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.

An apparatus and a method for surgical fastening is disclosed. An illustrative apparatus for tissue suturing includes a cartridge having a suturing needle having a pointed end and a blunt end, the suturing needle capable of rotating about an axis, a reciprocating needle drive, and an actuator capable of releasably engaging the needle drive to rotate the needle. A method for suturing tissue is provided that includes placing a suturing device having a cartridge containing a suturing needle to span at least one tissue segment, activating an actuator to cause rotational movement of the suturing needle through the at least one tissue segment, and deactivating the actuator to stop an advancing movement of the suturing needle to cause a suturing material to be pulled through the at least one tissue segment forming a stitch.

A surgical braid comprising a plurality of fibers arranged in a tubular braid, the tubular braid comprising an outer wall and at least first and second sections, the first section having a first core and the second section having a second core; and the plurality of fibers comprising a fiber having first color, the fiber having a first color being braided into the outer wall of the first section and forming at least art of the second core in the second section.

A braided suture fiducial metallic marker system includes a braided suture fiducial metallic marker system includes a metallic marker, a multiplicity of suture threads (absorbable or non-absorbable), braided with one another and encapsulating the marker, and a needle disposed at a distal end of the multiplicity of threads and a needle disposed at an opposite distal end. In this regard, a portion of the braided suture threads in which the marker is encapsulated may be visually demarcated with a contrasting color. As well, the marker may define a cavity which may in turn, contain a radioactive material. As another option, a single one of the multiplicity of suture threads may extend through one end of the cavity to another end of the cavity so that the single one of the multiplicity of threads is braided with others of the multiplicity of suture threads.

A barbed suture including a body with barbs on the periphery, a pointed end, and an anchor at one end to resist movement of the suture in the direction of the pointed end is provided. One or more limbs on the anchor may be provided, which may be arcuate, of varying lengths, and of varying distribution about the periphery of the suture body. Other anchor designs are provided. Methods of placing single-directional and bi-directional barbed sutures to approximate the tissue on each side of a wound and to position and support tissue in the absence of a wound, as in cosmetic surgery, are provided, and may include terminal J-stitches or S-stitches. Methods of placement may be made with sharp, pointed ends, which may be needles, or insertion devices. Sinusoidal patterns of sutures that have amplitudes generally perpendicular to the resultant holding force of the suture are provided.

System for fixation of leaflets of a heart valve including a delivery catheter having an elongated shaft, a proximal end portion and a distal end portion configured to be positioned proximate native leaflets of a heart valve from a remote vascular access point, the delivery catheter further includes a rotatable actuator rod having a threaded fastener at a distal end thereof, and a fixation device releasably coupled by a threaded connection to the threaded fastener of the actuator rod. The fixation device includes a first arm moveable between a closed position and an open position, a second arm moveable between a closed position and an open position. The fixation device further includes a first gripping element movable relative to the first arm in the open position, the first gripping element biased toward the first arm to capture a first leaflet of the heart valve therebetween, and a second gripping element movable relative to the second arm in the open position, the second gripping element biased toward the second arm to capture a second leaflet of the heart valve therebetween. The first gripping element and the second gripping element each includes a plurality of barbs extending therefrom, the plurality of barbs of each of the first gripping element and the second gripping element being aligned transversely in at least one row. The fixation device further includes a covering disposed on each of the first gripping element and the second gripping element, wherein the plurality of barbs of the first gripping element and the second gripping element, respectively, protrude through the covering.

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.

The present invention provides methods and devices for grasping, and optional repositioning and fixation of the valve leaflets to treat cardiac valve regurgitation, particularly mitral valve regurgitation. Such grasping will typically be atraumatic providing a number of benefits. For example, atraumatic grasping may allow repositioning of the devices relative to the leaflets and repositioning of the leaflets themselves without damage to the leaflets. However, in some cases it may be necessary or desired to include grasping which pierces or otherwise permanently affects the leaflets. In some of these cases, the grasping step includes fixation.

A suture anchor for fixation within an anatomical structure includes an actuation member in contact with an anchor body at a first location thereof. The anchor body is elongate along a direction of elongation and defines a central axis. In a neutral configuration, the anchor body is flat and defines a thickness along a transverse direction and a width along a lateral direction, the width being greater than the thickness. The anchor body has first and second tails that are braided together along a portion of the actuation member from the first location to a second location of the anchor body. The actuation member is configured to apply a force to the braided anchor body so as to actuate the anchor body in a manner increasing its maximum thickness along a second direction that is angularly offset from the direction of elongation.

System for fixation of leaflets of a heart valve including a delivery catheter having an elongated shaft, a proximal end portion and a distal end portion configured to be positioned proximate native leaflets of a heart valve from a remote vascular access point, the delivery catheter further includes a rotatable actuator rod having a threaded fastener at a distal end thereof, and a fixation device releasably coupled by a threaded connection to the threaded fastener of the actuator rod. The fixation device includes a first arm moveable between a closed position and an open position, a second arm moveable between a closed position and an open position. The fixation device further includes a first gripping element movable relative to the first arm in the open position, the first gripping element biased toward the first arm to capture a first leaflet of the heart valve therebetween, and a second gripping element movable relative to the second arm in the open position, the second gripping element biased toward the second arm to capture a second leaflet of the heart valve therebetween. The first gripping element and the second gripping element each includes a plurality of barbs extending therefrom, the plurality of barbs of each of the first gripping element and the second gripping element being aligned transversely in at least one row. The fixation device further includes a covering disposed on each of the first gripping element and the second gripping element, wherein the plurality of barbs of the first gripping element and the second gripping element, respectively, protrude through the covering.