Suture needle packages for loading suture needles and methods of passing suture needles through trocars

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11219449-B2
Application number	US-201916282901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2019
Priority date	Feb 22, 2019
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A system for aligning a needle driver with a tip of a suture needle includes a suture needle package having a base, a needle driver alignment guide, and at least one connector for securing the suture needle. The needle driver alignment guide has first and second lateral guide walls that oppose one another for defining a needle driver guide channel. An end wall interconnects the first and second lateral guide walls for defining a distal end of the needle driver alignment guide. The at least one connector secures the suture needle over the base and controls the orientation of the suture needle so that a tip of the suture needle is located within the suture needle guide channel and is bounded by the end wall and the first and second lateral guide walls. A needle driver has a clamping assembly at a distal end that engages the end wall of the needle driver alignment guide for aligning the clamping assembly with the tip of the suture needle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A suture needle package comprising:
a base;
a needle driver alignment guide overlying said base, said needle driver alignment guide including first and second lateral guide walls that oppose one another for defining a needle driver guide channel;
a suture needle overlying said base, said suture needle including a proximal end and a distal end having a tapered section that terminates at a tip, said suture needle having a mid-section that is located between said proximal and distal ends of said suture needle;
at least one connector releasably securing said suture needle over said base, wherein said at least one connector orients said suture needle relative to said first and second lateral guide walls so that said tip of said suture needle is located within said needle driver guide channel and is bounded by said first and second lateral guide walls and so that said mid-section of said suture needle is located outside of said needle driver guide channel and said needle driver alignment guide.

2. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said needle driver guide channel has a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis that extends between said proximal and distal ends thereof.

3. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said needle driver alignment guide further comprises an end wall interconnecting said first and second lateral guide walls for defining said distal end of said needle driver guide channel.

4. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said end wall interconnects distal ends of said first and second lateral guide walls, and wherein said first and second lateral guide walls are parallel to one another.

5. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said end wall and said distal ends of said first and second lateral side walls surround said tip of said suture needle.

6. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 5 , wherein each of said first and second lateral guide walls has a lower end and an upper free end, and wherein said at least one connector holds said tip of said suture needle between said lower ends and said upper free ends of said respective first and second lateral guide walls.

7. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said at least one connector secures said tip of said suture needle closer to said distal end of said needle driver guide channel and secures said proximal end of said suture needle closer to said proximal end of said needle driver guide channel.

8. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said at least one connector comprises a securing notch formed in said upper free end of one of said first and second lateral guide walls, and wherein said tapered section of said suture needle is seated in said securing notch and extends proximally from said tip of said suture needle.

9. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said tapered section of said suture needle extends along an axis that defines an angle with said longitudinal axis of said needle driver alignment channel of less than 90 degrees.

10. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said at least one connector further comprises a second connector that is located proximal to said securing notch for securing a section of said suture needle that is proximal to said tapered section of said suture needle.

11. The suture needle package as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said suture needle comprises a superelastic alloy.

12. A system for aligning a needle driver with a tip of a suture needle comprising:
a suture needle package having a base, a needle driver alignment guide overlying said base, and at least one connector for releasably securing a suture needle to said suture needle package;
said needle driver alignment guide including first and second lateral guide walls that oppose one another for defining a needle driver guide channel;
an end wall interconnecting said first and second lateral guide walls for defining a distal end of said needle driver alignment guide;
said suture needle overlying said base, said suture needle including a proximal end and a distal end having a tapered section that terminates at a tip, said suture needle having a mid-section that is located between said proximal and distal ends of said suture needle;
said at least one connector securing said suture needle over said base and controlling the orientation of said suture needle so that said tip of said suture needle is located within said needle driver guide channel and is bounded by said end wall and said first and second lateral guide walls and so that said mid-section of said suture needle is located outside of said needle driver guide channel and said needle drive alignment guide;
a needle driver comprising an elongated shaft and a clamping assembly located at a distal end of said elongated shaft, wherein said clamping assembly engages said end wall of said needle driver alignment guide for aligning said clamping assembly with said tip of said suture needle.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said at least one connector holds said tip of said suture needle between said first and second lateral guide walls so that said tip is spaced away from said first and second lateral guide walls.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said at least one connector holds said tip of said suture needle proximal to and spaced away from said end wall of said needle driver alignment guide by a first distance.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said clamping assembly has a lower jaw with a top surface and an opposing upper jaw with a bottom surface that is pivotally coupled with said lower jaw for moving said clamping assembly between open and closed positions, wherein a distal end of said lower jaw engages said end wall, and wherein said top surface of said lower jaw is aligned with said tip of said suture needle.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15 , wherein said top surface of said lower jaw has a length that extends between a proximal end and said distal end thereof, and wherein said length of said top surface of said lower jaw is greater than said first distance between said tip of said suture needle and said end wall of said needle driver alignment guide.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said upper jaw of said damping assembly is positioned over said tip of said suture needle and said lower jaw of said damping assembly is positioned under said tip of said suture needle.

18. The system as claimed in clairn 17 , wherein said first and second lateral guide walls are spaced from one another to define a width of said needle driver alignment guide that extends from said first lateral guide wall to said second lateral guide wall.

19. The system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said elongated shaft of said needle driver has a width that is substantially equal to said width of said needle driver alignment guide.

20. The system as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising a resilient element disposed between said first and second lateral guide walls for urging said needle driver against one of said first and second lateral guide walls.

21. The system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said elongated shaft of said needle driver has an outer diameter, and wherein said needle driver alignment guide has a depth that is about ½ the dimension of said outer diameter of said elongated shaft of said needle driver.

22. A method of delivering a sutu

Assignees

• Ethicon Inc

Inventors

• Vailhe Christophe
• Souls Doug

Classifications

• A61B17/0469

  Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery · CPC title

• A61B2017/0479

  Packages or dispensers for MIS suturing instruments · CPC title

• A61B2017/06142

  having needle- or suture- retaining members, e.g. holding tabs or needle parks · CPC title

• A61B2017/00867

  shape memory effect · CPC title

• A61B17/06133 Primary

  of parallelepipedal shape, e.g. made of rectangular or slightly oval panels · CPC title