Disclosed is a suturing needle having a thread attachment portion and a ramp portion comprising a tapered portion extending from a proximal end of the needle to cover at least a portion of a suture thread swaged in the thread attachment portion. The tapered portion of the ramp portion provides a smooth transition from a diameter of the suture thread to a diameter of the needle body. The tapered transition portion allows for engaging the suture needle on rollers of a rotational needle driver in one smooth motion. The suturing needle includes a hollow flexible extension component having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end connected to the proximal end of the thread attachment component, and the proximal end attached to the distal end of the tapered extension ramp portion. The suturing needle can include a combination of flexible and non-flexible sections and/or a combination of straight and curved sections.

A medical device includes a surgical needle attached to a hollow tubular suture. The suture is constructed of macroporous hollow tubular wall that facilitates and allows tissue integration into the suture core subsequent to introduction to the body, thereby preventing suture pull-through and improving biocompatibility.

A suture device is utilized in forming a purse string suture during, e.g., laparoscopic end to end anastomosis procedure, to effect joining of two opposing intestinal sections. The suture device is utilized in other procedures such as, e.g., transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for removal of low rectal and ultra-low rectal tumors and preservation of anal sphincters to avoid permanent stomas. In particular, the suture device is utilized in forming surgical stitches used to close an internal anal structure or to narrow a passage for performing further transanal dissection to create total mesorectal excision.

A suture-material-handling device includes a suturing head having first and second jaw sections, which can move relative to each other, and a first needle element associated with the jaw sections and designed to perform a first piercing and thread bring-along operation of a first thread end of the thread in a closed relative position of the jaw sections. A second needle element associated with the suturing head can be actuated separately from the first needle element and is adjacent to the first needle element. The second needle element is designed to perform a second piercing and thread bring-along operation for the second thread end of the thread in the closed relative position of the jaw sections. The second thread end is opposite the first thread end, and in order to perform locally spaced apart and consecutive double piercing of a suture carrier, the second needle element is designed to perform a pivoting and/or curved motion that brings along the second thread end.

A heart valve anchor apparatus may include a body having a proximal portion and a distal portion. The body may include a first radially expandable portion at the proximal portion of the body, a second radially expandable portion at the distal portion of the body, and a root portion extending from the first radially expandable portion to the second radially expandable portion, the root portion having an outer extent. The first radially expandable portion may be configured to self-expand to an outer extent greater than the outer extent of the root portion when radially unconstrained. The second radially expandable portion may be configured to self-expand to an outer extent greater than the outer extent of the root portion when radially unconstrained. In an unstressed configuration, the body may define a longitudinal centerline that extends away from a plane tangent to the root portion.

A needle bender for custom bending of needles to different desired needle bend radii is provided. The needle bender can include abase and a shaper coupled to the base through a support member. The shaper may have a plurality of grooves corresponding to different desired needle bend radii. A leverage arm with a needle slide disposed on one end may be rotatably coupled to the support arm.

When a needle is inserted along the base into one of the grooves in the shaper and at least partially into the needle slide, the leverage arm can be actuated toward the base to thereby bend the needle to the desired needle bend radius. The needle bender may also include a lock plate between the base and the shaper that can be actuated toward the shaper to further secure the needle to the shaper.

A drainage device may include a catheter including a proximal end and a distal end. The drainage device may further include a hub coupled to the proximal end of the catheter. The hub may include a fastener element configured to secure the distal end of the catheter. In some aspects, the fastener element may be a hinged element. In some aspects, the drainage device may further include a puncture element including a tip and an expander portion. In still other aspects, the puncture element may also include an attachment portion.

The present invention is directed to suturing systems having a needle, an elongated flexible suture having a connecting end attached to a said needle and an opposing free end and at least one elongated external beneficial filament that is attached to said needle or attached to said suture at the connecting end. The beneficial filament has a smaller cross-sectional area and lower mechanical strength than the suture and contains a medicant.

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.

A device can pierce and hold tissue and then pass suture through tissue. The device can have a shuttle that can removably attach to a suture and jaws that can be rotatably opened and closed with respect to each other. A method for using the device to repeatedly pass the suture through the tissue without removing the suture or device from the target site is also disclosed.