Importance

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Abstract

An instrument for suturing anatomical tissue with a suture needle includes a housing, an elongate tubular member mounted by the housing, a needle driver having a distal end movable between an undeployed position disposed laterally inward of a peripheral edge of the elongate tubular member and a deployed position disposed laterally outward of the peripheral edge, and a needle catcher having a distal end movable between an undeployed position disposed laterally inward of the peripheral edge of the elongate tubular member and a deployed position disposed laterally outward of the peripheral edge. At least one of the needle driver and the needle catcher is coupled with the housing for arcuate movement about a longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular member such that a corresponding distal end of the needle holder is caused to move along an arcuate path having a radius of curvature greater than a radial dimension of the elongate tubular member. In addition, the respective distal ends of the needle driver and the needle catcher are operable to grasp and release the suture needle so that, when the needle driver and the needle catcher are in deployed positions, a suture needle having a radius of curvature commensurate with the radius of curvature of the arcuate path can be driven through anatomical tissue using a distal end of the needle driver and can be subsequently passed to the distal end of the needle catcher to be pulled through the anatomical tissue.

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First Claim