Seam guidance device

Abstract

Suture guidance device comprising: a hollow tube with a proximal end and a curved distal tube section extending to a distal end; a handle attached to the proximal end of the hollow tube; an actuating element on the handle movable between a first position and a second position; an inner arm within the curved distal tube section connected to the actuating element, the inner arm movable between a first configuration and a second configuration; wherein, when the actuating element is in the first position, the inner arm extends from the distal tube section at an angle to the distal tube section in the first configuration; and wherein, when the actuating element is in the second position, the inner arm in the second configuration is retracted further proximally within the distal tube section compared to the first configuration.A suture delivery device for guiding a length of suture material through an object. The suture delivery device comprises a hollow tube with a proximal end and a curved distal tube section extending to a distal end. The suture delivery device also includes a handle attached to the proximal end of the hollow tube, an actuating element on the handle movable between a first, a second, and a third position, and an inner arm within the curved distal tube section connected to the actuating element. The inner arm is movable between a first, a second, and a third configuration. When the actuating element is in the first position, the inner arm extends from the distal tube section at an angle to the distal tube section.When the actuating element is in the second position, the inner arm is retracted within the distal tube section in the second configuration.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED REGISTRATIONS This application claims priority from US Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 598,545, filed on December 14, 2017, entitled “Seam Guidance Device”. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The present disclosure is directed generally to surgical apparatus and in particular to a surgical device for passing suture material through tissue. 2. Description of the related prior art It is common in surgical procedures to pass suture material through tissue. For example, many orthopedic repair procedures require passing suture material through tissue to bring the tissue into contact with a bone. Generally, suture material is attached to a needle or otherwise threaded through a needle, and the needle is passed through the tissue. In some procedures, it is difficult to access the tissue at the surgical site. In these cases, a suture guide is often used to control or guide the needle through a proximal side of the tissue to a distal side and back again through the proximal side. However, many conventional suture guides do not secure the suture material consistently or adequately as they move through the tissue.Furthermore, many conventional suturing devices leave the needle exposed as it passes through the tissue, which can cause additional damage or trauma to the surrounding tissue. Therefore, there is a need for a new and improved procedure and a new and improved device for passing suture material through tissue that secures the suture and minimizes additional trauma as the needle passes through the tissue. Disclaimer regarding the section on related prior art: To the extent that specific patents / publications / products are discussed above in this section to describe related prior art or elsewhere in this disclosure, such discussions should not be taken as an admission that the patents / publications / products discussed constitute prior art for patent purposes. For example, some or all of the patents / publications / products discussed may not be sufficiently early, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough, and / or may not be sufficiently disclosed to be considered prior art for patent purposes.To the extent that specific patents / publications / products are discussed above in this section to describe the related prior art and / or in the application as a whole, their descriptions / disclosures are all hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their respective entirety. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention recognize that there are potential problems and / or disadvantages with conventional suture delivery devices. For example, conventional suture delivery devices do not consistently or adequately secure the suture material as it moves through the tissue (as described above). Therefore, there is a need for a suture delivery device that secures the suture and minimizes additional trauma as the needle passes through the tissue. Various embodiments of the present invention may be advantageous because they can solve or reduce one or more of the potential problems and / or disadvantages discussed herein. The present disclosure relates to an inventive configuration, structure, and resulting function of a suture-guiding device. According to one aspect, the suture-guiding device comprises a hollow tube with a proximal end and a curved distal tube section extending to a distal end. The suture-guiding device also comprises a handle attached to the proximal end of the hollow tube, an actuating element located on the handle which is movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position, and an inner arm within the curved distal tube section which is connected to the actuating element. The inner arm is movable between a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration. When the actuating element is in the first position, the inner arm extends from the distal tube section at an angle to the distal tube section in the first configuration.When the actuating element is in the second position, the inner arm in the second configuration is retracted further proximally within the distal tube section compared to the first configuration. Suture material or sutures, as the terms are used and described herein, include monofilament or multifilament sutures, as well as any other metallic or non-metallic filament- or wire-like material suitable for performing the function of a suture. This material may include both bioabsorbable and non-absorbable materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings merely illustrate typical embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and are therefore not to be considered as limiting its scope, since the disclosed subject matter may enable other equally effective