Curved Suture Passer Jaw and Needle for Safer Tissue Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Suturing tissue during surgical procedures is challenging, particularly in difficult-to-access regions, due to difficulties in managing sutures with current suture passers, which can cause tissue damage and complicate the process of loading and unloading sutures.
Innovation Solution
A suture passer with a curved lower jaw and a downward-curving needle design that minimizes tissue damage by allowing easier maneuverability under soft tissue, featuring a trigger mechanism for controlled jaw movement and suture deployment, and a suture loader system for efficient suture management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a straight needle is used to pass suture through tissue, then the suture can be effectively passed, but the needle is difficult to manage and poses a risk of damaging surrounding tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is designed with a downward curvature instead of being straight. This curvature allows the needle to follow a controlled arc trajectory during tissue penetration, making it easier to manage and reducing the risk of unintended contact with surrounding tissue structures while still effectively passing the suture through the target tissue.
2Device complexity
If a straight lower jaw is used in the suture passer, then the device structure is simple, but it causes damage to soft tissue when engaging
Solution Approach 1:
The lower jaw is designed with a curved configuration that allows it to smoothly engage and maneuver under soft tissue. The curvature enables the jaw to follow the natural contours of the tissue, distributing contact forces more evenly and reducing localized stress that would cause tissue damage, while still maintaining effective engagement for suture passing.
3Ease of operation
If the needle curves downward after deployment, then it is easier to manage and reduces tissue damage risk, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The needle incorporates a downward curve in its shaft, transforming it from a straight rigid element to a curved flexible-form structure. This curvature is integrated into the needle's manufacturing, allowing it to naturally follow an arc during deployment. The result is improved manageability and reduced tissue damage risk, while the complexity increase is minimal since the curve is a single integrated feature rather than multiple components.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for repairing a tissue. The method can improve the ability of a surgeon to load a suture into a device and unload the suture from the device. A suture retainer can maintain the suture in place with respect to the device.