A surgical instrument can manipulate and pass suture through tissue. The device can easily pass suture through tissue with the suture fixed to the mechanism or where the suture is captured by the mechanism and allowed to slide. Along with this ability to control suture in one of two ways is a feature to provide a large amount of suture on the other side of the tissue that will be relatively easy for the surgeon to grab and pull out of the arthroscopic portal. The device includes a handle with a hollow shaft extending therefrom and a set of fingers movable into and out of the shaft. The fingers can be designed to capture suture, permit the suture to slide while captured, and optionally hold the suture in the device.

A minimally invasive surgical method of approximating tissue includes coupling an adjustable loop of suture around an inserter. The loop can be coupled to the inserter by applying tension to a tail of the suture to collapse the loop around the inserter, then the inserter and loop are passed through a first location in tissue. The loop is decoupled from the inserter, the inserter is retracted from the first location, and reinserted into a second location in the tissue, after which the loop is recoupled to the inserter while the loop is distal of the tissue. The decoupling, retraction, and reinsertion can occur without withdrawing the inserter from the patient's body. The inserter and loop are then withdrawn together from the tissue through this second location and outside of the patient's body. The tails and loop can form a luggage knot to be reduced around the tissue.

A method and device for anchoring a length of self-retaining suture. The method of anchoring includes providing for an assembly having a length of self-retaining suture and a suture insertion device. The length of suture includes at least a portion of the length having a plurality of retainers thereon extending in a first direction. The insertion device has a length and a recess to receive a portion of the suture length. The method further includes placing a portion of the suture length in the recess and inserting the device into the body of a mammal until the recess reaches a predetermined location thereby forming an insertion pathway. The method further includes retrieving the insertion device from the body by moving the insertion device in a direction substantially opposed to the insertion pathway.

Surgical articles, implants and components suitable creating composite slings are described. Novel procedures for assembling and utilizing composite slings are also detailed.

A system for introducing a surgical instrument through a tissue lumen having: a surgical instrument; a sheath for preventing contamination of the tissue lumen; a dilator for dilating bodily tissue having an elongated body for positioning the dilator and a tapered section for facilitating dilation of the tissue lumen; and a cone having conical body that tapers from the proximal end to the distal end and facilitates insertion of the cone and the surgical instrument through the tissue lumen, an axial bore that extends longitudinally through the cone and receives an anvil retainer, a collar that engages the distal end of the surgical device and prevents lateral movement of the cone, grooves that engage the surface of the tapered section and reduce the friction between the cone and the tissue lumen, a securing device for securing the cone to the surgical instrument, and a retrieval device for retrieving the cone from a bodily cavity.

A tool includes a brace and a hook. The brace includes two posts extending from a base portion. The two posts include a first post that is spaced a distance apart from a second post, with the first post disposed in a first plane and the second post disposed in a second plane that is not the same as the first plane. A side of the base portion opposite from the first post and opposite from the second post includes a recess formed in the base portion. The hook is connected to a handle. The hook has a first section attached to the handle, a second section that is curved to have a J-hook curvature configured for accessing an obturator foramen of the patient, and a third section including a tip. The tip of the hook is removably insertable into the recess formed in the base portion.

A method for providing a fractured bone with a bone cerclage according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, wrapping a folded piece of suture around a bone at least once, and securing the suture to the bone.

A suture thread is used to perform suturing without tying part of or the whole of knots that are supposed to be tied during suturing. A suture thread support body prevents an end of the suture thread from being pulled into a suturing site. A needle accommodation body has a shape of a tube having a through-hole through both ends. The suture thread has the suture thread support body and the needle accommodation body.

A device for suturing an incision in an artery has a handle, a supply of suture stored on spindle housed in the handle, a tube extending from the handle having a lumen through which suture extends, and a curved needle at a distal end of the handle, the curved needle having an opening through which a free end of the suture extends. A method for suturing an incision in an artery includes creating sequential openings in first and second flaps of the incision, with loops of suture extending through openings in one flap, with a free end of suture extending through the second flap being pulled through the loops and secured to another free end of suture extending through the first flap, to close the incision.

A surgical device is provided. The surgical device includes a housing adapted for mounting on a finger of a user; and at least one guide tube attached along a length of the housing. The guide tube is configured for guiding a tissue repair implant from a proximal opening to a distal opening thereof.