US2264679A - Surgical instrument - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 2, 1941. v. M. RAVEL 2,264,679

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 29, 1940 [52202121 M Fave] WMM ,Z W

Patented Dec. 2, 1941 UNITED smres smear ()FFICE Application Oc-tcbcr 29, 1940, Serial No. 363,359

' (or. 12s 340) 5 Claims.

This invention pertains to surgical implements and is particularlydirected to a device for forming suture stitches to close surgical wounds.

One object of the invention is to provide an instrument for producing a plurality of Wound stitches in one stitching operation, to enable closing the entire wound in a single stitching op' eration. Pursuant to this object the instrument comprises a plurality of needles, each capable of forming one stitch. The several needles are arranged in a row, spaced apart equidistant, to produce a wound closure with uniformly arranged stitches.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single instrument for closing difierent wounds, of different lengths, requiring different numbers of stitches, and forming the stitches of a given wound in a single stitching operation. Pursuant to this object the instrument of the invention is adjustable to accommodate more or .less needles in accordance with the number of stitches required in a given wound.

It follows that the instrument of the present invention, capable of producing a plurality of stitches to close a wound in a single stitching operation, simplifies the wound closing operation, and enables the formation of an improved wound closure, in less time and with less discomfort to the patient. The instrument of the present invention is adjustable to be accommodated to difierent length wounds, and can be readily disassembled. The instrument, and its several elements are free from crevices, and is accordingly able to be readily cleaned and sterilized.

The instrument of the invention is adapted to produce a novel wound closure, comprising a plurality of stitches, the several stitches being produced by a single suture strand. The result is a wound closure which looks the discomfort of prior art wound closures, the stitches of which are removed more easily, and with less discomfort to the patient.

The various object and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood from the embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing, of which Figure l is a perspective View of the instrument of the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section with :7 parts broken away for purposes of clearness of illustration;

Figure 3 shows a modified form of the needle of the invention;

Figure 4 shows the instrument of the invention in position ready for use;

Figure 5 is a View of the instrument of the invention in position at one stage in the operation of producing a wound closure;

Figure Gis .a view similar to Figure 5, showing the needle in position at a later stage in the formation of a closure;

Figure '7 shows the wound closure completed; and

Figure 8 is aperspective view showing the formation of the stitchin detail.

In the drawing the needle base is indicated generally at H and comprises a plurality of needle supporting members l2 which are detachably joined together'end to end by any suitable attaching means, such as the studs I3. The needle base H may be of any suitable shapeand in the practice of the invention shown, it is cylindrical in form so that, when the several members l2 are joined together, it comprises an elongated cylindrical base.

Each member I2 is adapted to support one or more needles I4 which are fixed to the base by any suitable attaching means, such as the screw threads IS. The needles project laterally from the side of the needl base, arranged in a row, and spaced apart along the back, preferably spaced apart equidistant, as shown in the drawing. The needles M are attached to the several members so positioned that throughout the length of the needle base I I, no matter how many members are joined together to comprise the base, the needles are spaced apart equidistant from each other.

This structure, it will be noted, enables the single instrument to produce a plurality of wound stitches in .a single operation of the instrument because all needles operate simultaneously with the single stitching operation of the instrument. Accordingly, under the preferred practice, the needles are made of equal length and are uniform in construction.

The needle base, as described and shown, is attached to the handle I6 by means of an intermediate attachment rod which spaces the needle base laterally away from the handle. The needle base is preferably joined to the attachment H by means of thestud 13 of the endmost member I? and the attachment I1 is accordingly equipped with a threaded hole to receive the stud l3.

The shank l8 of each needle may be straight, as illustrated in Figure 1, or the needles may be provided with curved shanks l8, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Each needle is provided with an eye l9 to receive a suture, the eye being located at the end- 29 c the shank, and in accordance with the preferred practice of the invention, the eye I9 is provided with aslot 20, which enables the suture to be removed from the eye without being drawn therethrough and without the necessity of cutting the suture. In the preferred practice of the invention, the eye comprises a pair oftines 2| spring pressed toward each other, which engage each other in face to face relationship at their ends along the line 22. Thetines 2| meet to provide theneedle point 30, adapted to be pricked through the skin of the patient to form the stitch.

Now referring to Figure 4 of the drawing, the instrument is employed in the following manner:

The base member I l is made the desired length by joining as many members l2 together as is required. Needles I4 are attached to the base member I l in the manner illustrated in Figure 4, and thesuture 23 is threaded through the eyes of the several needles. The instrument is now ready to form the wound closing stitch. Assuming that thewound 24 is to be stitched, the instrument is positioned alongside the wound in the position illustrated in Figure 4. The instrument is then in position for its needles M to be projected through the wound carrying with it thesuture 23. As illustrated in Figure 5, each needle it carries with it abight 25 of the suture, and the bights project out of the wound together with thepoints 30 of the needles.ends 26 and 2! are now ready to be joined, but before they are tied one end 26 is threaded through each of thebights 25 in succession of the respective stitches formed by the respective needles. See Figure 6. Theends 26 and 21 are now knotted at 28 to complete the wound stitching. The instrument is thereupon retracted from the wound and theseveral bights 25 are slid out from between thtines 2| of the eyes l9, through theslots 20.

The accompanying disclosure constitutes one preferred embodiment of the invention. A number of modifications will occur to those skilled in The suture the art which will not depart from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the invention being determined by the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A wound stitching device comprising, a handle, a needle base carried by the handle, and a needle attached to one end to the base and having at its opposite end an eye, a piercing point in axial alinement with and located at the outer extremity of the eye and an opening leading outward from the eye through the piercing point.

2. A wound stitching device comprising, a handle, a needle base attached to the handle, and a plurality of needles attached to the needle base disposed longitudinally thereof and spaced apart equidistant, each needle having at one end an eye, a piercing point in axial alinement with and located at the outer extremity of the eye and an opening leading outward from the eye through the piercing point.

3. A wound stitching device comprising, a handle, a needle base attached to the handle, a plurality of needles attached to the needle base disposed longitudinally thereof and spaced apart equidistant, each needle having an eye at its outer end, a piercing point at the outer extremity of the eye and an opening extending outward from the eye and through the piercing point to permit escape of the suture therethrough.

4. A wound stitching device comprising, a needle including a shank and a point, the point comprising a pair of tines side by side and bowed to provide an eye, the said tines meeting at their ends to provide a piercing point.

5. A surgical needle comprising a shank having an end portion tapered to a point and provided with an eye lying adjacent to but in rear of the extremity of the point, and a cleft extending from the outer end of the eye through the extremity of the point in the line of the longitudinal axis of the needle.

VINCENT MARVIN RAVEL.

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