Patent ID: 8672955
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A suturing device for inserting a medical suture into a cavity in a patient's body and retrieving the suture from the body cavity, the device comprising: an upper support; a lower support spaced from the upper support, the lower support being fixed relative to the upper support; an insertion puncture needle extending from the upper support and past the lower support to a distal end, said insertion puncture needle having a proximal end opposite the distal end and a through-hole extending along a centerline axis from the proximal end to an aperture at the distal end spaced from the lower support by a distance sufficient to position the aperture in the body cavity when the lower support contacts the patient's body; a hollow tube having a size and shape consistent with inserting the hollow tube through the through-hole of the insertion puncture needle and a length sufficient to extend a distal portion of the hollow tube through the aperture of the insertion puncture needle, the distal portion having an arcuate undeflected shape and being sufficiently elastically deflectable that the distal portion of the hollow tube can straighten when withdrawn into the through-hole of the insertion puncture needle and return to the arcuate undeflected shape when extended from the insertion puncture needle through the aperture; a retrieval puncture needle extending parallel to the insertion puncture needle from the upper support and past the lower support to a distal end needle, said retrieval puncture needle having a proximal end opposite the distal end and a through-hole extending along a centerline axis from the proximal end to an aperture at the distal end of the retrieval puncture needle spaced from the lower support by a distance sufficient to position the aperture of the retrieval puncture needle in the body cavity when the lower support contacts the patient's body; and a retrieval member having a size and shape consistent with inserting the retrieval member through the through-hole of the retrieval puncture needle and a length sufficient to extend an annular engagement element at the distal end of the retrieval member through the aperture of the retrieval puncture needle, the engagement element being sufficiently elastically deformable that the element can be collapse when withdrawn into the through-hole of the retrieval puncture needle and return to an annular shape when extended from the retrieval puncture needle through the aperture.