Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for sewing tissue especially useful for tissue ligation, is provided having a housing and a hollow shaft which extends from the housing. At the distal end of the shaft along its interior is a movable driver member disposed opposite a fixed member. A needle is pivotably mounted at one end to the driver member to extend, when the driver member is moved forward, through a slot in the fixed member and an opening in the shaft, and to retract back into the shaft when the driver member is moved backward. At the distal end of needle is a slotted hook for capturing a loop of suture. The free ends of the loop of suture extend through a hole of the fixed member. A lever pivotably mounted in the housing is coupled to the driver member to translate linear motion forwards or backwards to the driver member. In a method for sewing tissue, the needle is driven forward to extend from the apparatus and then through tissue adjacent tissue to be sewn. The loop of suture is then removed from the needle prior to its retraction leaving the loop of suture extending through the tissue. The apparatus is repositioned with the needle on the opposite side of the tissue to be sewn. The loop of suture is captured again on the needle, and then the needle is retracted with the loop of suture into the apparatus. While holding one end of the suture, the apparatus is removed and one side of the loop of suture is drawn through and around the tissue to be sewn. The mid section of the suture is thus behind the tissue and the suture ends on opposite sides of the tissue are available to facilitate securing or tying of the suture to close a wound or to ligate a tissue structure.

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First Claim