SUTURE, SUTURING APPARATUS, AND APPLICTIONS THEREOF

Abstract

Provided are a suture, a suturing apparatus and applications thereof. The suture includes an elongated body, a first cam assembly and a second cam assembly both sleeved on the elongated body. The elongated body includes a first free end and a second free end. The first cam assembly and the second cam assembly each include at least one cam. The small end of the cam of the first cam assembly faces the first free end of the elongated body and the small end of the cam of the second cam assembly faces the second free end of the elongated body. A cross-sectional area of the small end of the cam is less than a cross-sectional area of the large end of the cam. A wall thickness of the cam tapers along a direction from the small end to the large end.

Claims

1. A suture, comprising: an elongated body comprising a first free end and a second free end; and a first cam assembly and a second cam assembly both sleeved on the elongated body, wherein the first cam assembly and the second cam assembly each comprise at least one cam, wherein the cam comprises a small end and a large end, wherein the small end of the cam of the first cam assembly faces the first free end of the elongated body, the small end of the cam of the second cam assembly faces the second free end of the elongated body, a cross-sectional area of the small end of the cam is less than a cross-sectional area of the large end of the cam, and a wall thickness of the cam tapers along a direction from the small end to the large end.

2. The suture of claim 1, wherein a maximum wall thickness of the cam is 0.1 mm to 0.9 mm.

3. The suture of claim 1, wherein a minimum wall thickness of the cam is 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm.

4. The suture of claim 1, wherein the cam is in a trumpet shape containing a hollow portion.

5. The suture of claim 4, wherein the cam further comprises a flat segment.

6. The suture of claim 4, wherein the hollow portion is in an inner trumpet shape, wherein a length of the inner trumpet shape is m along the elongated body, a length of the cam is s along the elongated body, and ¼ s≤m≤s.

7. The suture of claim 1, wherein the first cam assembly and the second cam assembly are symmetric about a midpoint of the elongated body.

8. The suture of claim 1, wherein the first cam assembly and the second cam assembly are provided with a same number of cams.

9. The suture of claim 1, wherein the cams of the first cam assembly are spaced apart at intervals of 3 mm to 10 mm; and the cams of the second cam assembly are spaced apart at intervals of 3 mm to 10 mm.

10. The suture of claim 1, wherein the cam is disposed on the elongated body in at least one of the following manners: the cam is secured to the elongated body through heat sealing or the cam is limited by the elongated body through a stopper.

11. The suture of claim 1, wherein the elongated body is a single-stranded silk thread.

12. The suture of claim 1, wherein the elongated body and the cam assembly are each made of a degradable material.

13. The suture of claim 12, wherein the degradable material comprises at least one of a synthetic degradable polymer material or a natural degradable polymer material, wherein the synthetic degradable material polymer material comprises any one or a combination of at least two of polylactic acid, L-polylactic acid, DL-polylactic acid, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer, polycaprolactone, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), polyacetylglutamic acid, polyorthoester, polyethylene oxide/polybutene copolymer and poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) copolymer; and the natural degradable polymer material comprises any one or a combination of at least two of collagen, gelatin, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, sodium alginate and agarose.

14. A suturing apparatus, comprising a suture and metal needles at two ends of the suture, wherein the suture comprises: an elongated body comprising a first free end and a second free end; and a first cam assembly and a second cam assembly both sleeved on the elongated body, wherein the first cam assembly and the second cam assembly each comprise at least one cam, wherein the cam comprises a small end and a large end, wherein the small end of the cam of the first cam assembly faces the first free end of the elongated body, the small end of the cam of the second cam assembly faces the second free end of the elongated body, a cross-sectional area of the small end of the cam is less than a cross-sectional area of the large end of the cam, and a wall thickness of the cam tapers along a direction from the small end to the large end.

15. A method of tissue suturing comprising performing tissue suturing by the suturing apparatus of claim 14.

16. The suture of claim 6, wherein the hollow portion also comprises an inner flat segment, wherein a length of the inner flat segment is l along the elongated body, and the length of the cam along the elongated body is s, and ⅓ s≤1≤⅔ s.

17. The suture of claim 6, wherein a trumpet angle of the inner trumpet shape is α, wherein 20°≤α≤120°.

18. The suture of claim 1, wherein cams of the first cam assembly are equally spaced, and cams of the second cam assembly are equally spaced.

19. The suturing apparatus of claim 14, wherein a maximum wall thickness of the cam is 0.1 mm to 0.9 mm.

20. The suturing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cam is in a trumpet shape containing a hollow portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a suture according to embodiments of the present application.

[0047] FIG. 2 is a front view of a cam assembly according to embodiments of the present application.

