Inventors:
Glen McLaughlin - San Carlos CA, US
Imraan Aziz - Oakland CA, US
Ron Songer - Palo Alto CA, US
Jeffrey Christian - Morgan Hill CA, US
Anil Singhal - San Jose CA, US
Assignee:
G-Surge Medical Solutions, Inc. - Menlo Park CA
International Classification:
A61B 17/04
Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatus for suturing tissue penetrations made during minimally invasive surgery. One embodiment of an apparatus for suturing tissue penetrations comprises a shaft, suture capture surface coupled to the shaft, and at least one pair of needles or other penetrating members advanceable from the shaft. The shaft can be detachably coupled to a hand-piece. The surface has a deployed and a non-deployed configuration and is configured to capture a suture in the deployed configuration and retain it in the non-deployed configuration. The surface can be deployed by a frame or other expandable structure. The penetrating members are configured to be coupled to a suture and are advanceable from the shaft by an advancement member or other means to deliver a suture end portion to the deployed surface. Sutures can be contained in a replaceable cartridge detachably coupled to the apparatus.