Patent ID: 8920440

Claim:
A suture system comprising: a suture instrument comprising a handle located proximal and a head located distal relative the suture instrument, the head comprising a movable needle that moves within the head from a proximal portion of the head to a distal end of the head that defines a cavity; and a suture assembly comprising a cap attached to an end of suture, a suture container maintaining a trailing section of the suture and attachable to the handle, and a cap retainer isolating the cap from the trailing section of the suture; wherein the cap is a tubular cap having a body wall formed around an open tubular through-bore, the tubular cap insertable into the cavity of the head such that the open tubular through-bore is aligned to removably receive a tissue-piercing pointed end of the movable needle of the head of the instrument; wherein, when the tubular cap is captured in the cavity of the distal end of the head and the suture container is attached to the handle, the suture is tensioned between the head and the handle of the suture instrument; and wherein the suture container comprises: a first flange extending from a first reel segment; and a second flange extending from a second reel segment, the first and second reel segments coupled to one another to provide a suture winding surface, the first flange spaced apart from the second flange by a suture gap equal to or less than a diameter of the suture to allow the suture to be friction-fit within the suture gap, the first and the second flanges further capturing an O-ring between them such that a portion of the O-ring is exposed within a central hole defined in the first and the second flanges.