[0048] FIG. 3 is a front view of a cam according to embodiment one of the present application.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along AA′ of FIG. 3.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view showing a partial area of FIG. 4.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a front view of a cam according to embodiment two of the present application.

[0052] FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along BB′ of FIG. 6.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a cam according to embodiment three of the present application.

[0054] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a cam according to embodiment four of the present application.

REFERENCE LIST

[0055] 1 elongated body [0056] 2 first free end [0057] 3 second free end [0058] 4 first cam assembly [0059] 5 second cam assembly [0060] 6 cam [0061] 7 small end [0062] 8 large end [0063] 9 hollow inner cylinder [0064] 10 cam wall

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The solutions of the present application are further described below through the detailed description. Those skilled in the art are to understand that examples described herein are merely used for a better understanding of the present application and are not to be construed as specific limitations to the present application.

[0066] The present embodiment provides a suture. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the suture includes an elongated body 1, a first cam assembly 4 and a second cam assembly 5 both sleeved on the elongated body 1. The elongated body 1 includes a first free end 2 and a second free end 3. The first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 each include at least one cam 6. Referring to FIGS. 3 to 4, it can be seen that the cam 6 includes a small end 7 and a large end 8. The small end 7 of the cam 6 of the first cam assembly 4 faces the first free end 2 of the elongated body 1 and the small end 7 of the cam 6 of the second cam assembly 5 faces the second free end 3 of the elongated body 1. A cross-sectional area of the small end 7 of the cam 6 is less than a cross-sectional area of the large end 8 of the cam 6. A wall thickness of the cam 6 tapers along a direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8.

[0067] In the present embodiments, the elongated body 1 is a single stranded silk thread. With a relative small diameter and good tenacity, the single stranded silk thread is convenient for the human tissue to be sutured. The diameter, tenacity and the number of layers and other specific conditions of the single stranded silk thread may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs. The elongated body 1, the first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 are each made of a biodegradable material. The optional biodegradable material includes any one or a combination of at least two of polylactic acid, L-polylactic acid, DL-polylactic acid, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer, polycaprolactone, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), polyacetylglutamic acid, polyorthoester, polyethylene oxide/polybutene copolymer, poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) copolymer, collagen, gelatin, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, sodium alginate and agarose. The specific selection of the material may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs. In the present embodiments, since the suture is left inside the human body after the suturing is completed, the selected biodegradable material can be degraded inside the human body, which does not leave a side effect on the human body.

[0068] In the present embodiments, the first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 are provided with at least one cam 6, for example, four cams 6. The number of the cam 6 may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs. Cams 6 in the first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 are equally spaced at intervals of 3 mm to 10 mm. The specific disposition may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs. Moreover, the first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 are symmetric about a midpoint of the elongated body 1, which facilitates enabling a better engaging effect between the tissue and the cam 6 after the suture is punctured into the tissue in a suturing process.

[0069] In the present embodiments, the cam 6 includes a small end 7 and a large end 8. The end with a small cross-sectional area is called the small end 7 and the other end with a large cross-sectional area is called the large end 8. The small end 7 of the cam 6 of the first cam assembly 4 faces the first free end 2 of the elongated body 1 and the small end 7 of the cam 6 of the second cam assembly 5 faces the second free end 3 of the elongated body 1 so that during bidirectional puncturing, the small end 7 of the cam assembly faces the free end of the elongated body 1, which is convenient for puncturing and does not cause much damage to the tissue. The cross-sectional area of the small end 7 of the cam 6 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the large end 8 of the cam 6. The cross-section areas of the small end 7 and the large end 8 may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs. In the present application, a space exists between the large end 8 of the cam 6 and the small end 7 of the cam 6 and a wall thickness refers to the thickness of a cam wall 10 surrounding the space. The wall thickness of the cam 6 tapers along the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. The maximum wall thickness of the cam 6 is 0.1 mm to 0.9 mm and the minimum wall thickness of the cam 6 is 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm. The maximum thickness and minimum thickness of the cam wall 10 may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs.

[0070] In the present embodiments, the elongated body 1, the first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 may be secured together through hot sealing or may be integrally manufactured to prevent a relative slip between the cam assembly and the silk thread so that an offset on the cam 6 can be prevented from affecting the engaging effect between the human tissue and the cam 6. In the present embodiments, the first cam assembly 4 and the second cam assembly 5 may be limited through a stopper. The stopper may be a knot formed by the elongated body 1 or a degradable limiting material. The number of the stopper is at least two more than the number of the cam 6, which facilitates better securing the cam 6. A cross-sectional area of the stopper perpendicular to the elongated body 1 is larger than an aperture of the small end 7 of the cam 6 to prevent the stopper from passing through the cam 6 so that the limiting effect is affected. The stopper is a knot or the other degradable limiting material, which may be adjusted by those skilled in the art based on actual needs.

