Surgical repair kit and its method of use

Abstract

A suture passer including a longitudinally-extending hollow cannula having a central passage slidingly receivable of a surgical suture; a manually graspable handle connected to the hollow cannula for manipulation thereof, the handle having an upper surface; first guide means, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate a distal end of the handle, for releasably, guidingly holding the surgical suture; and second guide means, connected to the upper surface of the handle, proximate to the first guide means, for releasably, guidingly holding the surgical suture. The suture passer can be provided in a kit, for use in the suturing of internal tissue, along with a cannula bender, various hollow surgical needles and surgical suture material. The suture passer finds particular use in the suturing of internal tissues which are at least partially accessible through a body cavity, e.g. arthroscopic surgery.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of:[0002]Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 680,079, filed Oct. 7, 2003 by Kwan-Ho Chan for SURGICAL REPAIR KIT AND ITS METHOD OF USE, Attorney's Docket No. CHAN-33 CON, which is a continuation of:[0003]U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 400,162, filed Sep. 21, 1999 by Kwan-Ho Chan for SURGICAL REPAIR KIT AND ITS METHOD OF USE, Attorney's Docket No. CHAN-33, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,984, which claims the benefit of:[0004]U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 101,162, filed Sep. 21, 1998 by Kwan-Ho Chan for SUTURE PASSER AND RETRIEVER SYSTEM, Attorney's Docket No. CHANPROV, now expired.[0005]U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 400,162 is also a continuation-in-part of:[0006]U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 111,237, filed July 7, 1998 by Kwan-Ho Chan for SURGICAL REPAIR KIT AND ITS METHOD OF USE, Attorney's Docket No. MIT-53CON2, now abandoned, which is a continuation of:[0007]U.S. patent ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0035]It is another object of the present invention to provide a parallel needle guide to allow for an easier and more successful placement of a second needle in close proximity to a first needle that has been previously inserted in the area of a tissue tear.

[0039]And another object of the present invention is to provide a surgical cannula having a sharp distal tip which is adapted to pierce tissue while at least one strand of suture extends out of the cannula's sharp distal tip, wherein the sharp distal tip of the cannula is specially configured so as to minimize the possibility of damaging or severing the suture during the tissue-piercing operation.

[0040]Still another object of the present invention is to provide a modular suture passer assembly which is relatively simple to manufacture and relatively easy to use.

[0050]When the two limbs of a surgical suture are within the cannula, the guide means can function to separate the two limbs. Separation of the two limbs of the surgical suture allows independent manipulation of the suture limbs. Digital manipulation of the surgical suture between the first and second guide means causes longitudinal passage of one limb of the surgical suture within the cannula, i.e., friction between the digit and the said suture will cause the said suture to slide along the top surface of the handle, into or out of the cannula, when manipulated digitally.

[0098]In another form of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for receiving and passing one or more sutures, one or more tools, and combinations thereof, comprising a handle having a shape that facilitates orientation thereof.

Problems solved by technology

Meniscal tears are a common problem, especially among amateur and professional athletes.

If these tears are not repaired, there may be a progressive deterioration of the cartilage, leading to the painful rubbing and wearing of bones which had previously been covered by cartilage.

This, in turn, leads to inflammatory synovitis, arthritis and other debilitating ailments.

However, in still other cases, the tears in the meniscus do require surgical repair, normally by sewing the torn sections of the meniscus together.

Another type of tear in the shoulder that requires attention relates to instability of the shoulder joint after the shoulder has been previously dislocated.

Images