embodiments. Reference is now briefly made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a suture guidance device according to one embodiment; Fig. 2 is a schematic top view of a distal tip of the suture guidance device according to one embodiment; Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of an actuating element of the suture guidance device in a first position according to one embodiment; Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of a distal tube section of the suture guidance device in the first configuration according to one embodiment; Fig. 5 is a schematic side view perspective of the distal tip of the suture guidance device with the inner arm in the first configuration according to one embodiment; Fig. 6 is a schematic side view of the actuating element of the suture guidance device in a second position according to one embodiment; Fig.Figure 7 is a schematic side view of the distal tube section of the suture guidance device in the second configuration according to one embodiment; Figure 8 is a top perspective view of the distal tip of the suture guidance device between the second and third configurations with suture material inserted according to one embodiment; Figure 9 is a schematic side view of the actuating element of the suture guidance device in a third position according to one embodiment; Figure 10 is a schematic side view of the distal tube section of the suture guidance device in a third configuration according to one embodiment; Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view of the curvature of the curved distal tube section according to one embodiment; and Figure 12 is a schematic side view of the curved distal tube section according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Aspects of the present invention and certain features, advantages, and details thereof are explained in more detail below with reference to the non-restrictive examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known structures are omitted to avoid obscuring the invention unnecessarily in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and the specific non-restrictive examples, while indicating aspects of the invention, are provided for illustration only and not as a limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and / or arrangements within the spirit and / or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. Referring to the figures, where identical reference numerals consistently refer to identical parts, Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a suture guidance device 10 according to one embodiment. The suture guidance device 10 comprises a hollow tube 12 with a proximal end 14, a distal end 16, and an inner arm 18 positioned within the hollow tube 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the hollow tube 12 includes a curved distal tube section 13 extending from a position between the proximal and distal ends 14, 16 to the distal end 16; however, in other embodiments, the hollow tube 12 may be a straight tube extending from the proximal end 14 to the distal end 16. A curvature c of the curved distal tube segment 13 helps to achieve proper placement of the curved distal tube segment 13 by a labrum.Different curvatures c of the curved distal canal section 13 can be used for various procedures. One embodiment of the curvature c of the curved distal canal section 13 is shown in Fig. 11. The curvature c of the curved distal canal section 13 has a radius r. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 11, the radius r is 9.2722 mm. As shown in Fig. 12, the curved distal canal section 13 has an overbite b across the midline m, which extends centrally through the curved distal canal section 13. In one embodiment, the overbite b is 4 mm. In other embodiments, the overbite b is in the range of 3–5 mm. Furthermore, the curved distal tube section 13 can extend in any direction from the hollow tube 12, such as upwards (as shown in Fig. 1) or laterally (by rotating the curved distal tube section 13 in Fig. 1 by 90 degrees). The suture guidance device 10 also includes a proximal handle 20, which is attached to the proximal end 14 of the hollow tube 12. A proximal end (not shown) of the inner arm 18 is directly or indirectly connected to an actuating element 22 attached to the handle 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner arm 18 includes a straight distal end 24. In an alternative embodiment, the distal end 24 of the inner arm 18 includes a hook 26 (Fig. 4). The distal end 24 (or the hook 26) is configured to extend through and retract from the open distal end 16 of the curved distal tube section 13. The movement of the inner arm 18, including the distal end 16 (or hook 26), is controlled by movement of the actuating element 22.In one embodiment, the actuating element 22 is movable between a first position, a second position and a third position, while the distal end 16 (or the hook 26) is movable between a first configuration, a second configuration and a third configuration. With reference to Fig. 2, a schematic top view of a distal tip 28 of the suture delivery device 10 according to one embodiment is shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the curved distal tube section 13 of the suture delivery device 10 comprises a sharp distal tip 28. In Fig. 2, the distal tip 28 is tapered distally to a piercing tip 30, which is used to pierce through a first (e.g., proximal) side of a tissue (not shown) or other object. The distal tip 28 extends proximally to a recessed section 32 (i.e., longitudinal opening) in the distal end 16 of the curved distal tube section 13. As shown in Fig. 2, the recessed section 32 extends along a portion of the length of the distal tube section 13. The inner arm 18 can be extended through the recessed section 32 and retracted from the recessed section 32 into the distal tube section 13 (or the hollow tube 12).Referring to Figures 3 and 4, schematic side views of the actuating element 22 and the distal tube section 13 of the suture-guiding device 10, respectively, are shown according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the actuating element 22 can be a knob, switch, or other projection that is displaceable along the handle 20 (and can be displaceable to several positions substantially along the longitudinal axis of the handle 20 toward the distal end and / or the proximal end in order to perform the actuating functionality described herein by using linear motion, by using rotary motion by