Embodiment One

[0071] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the elongated body 1 and the cam 6 are an integral structure. The cam 6 is in a trumpet shape containing a hollow portion. That is, the cross-sectional area of the cam 6 is gradually increased in the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8 and the wall thickness of the cam wall 10 tapers in the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. The wall thickness of the small end 7 is 0.1 mm and the wall thickness of the large end 8 is 0.05 mm. In the present embodiment, the wall thickness refers to the thickness of the cam wall 10 forming the hollow portion. The hollow portion is in an inner trumpet shape. A length of the inner trumpet shape is m along the elongated body 1, a length of the cam 6 is s along the elongated body 1, and m=⅓ s. A trumpet angle of the inner trumpet shape is α and α is 75°.

[0072] In the present embodiment, when the suture is punctured into the tissue to suture the tissue, the cam 6 is easy to enter the tissue and can reduce the damage to the tissue since the cross-sectional area of the cam 6 is gradually increased in the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. When the puncturing is completed and the thread is lifted, since the wall thickness of the large end 8 of the cam 6 is relatively small, under the action of the stress, the large end 8 of the cam 6 can better engage with the tissue. Moreover, since the elongated body 1 and the cam 6 are an integral structure, on one hand, the cam 6 can be prevented from slipping off, and on the other hand, the elongated body 1 can be prevented from linearly applying stress to the cam 6 structure so that a better cosmetic or therapeutic effect can be achieved.

Embodiment Two

[0073] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, the elongated body 1 and the cam 6 are an integral structure. The cam 6 is in a trumpet shape containing a hollow portion. That is, the cross-sectional area of the cam 6 is gradually increased in the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8 and the wall thickness of the cam 6 tapers in the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. The wall thickness of the small end 7 is 0.9 mm and the wall thickness of the large end 8 is 0.2 mm. In the present embodiment, the wall thickness refers to the thickness of the cam wall 10 forming the hollow portion and a flat segment is also included. The flat segment is cylindrical and the hollow portion is in an inner trumpet shape. A length of the inner trumpet shape is m along the elongated body 1, a length of the cam 6 is s along the elongated body 1, and m=⅔ s. A trumpet angle of the inner trumpet shape is α and α is 45°.

[0074] In the present embodiment, when the suture is punctured into the tissue to suture the tissue, the cam 6 is easy to enter the tissue and can reduce the damage to the tissue since the cross-sectional area of the cam 6 is gradually increased in the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. When the puncturing is completed and the thread is lifted, since the wall thickness of the large end 8 of the cam 6 is relatively small, under the action of the stress, the large end 8 of the cam 6 can better engage with the tissue. Moreover, since the elongated body 1 and the cam 6 are an integral structure, on one hand, the cam 6 can be prevented from slipping off, and on the other hand, the elongated body 1 can be prevented from linearly applying stress to the cam 6 structure so that a better cosmetic or therapeutic effect can be achieved.

Embodiment Three

[0075] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the cam 6 includes a trumpet shape containing a hollow portion and a flat segment. The flat segment is a cylinder whose diameter is 0.7 mm. The flat segment and the small end 7 of the trumpet shape are equal in diameter and cross-sectional area. That is, the diameter of the small end 7 of the trumpet shape is 0.7 mm and the diameter of the large end 8 of the trumpet shape is 1.3 mm. The cross-sectional area of the trumpet shape is gradually increased from the small end 7 to the large end 8 in a form of a concave curve and the wall thickness of the trumpet shape tapers along the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. The wall thickness of the small end 7 is 0.3 mm and the wall thickness of the large end 8 is 0.09 mm. In the present embodiment, the cam wall 10 refers to the wall of the trumpet shape forming the hollow portion and the wall of the flat segment forming the hollow portion. In the present embodiment, the wall thickness refers to the thickness of the cam wall 10 forming the hollow portion. The hollow portion includes an inner trumpet shape and the flat segment also includes a hollow inner cylinder 9 whose diameter is 0.4 mm. A length of the flat segment is 1.3 mm along the elongated body 1 and a length of the cam 6 is 2.5 mm along the elongated body 1. The cross-sectional area of the inner trumpet shape is also gradually increased in direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8 in the form of a concave curve. The radius of the concave curve is 1.75 mm to 1.92 mm. A length of the inner trumpet shape is 1.2 mm along the elongated body 1. A trumpet angle formed by the tangents of the concave curves on two sides of the small end 7 of the inner trumpet shape is α, and α is 90°.

