Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

The surgical suturing assembly of the present invention protects a user from accidental puncture wounds. A surgical needle is contained within a rigidly-walled protective casing, having a proximate end defining a first aperture through which the needle is inserted. The casing tapers distally to define a second aperture for passage and limiting protrusion of the sharp tip of the needle. The casing defines a pair of openings near the distal end, through which openings the needle shaft is exposed when the sharp tip extends through the second aperture. Upon insertion of the needle, the casing is plugged by a suture guide that engages the first aperture, the suture guide having an eye for threading onto the suturing thread. When plugged, the suture guide functions to slidingly retain a needle within the casing. In use, a surgeon grasps the suturing needle assembly where the exposed section of the needle shaft contacts the casing. The surgeon then punctures the designated patient biological tissue and extends the distal part of the assembly therethrough. The surgeon then releases the assembly and regrasps the distal casing thereof, pulling the remaining portion of the assembly through the tissue sections. By engaging only the distal casing, the surgeon frees the surgical needle, allowing it to slidably recess into the proximate casing when the suturing needle assembly is pulled completely through the apertures in the tissue, to ultimately obscure the sharp needle tip and effectively prevent accidental self-puncture.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim