US 11,723,655 B2
Magnet-assisted suture graspers
Grant Wesley Phillips, Richfield, OH (US); Steven Alfred Soeder, North Royalton, OH (US); and George J. Picha, Brecksville, OH (US)
Assigned to Applied Medical Technology, Inc., Brecksville, OH (US)
Appl. No. 17/995,788
Filed by APPLIED MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, INC., Brecksville, OH (US)
PCT Filed May 17, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/029631
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 7, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/245822, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 24, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/268,596, filed on Feb. 25, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/189,511, filed on May 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0119673 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 17/06 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/06166 (2013.01) [A61B 2017/00349 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00876 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A magnet-assisted suture grasper for grasping a magnetic suture comprising:
(a) a suture retrieval needle comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a needle body extending therebetween, the needle body defining a needle body axis between the proximal and distal ends of the suture retrieval needle, the needle body having a proximal hole, a distal hole, and a needle lumen extending therebetween along the needle body axis;
(b) a retriever body disposed within the needle lumen and translatable therein along the needle body axis;
(c) a grasper arm comprising a proximal end, a proximal-to-intermediate portion, a distal portion, and a distal end, the grasper arm extending from the distal end of the retriever body and being reversibly moveable between a first position and a second position; and
(d) a grasper magnet being disposed adjacent the proximal-to-intermediate portion of the grasper arm, the magnet-assisted suture grasper sequestering the grasper magnet within the needle lumen when the grasper arm is in the first position and exposing the grasper magnet from the needle lumen when the grasper arm is in the second position, wherein:
the distal end of the grasper arm extends further distally than the grasper magnet,
translation of the retriever body within the needle lumen in a first direction along the needle body axis causes the grasper arm to move from the first position to the second position, thereby exposing the grasper magnet and allowing contact between the grasper magnet and a magnetic suture attracted thereto, and
translation of the retriever body within the needle lumen in a second direction opposite the first direction along the needle body axis causes the grasper arm to move from the second position to the first position, thereby sequestering the grasper magnet and grasping the magnetic suture within the needle lumen.