Apollo Endosurgery has filed a patent for a needle and suture assembly designed for use with an endoscopic suturing device. The assembly includes a needle tip with a sharp end, a tubular needle body with tab retainers for retaining the needle body to the needle holder arm, and a suture opening for fixing the suture in place. The needle body can be released from the needle holder arm by applying force to the tab retainers. GlobalData’s report on Apollo Endosurgery gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Apollo Endosurgery, surgical robots - end effectors was a key innovation area identified from patents.
A needle and suture assembly for endoscopic suturing
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230181183A1) describes a needle and suture assembly for use with a suturing device. The assembly includes a needle assembly and a suture. The needle assembly consists of a needle tip with a sharp end, a tubular needle body with a lumen, and tab retainers that can be deformed inward to retain the needle body on the needle holder arm of the suturing device. The needle body also has a suture opening located between the first end and the retainers. The suture is fixed within the suture opening of the needle body.
The patent also claims that the needle tip is a separate element from the needle body and is fixed relative to it. The needle tip defines tab grooves, and the needle body has tip tabs that are plastically deformed into the tab grooves to secure the needle tip to the needle body. The tip tabs are provided adjacent to the first end of the needle body.
Additionally, the patent describes a capture groove on the needle assembly that can be engaged by a tool for removing the needle assembly from the needle holder arm. The capture groove is a circumferential groove located on the tubular body adjacent to the needle tip.
The patent also includes claims for an endoscopic suturing assembly, which includes a suture needle holder arm with a circumferential groove at its free end. The assembly further comprises a suture needle with a needle tip, a tubular needle body, and elastically deformable tab retainers. The tubular needle body is sized to receive a portion of the free end of the needle holder arm with the circumferential groove. The tab retainers engage the free end at the circumferential groove to mount the suture needle on the holder arm. Applying a sufficient relative force coaxial with the axis of the needle tip and away from the tip causes elastic deformation of the tab retainers, releasing the suture needle from the holder arm.
Overall, this patent describes a needle and suture assembly and an endoscopic suturing assembly that provide improved functionality and ease of use in suturing procedures. The design allows for secure attachment and release of the needle assembly from the suturing device, as well as fixed placement of the suture within the needle body. The inclusion of a capture groove facilitates easy removal of the needle assembly, enhancing the efficiency of the suturing process.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies
