Disclosed herein are suture systems and method of use thereof. The suture systems can include a passer, a needle, a first suture, and a second suture. The needle can be sized to pass through a cavity defined by the passer and define an attachment member. The first suture can include a first end, a second end, and a portion sized to be received by the attachment member and pass through the passer. The second suture can include a suture passage extending from a suture inlet to a suture exit. The first suture can be operable to pull a portion of the second suture at least partially around an anatomical structure. The second suture can be operable to reduce an anatomical structure when a first end of the second suture is passed through the suture passage.

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 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.

An elastic suture needle for passing through a smaller cannula used in minimally invasive surgery includes an elongated body having a proximal end, a distal end, a length extending from the proximal end to the distal end, a top surface extending along the length of the elongated body, and a bottom surface extending along the length of the elongated body. The elongated body has dimensions that are calculated using the equation T/L.sub.N < (2*.sub.σ)/(πE), where T is the thickness of the elongated body, L.sub.N is the length of the neutral axis of the elongated body, σ is the yield strength of the elongated body, and E is the Young’s modulus of the elongated body. The elongated body is made of stainless steels such as martensitic stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels, martensitic-aged (mar-aged) stainless steels, and stainless steels sold under the registered trademark ETHALLOY® Needle Alloy.

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.

Methods for suturing tissue by forming a locking loop of suture material. In particular, method of using a suture passer to arthroscopically create a locking loop of suture in difficult to access tissues. As used herein a locking loop of suture is a loop of suture that is passed through a tissue from a first side to a second side of the tissue; one or more of the legs of the loop extending from the first side are passed through the tissue to the second side of the tissue and are then passed through the loop, and the loop is cinched to tighten closed over the one or more legs. The resulting locking loops stitches are extremely strong and distribute the stresses across the tissue in a desirable manner.

An apparatus for affixing a first tissue to a second tissue and methods of manufacturing and using the same. The apparatus comprises an elongated needle; a handle disposed at a proximal end of the elongated needle; a superelastic anchor disposed within the elongated needle, the anchor comprises: at least one normally-expanded elongated hook that is biased to a contracted state to fit within the elongated needle; a securing element; and an advancement mechanism triggerable by the handle and being configured to: eject the anchor out of a distal end of said elongated needle to allow the elongated hook to extend distally outward from the longitudinal axis of the elongated needle, into or beyond a tissue, and following the ejection of the anchor, eject the securing element from the apparatus to prevent movement of the anchor in at least one direction.

This invention relates to surgical suturing devices and methods by which suture may be passed through tissue during surgery, and, more particularly, to an improved blade of a suture passer needle. The suture passer needle includes a first side, a second side, and a blade disposed at an end of the needle. The blade has a first edge extending from the first side of the needle and a second edge extending from the second side of the needle, which converge to a tip of the blade. A notch is disposed in the blade and forms an opening in the first side of the blade. The blade also has one or more cutout portions distal and/or proximal the notch, which minimize the stress and strain placed on the blade. The suture passer needle can be incorporated into surgical suturing devices or suture passer devices to pass suture through a tissue body.

This disclosure enables various threading devices (e.g., suturing devices) that can sequentially send a plurality of carriers (e.g., needle caps, sleeves) to an object (e.g., animate, inanimate, human tissue, organ tissue, heart tissue) or sequentially receive a plurality of carriers (e.g., needle caps, sleeves) from an object (e.g., animate, inanimate, human tissue, organ tissue, heart tissue). For example, some threading devices can sequentially send some carriers in a relatively rapid succession or some threading devices can sequentially receive some carriers in a relatively rapid succession.

Devices and methods for performing a transseptal puncture procedure using a device which includes either an untapered or tapered blunt end cannula disposed in an introducer carrying a sharp guidewire disposed longitudinally through the lumen of the blunt cannula, and a blunt end dilator wherein the guidewire is flexible and has an atraumatic shape at its tip. The cannula gives the more flexible introducer a defined shape and steerabilty allowing an ordinarily skilled physician to easily access a selected location on the septal wall of the heart for transseptal puncture and introducer placement thereacross without employing an exposed sharp end needle during the procedure.