using internal gears that are moved by the linear motion of the actuating element 22 (for example), or a combination of both, as should be understood by a person with ordinary skills in the field in conjunction with a review of this disclosure).In a first configuration, the actuating element 22 is in a first position along the handle 20 relative to a distal end 34 of the handle 20. When the actuating element 22 is in the first position, the hook 26 and the connected inner arm 18 are in the first configuration and extend out of the distal tube section 13, as shown in Fig. 4. In the first configuration, the inner arm 18 (and the hook 26) extends at an angle from the distal tube section 13, such that the hook 26 is spaced apart from the distal tube section 13. With reference to Fig. 5, a schematic side view perspective of the distal tip 28 of the suture guidance device 10 with the inner arm 18 in the first configuration according to one embodiment is shown. As shown, in the first configuration, the inner arm 18 (and the hook 26) projects at an angle from the recessed section 32. This creates space between the distal end 24 (or hook 26) of the inner arm 18 and the distal tube section 13 to capture suture material (not shown). In one embodiment, the suture material is captured between the distal end 24 of the inner arm 18 and the distal tube section 13 in a tab- or clamp-like manner. In an alternative embodiment, the suture material is captured in the hook 26.The inner arm 18 may be biased to extend outwards when not held in place by an inner surface (not shown) of the distal tube section 13 when the inner arm 18 is in the second and third configurations. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, schematic side views of the actuating element 22 and the distal tube section 13 of the suture delivery device 10, respectively, are shown according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, in a second configuration, the actuating element 22 is located in a second position along the handle 20 relative to the distal end 34 of the handle 20. When the actuating element 22 is moved from the first position to the second position, the hook 26 of the inner arm 18 rotates from the first configuration to the second configuration toward the distal tube section 13, with the suture material (not shown) held within the hook 26. When the actuating element 22 is in the second position, the inner arm 18 is in the second configuration and extends partially out of the distal tube section 13, as shown in Figure 7. When the inner arm 18 is in the second configuration, there is minimal to no space between the hook 26 and the distal tip 28 of the distal tube segment 13. As shown in Fig. 7, the hook 26 can touch the distal tip 28 to create an enclosed opening 36 through the hook 26, thereby securing the suture material (not shown) within the hook 26. The suture material (not shown) is secured within the hook 26 in such a way that it cannot slip or fall out of the hook 26. Instead, the enclosed opening 36 allows the suture material (not shown) to slide within the enclosed opening 36. Thus, the suture material (not shown) can slide freely through the enclosed opening 36 without falling completely out of the hook 26. Referring to Figures 9-10, schematic side views of the actuating element 22 and the distal tube section 13 of the suture guidance device 10 are shown according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, in a third configuration the actuating element 22 is located in a third position along the handle 20 relative to its distal end 34. In one embodiment, the actuating element 22 is most distal in the first position and most proximal in the third position, with the second position lying between the first and third positions. Other alternative relative positionings of the actuating element 22 suitable for extending and retracting the inner arm 18 can be used.When the actuating element 22 is moved from the second position to the third position, the hook 26 of the inner arm 18 is retracted from the second configuration to the third configuration within the distal tube section 13. When a length of suture material 38 extends through the closed opening 36, the suture material 38 is drawn proximally into the distal tube section 13, as shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the inner arm is located between the second and third configurations, and thus the hook 26 with the secured suture material 38 is almost completely retracted into the distal tube section 13. When the actuating element 22 is in the third position, the inner arm 18 is in the third configuration, with a large portion of the hook 26 retracted within the distal tube section 13, as shown in Fig. 10. When the inner arm 18 is in the third configuration, the suture material 38 extending through the closed opening 36 in the hook 26 is drawn and locked within the distal tube section 13. During operation, the actuating element 22 is moved to the first position, causing the inner arm 18 to extend from the distal tube section 13 to achieve the first configuration. The suture material 38 is then placed inside the hook 26 (or between the straight distal end 24) and the distal tube section 13. The actuating element 22 is then moved to the second position, causing the inner arm to rotate toward the distal tube section 13 to achieve the second configuration (the actuating element can also move proximally to the proximal end of the device). In the embodiment where the distal tube section 13 includes a hook 26, the suture material 38 is locked inside the hook 26. The suture material 38 is movable within the hook 26, so that the user can advance the suture guiding device 10 to a first (e.g. proximal) side of the tissue without tensioning the suture material 38. The actuating element 22 is then moved to the third position, retracting the inner arm 18 proximally into the distal tube section 13 and achieving the third configuration. With the suture material 38 secured in the distal tube section 13 in the third configuration, the suture delivery device 10 is advanced to pierce the first side of the tissue (at a first entry point), not shown, with the piercing tip 30 of the distal tip 28. Once the distal tube section 13 extends from a second (e.g., distal) side of the tissue, the actuating element 22 is advanced to the first position, extending the inner arm 18 out of the distal tube section 13 and achieving the first configuration. In the first configuration, the suture material 38 