[0076] In the present embodiment, when the suture is punctured into the tissue to suture the tissue, the cam 6 is easy to enter the tissue and can reduce the damage to the tissue since the cross-sectional area of the cam 6 from the small end 7 to the large end 8 is gradually increased. When the puncturing is completed and the thread is lifted, since the wall thickness of the large end 8 of the cam 6 is relatively small, the cam 6 can better engage with the tissue. Moreover, the cross-sectional area of the trumpet shape is gradually increased from the small end 7 to the large end 8 in the form of a concave curve, which can further strengthen the engaging ability between the cam 6 and the tissue. The hollow portion of the cam 6 includes an inner flat segment. The length l of the inner flat segment and the length s of the cam 6 along the elongated body 1 meet the requirement of ⅓ s≤l≤⅔ s, which ensures that the elongated body 1 directly applies stress to the inner flat segment after the puncturing is completed and prevents the elongated body 1 from linearly applying stress to the circumferential structure of the large end segment and the small end segment. Moreover, the formed trumpet angle is 90°. In this manner, on one hand, an excessively small diameter difference between the large end 8 and the small end 7 can be avoided so that the cam 6 is prevented from slipping off, and on the other hand, an excessively large diameter difference between the large end 7 and the small end 8 can be avoided so that the tissue is not injured from a large resistance arising while the cam 6 is being implanted into the tissue.

Embodiment Four

[0077] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the cam 6 includes a trumpet shape containing a hollow portion and a flat segment. The flat segment is a cylinder whose diameter is 0.7 mm. The flat segment and the small end 7 of the trumpet shape are equal in diameter and cross-sectional area. That is, the diameter of the small end 7 of the trumpet shape is 0.7 mm and the diameter of the large end 8 of the trumpet shape is 1.3 mm. The cross-sectional area of the trumpet shape is gradually increased from the small end 7 to the large end 8 in a form of convex curve and the wall thickness of the trumpet shape tapers along the direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8. The wall thickness of the small end 7 is 0.5 mm and the wall thickness of the large end 8 is 0.1 mm. In the present embodiment, the cam wall 10 refers to the wall of the trumpet shape forming the hollow portion and the wall of the flat segment forming the hollow portion. In the present embodiment, the wall thickness refers to the thickness of the cam wall 10 forming the hollow portion. The hollow portion includes an inner trumpet shape and the flat segment also includes a hollow inner cylinder 9 whose diameter is 0.4 mm. A length of the flat segment is 1.08 mm along the elongated body 1 and a length of the cam 6 is 2.5 mm along the elongated body 1. The cross-sectional area of the inner trumpet shape is also gradually increased in direction from the small end 7 to the large end 8 in the form of a convex curve. The radius of the convex curve is 3.5 mm to 4.5 mm. A length of the inner trumpet shape is 1.42 mm along the elongated body 1. A trumpet angle formed by the tangents of the convex curves on two sides of the small end 7 of the inner trumpet shape is α, and α is 60°.

[0078] In the present embodiment, when the suture is punctured into the tissue to suture the tissue, the cross-sectional area of the trumpet shape from the small end 7 to the large end 8 is gradually increased in the form of a convex curve, which can further reduce the difficulty that the cam 6 enters the tissue and the damage to the tissue. When the puncturing is completed and the thread is lifted, since the wall thickness of the large end 8 of the cam 6 is relatively small, the cam 6 can better engage with the tissue. The hollow portion of the cam 6 includes an inner flat segment. The length l of the inner flat segment and the length s of the cam 6 along the elongated body 1 meet the requirement of ⅓ s≤l≤⅔ s, which ensures that the elongated body 1 directly applies stress to the inner flat segment after the puncturing is completed and prevents the elongated body 1 from linearly applying stress to the circumferential structure of the large end segment and the small end segment. Moreover, the formed trumpet angle is 60°. In this manner, on one hand, an excessively small diameter difference between the large end 8 and the small end 7 can be avoided so that the cam 6 is prevent from slipping off, and on the other hand, an excessively large diameter difference between the large end 8 and the small end 7 can be avoided so that the tissue is not injured from a large resistance arising while the cam 6 is being implanted into the tissue.

[0079] The present embodiment also provides a suturing apparatus. The suturing apparatus includes the preceding suture and metal needles at two ends of the suture.

[0080] In the present application, metal needles are disposed at two ends of the suture so that bidirectional suturing can be carried out in a suturing process. When the suturing is completed, the elongated body 1 is lifted and a better lifting effect can be achieved.

[0081] The applicant declares that the preceding are only the embodiments of the present application and not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that any modifications or substitutions easily conceivable by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present application fall within the protection scope and the disclosed scope of the present application.