The upper jaw has a grasping protrusion surface that can be embedded within a groove in the lower jaw, when the upper jaw is closed. When the jaws are closed on a needle, it is grasped with a three point needle contact system. The needle contact points are the two lower jaw ledges and the upper jaw grasping protrusion surface. Closure of the jaws on a curved needle "rights" the needle. When the jaws are closed on a suture filament, the upper jaw protrusion surface and the groove form a labyrinth path that effectively grasps the suture filament relative to the end effector. This enables the surgeon to apply tension to a suture to produce a tight knot or, when proximating tissue, tension a suture loop.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.