Various devices, systems and methods for knotless suturing of tissue are disclosed. These devices allow sutures to be anchored to bone, and more specifically provide a suture anchor which eliminates the need for knotting the suture. Thus, damaged tissue may be re-attached to a substrate tissue. The anchors have a minimum of moving parts may be suited to being a single molded polymer construction. The anchors will find particular utility in hip and shoulder arthroscopy, e.g. labral re-attachment and similar procedures.

Systems, devices and methods to improve safety and efficiency in an operating room comprise providing a suture package that holds new suture needles and needle receptacles for storing used needles. The devices can be safely worn for the surgeon to self-dispense new suture needles in the near surgical field and to secure the used needles into a needle trap or a needle retainer located on his extremity, on his operative instruments or on the surgical drapes. The device may provide automated and/or simplified needle counting both during use and after removal from the surgical field. The device may be configured for ergonomic and efficient use so as to minimize the actions and motions of the surgeon to dispense and secure the needle.

A machine for winding suture into a suture tray package includes a base platform with package nests, each nest including upwardly-extending locating pins. A workstation places an empty tray onto one nest. Another workstation feeds a needle with attached suture in the tray and parks the needle in the tray. A winding station for winding the suture into a tray winding channel includes a rotatable winding head with configurable suture guiding pins, a stripper plate pushing the wound suture off the guiding pins, a suture control arm with proximal and distal ends and top and bottom sides, the distal end having a front standoff and a rear standoff incorporating a suture guiding channel, and a base member mounting the arm to base platform. A lid placement station places a lid onto a nest, a lid attachment station attaches lid to tray and an offloading station removes trays from nests.

A loading unit assembly for use with a surgical suturing apparatus includes a surgical needle and a support structure configured for releasably securing the surgical needle. The support structure may include a first finger and a second finger adjacent to the first finger. The first and second fingers may define a first channel therebetween. The support structure may also include a third finger defining a seat portion and a back portion. The seat and back portions may be in facing relation with the first and second fingers. The third finger and the first and second fingers may define a second channel therebetween. The surgical needle may be loaded in the second channel and may be in abutment with at least the seat portion.

Systems, devices and methods to improve safety and efficiency in an operating room comprise providing a suture package that holds new suture needles and needle receptacles for storing used needles. The devices can be safely worn for the surgeon to self-dispense new suture needles in the near surgical field and to secure the used needles into a needle trap or a needle retainer located on his extremity, on his operative instruments or on the surgical drapes. The device may provide automated and/or simplified needle counting both during use and after removal from the surgical field. The device may be configured for ergonomic and efficient use so as to minimize the actions and motions of the surgeon to dispense and secure the needle.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for loading a closing device onto a delivery device at the point of use and for using the apparatus for treating the intervertebral disc. The apparatus includes a cartridge for loading a closing device onto a delivery device at the point of use, the cartridge comprising a tab holding feature for holding one or more tabs of the closing device and a tab loading feature for loading tabs onto the delivery device. A method of treating an intervertebral disc includes the steps of loading a closing device into a delivery device at the point of use, the closing device comprising at least two tabs coupled to a connecting element, and substantially approximating a defect in the intervertebral disc using the closing device delivered by the delivery device.

A device is disclosed that can load a suture and/or a shuttle into a suture device. The device can have a suture and/or a shuttle that can be moved (e.g., via a loader control) from a non-loaded configuration to a loaded configuration without damaging the suture or the shuttle.

There is provided a product comprising a suture thread which, prior to being used to form a surgical suture, is in a stressed state which gives the suture thread a tendency to undergo lengthwise viscoelastic contraction. The suture thread undergoes viscoelastic contraction when in use as a surgical suture and this may promote wound healing to a greater extent than a conventional suture thread which does not undergo viscoelastic contraction.

An organization device for maintaining a suspensory graft fixation device (i.e., an implant and suture) in a desired position. The device includes a substrate having top and bottom edges with first and second panels extending therebetween. The device also includes a first central longitudinal axis extending in a direction from the top edge to the bottom edge between the first and second panels. The first and second panels are foldable about the axis between open and closed positions. The device also includes an opening extending through the bottom edge and into the first panel, and a plurality of top slits and bottom slits. The plurality of top slits includes at least one top slit which is aligned with the first opening. The device additionally includes a tabs adjacent the opening. The slits and tabs are configured to maintain suture of a suspensory graft fixation device in an organized manner.

A chiral needle package and receptacle are configured together so as to allow a user to configure the suture package and receptacle in a first chiral configuration for right handed use and a second chiral configuration for left handed use. The chirality configurable suture package and needle receptacle can be configured in many ways, and may comprise a first cover on a first side to allow access to the one or more needles and the needle receptacle on first side corresponding to right handed use and chirality, and a second cover on a second side corresponding to left handed use and chirality. The chirality configurable suture package can be packaged with the chirality configurable needle receptacle in order to dispense and to receive needles, such that the suture package and the needle trap are packaged together in a sterile housing configured for right handed use or left-handed use.