Patent ID: 8679136

Claim:
A needle capture device for use an endoscope and sized for insertion through a instrument channel of the endoscope, said needle capture device comprising: a) a flexible tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end; b) a flexible shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, said shaft extending through said tubular member; c) a proximal handle to longitudinally displace said shaft and tubular members relative to each other; d) a housing having a proximal end fixed to said distal end of said flexible tubular member and a distal end; and e) three rigid tubular members within said housing including, i) a rigid outer tubular member having a proximal end fixed to said distal end of said flexible tubular member, a distal end fixed to said distal end of said housing, at least one coupling tab plastically deformed into an interior of said outer tubular body, a latch tab plastically deformed into an interior of said outer tubular body, and a latch release tab proximally displaced from said latch tab and extending into an interior of said outer tubular body, wherein said latch release tab can be resiliently moved radially outward to cause radially outward displacement of said latch tab, ii) a rigid intermediate tubular member coaxially provided within said outer tubular member, said intermediate tubular member having a proximal end fixed to said distal end of said flexible shaft, a distal end, a wall extending between the proximal and distal ends, and at least one longitudinally extending slot defined in said wall between said proximal and distal ends, and iii) a rigid inner tubular member coaxially provided within said intermediate tubular member, said inner tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and defining at least one coupling slot, each of said at least one longitudinally extending slot of said intermediate tubular member being longer in length than said at least one coupling slot of said inner tubular member said at least one coupling tab plastically deformed to extend through said at least one longitudinally extending slot in said intermediate tubular member and into said at least one coupling slot to fix the position of said inner tubular member relative to said outer tubular member, said intermediate tubular member longitudinally displacable relative to said outer and inner tubular members in response to operation of said proximal handle, wherein operation of said proximal handle to longitudinally displace said intermediate tubular member distally within said outer tubular member causes a portion of said intermediate tubular member to resiliently move said latch release tab radially outward to cause radially outward displacement of said latch tab.