is released from the suture delivery device 10. With the suture material 38 released on the second side of the tissue, the actuating element 22 can be moved to the third position, thereby retracting the inner arm 18 proximally into the distal tubular section 13 so that the inner arm 18 does not disturb or snag the surrounding tissue. The distal tubular section 13 is then retracted through the tissue to the first side. To complete a suture, the distal tubular section 13 (still in the third configuration) is passed through an adjacent second passage point in the tissue. Once on the second side of the tissue, the actuating element 22 is moved to the first position, thereby extending the inner arm 18 and rotating it to the first configuration. The hook 26 (or the distal end 24) of the inner arm 18 is used to grasp the suture material on the second side of the tissue, such as in the closed opening 36 of the hook 26.The actuating element 22 is then moved to the third position, thereby securing the suture material 38 within the distal tube segment 13 and achieving the third configuration. The distal tube segment 13 is then withdrawn from the tissue. This process can be repeated as needed to complete any number of sutures, as should be understood by a person with ordinary skills in the field, in conjunction with a review of this disclosure. All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to take precedence over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents referenced by reference, and / or common meanings of the defined terms. While various embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will readily recognize a multitude of other means and / or structures for performing the function and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more of the advantages described herein, and any such variation and / or modification will be considered to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily understand that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are intended to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the specific application or applications for which the teaching is / are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein or will be able to determine them using no more than routine experimentation.It should therefore be understood that the preceding embodiments are only illustrated by way of example and that, within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, embodiments other than those specifically described and claimed may be practiced. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. Additionally, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is included within the scope of the present disclosure, provided that such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually incompatible. The terminology used herein serves only to describe certain embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will further be understood that the terms "comprise" (and any form of encompass, such as "comprises" and "encompassing"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including"), and "contain" (any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open linking verbs. Consequently, a method or apparatus that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more steps or elements comprises, but is not limited to possessing only, those one or more steps or elements.Likewise, a step of a process or an element of a device that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured at least in that way, but may also be configured in ways not listed. The respective structures, materials, actions, and equivalents of all means or step-plus-function elements in the following claims, if any, are intended to include any structure, material, or action for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements, as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention as disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiment was chosen and described to best explain the principles of one or more aspects of the invention and its practical application, and to enable other persons skilled in the art to understand one or more aspects of the present invention for different embodiments with different modifications as appropriate for the respective intended use.

Claims

Suture guidance device comprising: a hollow tube with a proximal end and a curved distal tube section extending to a distal end; a handle attached to the proximal end of the hollow tube; an actuating element on the handle movable between a first position and a second position; an inner arm within the curved distal tube section connected to the actuating element, the inner arm movable between a first configuration and a second configuration; wherein, when the actuating element is in the first position, the inner arm extends from the distal tube section at an angle to the distal tube section in the first configuration; and wherein, when the actuating element is in the second position, the inner arm in the second configuration is retracted further proximally within the distal tube section compared to the first configuration. Suture guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the inner arm comprises a distal end with a hook at the distal end. Seam guidance device according to claim 2, wherein when the actuating element is in the second position, the inner arm is retracted further proximally within the distal tube section in the second configuration. Seam guidance device according to claim 3, wherein when the actuating element is in a third position and the distal tube section is in a third configuration, the hook touches the distal tube section and forms an enclosed opening through the hook. Seam guidance device according to claim 4, further comprising a length of suture material extending through the enclosed opening. Seam guiding device according to claim 5, wherein the length of suture material is not movable through the closed opening. Suture guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating element is displaceable proximally and distally between the first position and the second position relative to a distal end of the handle. Suture guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the distal tube section comprises a pointed distal tip with a piercing tip. Suture guidance device according to claim 1, further comprising a recessed section in the distal tube section extending proximal to the pointed distal tip.

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