Patent ID: 8182495

Claim:
A suture tensioning device for applying a controlled tensile force onto suture material on either side of a suture knot, comprising: a frame which includes a grip handle and a squeeze lever movable towards said grip handle, a pivot pin situated proximal of said squeeze lever, and an actuator member which extends distally from said frame and which moves in response to squeezing of said squeeze lever; a pair of jaw arms each having a pivot passage at a proximal end of the jaw arm adapted to fit pivotally onto the pivot pin on said frame; a suture jaw clamp at a distal end thereof and which is openable and closeable for securing to respective ends of said suture material; and an attachment member disposed between the proximal and distal ends thereof; a mechanical spreader mechanism coupled to the attachment members of said jaw arms; and to said actuator member; and adapted to apply a controlled sideward distractive force between said jaw arms in response to squeezing of said squeeze lever and corresponding movement of said actuator member, to cause the pair of jaw arms to pivot, on said pivot pin, away from one another and apply a distractive tension to said suture knot; and a tension gauge positioned on said frame and operatively coupled to said actuator member, to provide a measure of suture tension existing between said ends of the suture material, and including a visible indicator displaying the force of said suture tension as applied between said pair of arms.