A positioning and retrieval device manipulated by carrying element coupled to an handle and driven by an actuator that allows for axial movement and rotational movement of a capturing portion on the carrying element.

The present invention provides a suturing device to minimize interference and obstructions during intricate surgeries. The curled suture device is significantly shorter than traditional suturing kits by featuring a needle attached to a specially manufactured thread incorporating a stopping mechanism preceding an angular, semi-rigid portion of thread followed by a curled portion of thread arranged in a corkscrew configuration. The stopping mechanism halts the movement of the thread as the needle and thread intermediate the needle and stopping mechanism is pulled through the suture point, securing the remainder of the thread for access. The semi-rigid portion of thread is thereby utilized in conjunction with its curled portion of thread, allowing for the user's unabated access to the corkscrew configuration to form a ready-made knot, minimizing interference and obstruction during surgery. The thread may be manufactured to form an additional semi-rigid and curled portions of thread upon creation of a knot.

In one embodiment, the present invention is a system for repairing a meniscus including: a suture assembly including a first anchor, a second anchor, and a flexible suture connecting the first anchor and the second anchor, the flexible suture including a slide knot between the first anchor and the second anchor; and an inserter including a needle having a longitudinal extending bore and an open distal end, the bore being configured to receive the first anchor and the second anchor, a housing operatively connected to a proximal end of the needle, the housing having a lumen and a slot, the slot including a first portion, a second portion, a first shoulder and a second shoulder and a pusher configured to rotate and slide within the lumen of the housing and the longitudinal extending bore of the needle, the pusher having an extension extending through the slot and configured to be maneuverable through the first portion and second portion and engageable with the first shoulder and second shoulder.

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector is disclosed. The end effector comprises a surgical dissector. The surgical dissector can apply mechanical and/or electrosurgical energy to treated tissue.

A method of making a suture needle having a bendable region includes obtaining a suture needle made of a martensitic alloy having an austenitic transition temperature. The suture needle has a proximal section, a distal section with a sharpened tip, and a bendable region located between the proximal and distal sections. The method includes heating the suture needle to a first temperature that is greater than the austenitic transition temperature of the martensitic alloy and quenching the suture needle to room temperature to harden the martensitic alloy, After heating and quenching, the bendable region of the suture needle is heated locally to a second temperature that is above 800 degrees Celsius, but below the austenitic transition temperature of the martensitic alloy so that the bendable region is softened and made more flexible relative to the proximal and distal sections of the suture needle.

The present disclosure generally pertains to methods and kits for preparing an ACL repair surgical implant, the method including drilling femoral and tibial bone plugs of a tendon graft to create medial to lateral holes, and passing a braided suture around the tendinous portion of the tibial end, through soft tissue, and out the tibial end. Next, an anterior to posterior femoral hole is drilled, and a flat-braided suture is passed through the femoral medial to lateral hole and, using a bent needle, passed through junctions of the femoral bone plug and the tendinous portion and out through junctions of the tibial bone plug and the tendinous portion on both sides of the graft. Ends of the flat-braided suture are crisscrossed through the medial to lateral tibial hole. A bone-to-bone fixation suture assembly is passed through the anterior to posterior femoral hole.

Some suturing devices include a pair of flexible arms configured to force two pieces of tissue together and form a protrusion defined by the two pieces of tissue. Some suturing devices include a third flexible arm including a movable needle configured to apply a suture through both pieces of tissue of the protrusion. Some suturing devices include an actuator configured to move each flexible arm of the pair of flexible arms independently relative to the tissue and move the third flexible arm relative to the tissue. Some suturing devices include a pump configured to generate a suction force through the pair of flexible arms to force the tissue towards the pair of flexible arms.

A novel method of blackening surgical needles is disclosed. Surgical needles having outer surfaces are first placed into a first pretreatment bath having a novel composition. The needles are then placed into a second blackening bath having a novel composition for a sufficient period of time to effectively blacken the surfaces of the needles. The novel methods for blackening the surfaces of a stainless steel alloy surgical needle provide a chromium (VI)-free alternative to current needle manufacturing processes. Another unique feature of this novel method is its short processing time. The blackening processes of the present invention can be utilized for in-line treatment processes which can be easily incorporated into high speed needle manufacturing processes, such as strip mounted processes. In addition, the processes of the present invention are readily adaptable to batch processes. Also disclosed are novel systems for blackening surgical needles and novel blackening baths for surgical needles.

A medical device configured to form one or more holes within a bone of a patient may include a handle assembly including a housing, a lever rotatably coupled to the housing, and a sheath extending distally from the housing, the handle assembly including a spring biasing the lever toward an initial or intermediate position; and a bone punch including an elongate shaft, a head at a proximal end of the elongate shaft, and a piercing tip at a distal end of the elongate shaft configured to be driven into the bone. The elongate shaft may be slidably disposed within the sheath in a first position when the lever is in the initial or intermediate position. Translation of the bone punch distally within the sheath from the first position to a second position may cause a distal end of the lever to rotate away from the housing to an extended position.

A tissue repair construct having first and second implants coupled via a flexible element is provided. The flexible element forms an adjustable loop closed with a sliding knot, and has first and second free ends extending from the knot formed by wrapping the second end around the first end. The second implant can have a changeable configuration. The construct can be placed within a surgical site in a patient's body such that the first implant is passed into a bone adjacent to soft tissue and the second implant is disposed on an opposed side of the soft tissue. The first free end of the flexible element is configured to be tensioned to decrease a size of the loop and thereby change the configuration of the second implant and to thereby cause at least the second implant to move towards the first implant.