An apparatus includes a housing, a drive gear assembly, and a drive arm. The housing defines a channel that receives a needle such that the needle is movable within the channel. The drive gear assembly is positioned within the housing and includes a first gear, a second gear, and a rack. The rack is translatable relative to the housing and is coupled with the first and second gears to rotate the first and second gears. The drive arm is coupled with the drive gear assembly and engages the needle to move the needle within the channel of the housing.

A suture passer which is sized and shaped to be inserted through the femoral notch during a meniscal repair. The suture passer includes upper and lower jaws that may be straight or that may have an angled offset in relation to the common axis of the suture passer in order to gain an indirect access to meniscal tissue in a constricted space. The jaws of the suture passer may be angled, either to the left or to the right, up to 45 degrees from the central axis of the shaft. The suture passer is also able to grasp meniscal tissue prior to suture passing. A nitinol needle housed within one of the jaws can then be deployed to pass a preloaded suture through the tissue to be captured on the opposite side of the tissue.

Provided herein are medical apparatuses and methods and more particularly devices and methods for positioning and anchoring a lining to a hollow body organ, such as a stomach, intestine or gastrointestinal tract. For example, in one embodiment, an endoluminal applier includes a fastening assembly configured to receive tissue and lining, a suction device configured to acquire tissue and lining, and a stitching mechanism configured to stitch into the fastening cavity and to apply a running suture to the tissue portion and lining.

A suture passer includes a first shaft comprising a hollow tube and a distal portion located distally of a distal end of the hollow tube; a needle comprising a needle tip and a needle shaft translatably mounted in the hollow tube for passing a suture loaded holder through tissue positioned between the distal end of the hollow tube and the distal portion of the first shaft; an actuatable engagement located in the distal portion of the first shaft for retaining the suture loaded holder after the suture loaded holder has passed through the tissue; a sheath extending around an exterior of the needle shaft and translatable with the needle shaft for at least a portion of a stroke of the needle, wherein the sheath is moveable relative to the needle for actuating the engagement to an unlatched position to release the holder from the distal portion of the first shaft.

A suture stitch or a series of suture stitches with loops underneath and substantially parallel to the surface of a tissue for subcuticular suturing for reduced or minimized scarring and reduced suturing time. Each subsequent stitch connects with the previous suture through material across the diameter. The suture stitch or series of suture stitches include one or more knots acting as anchors for the first loop in the suture stitch or series of suture stitches, and the suture stitch or series of suture stitches are preferably administered via an automated suturing device.

An apparatus comprises an end effector, a shaft assembly, and a drive assembly. The end effector comprises needle receiving arms operable to grasp a needle. The drive assembly comprises drive members that are rotatable about respective drive axes that are perpendicular to the axis of the shaft assembly. The drive assembly is operable to drive the needle receiving arms to selectively engage and disengage the needle; and to selectively pass the needle from one needle receiving arm to the other needle receiving arm. The drive assembly provides an interface to a controller that is operable via a remote user interface. The drive assembly may include helical gears, clutch assemblies, a rack and pinion, or other components to convert motion of the drive members into motion at the end effector.

Methods and devices are disclosed for minimally invasive procedures in the heart. In one application, a catheter is advanced from the left atrium through the mitral valve and along the left ventricular outflow tract to orient and stabilize the catheter and enable a procedure such as a “bow tie” repair of the mitral valve. Right heart procedures are also disclosed.

A catheter includes a hollow body which extends longitudinally and has at least one first side window and a probe emitting a wave beam, the first side window allowing the radiation of the beam in a region next to the catheter for generating imaging, the catheter also including a longitudinal guiding device allowing a transmission of a movement to an intervention element, the intervention element moving in at least an area of the beam, the intervention angle between the first intervention element and the axis of the catheter being controlled by a remote control system.

A surgical instrument comprising a shiftable transmission is disclosed. The transmission comprises a mechanism for assuring that the transmission is in one of a plurality of predefined configurations.

Provided herein is an endoscopic suturing system configured for attachment to, and use with, an endoscope.