US 12,408,911 B2
Wireless-enabled surgical suture needle
Matthew J. Meyer, North Garden, VA (US); Rahul Bhattacharyya, Lowell, MA (US); Wilton Cahn Levine, Needham, MA (US); Sai Nithin R. Kantareddy, Cambridge, MA (US); Dustin R. Long, Seattle, WA (US); Sanjay E. Sarma, Lexington, MA (US); David H. Bartels, Williamstown, MA (US); Devan D. Bartels, Williamstown, MA (US); and Matthew M. Vanneman, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CORPORATION, Boston, MA (US); and MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Cambridge, MA (US)
Appl. No. 17/055,624
Filed by THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CORPORATION, Boston, MA (US); and MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Cambridge, MA (US)
PCT Filed May 14, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/032103
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 16, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/222139, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 21, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/671,084, filed on May 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0204936 A1, Jul. 8, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 90/90 (2016.01); A61B 17/06 (2006.01); A61B 90/98 (2016.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/06066 (2013.01) [A61B 17/06166 (2013.01); A61B 90/98 (2016.02); A61B 2017/00221 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A suture needle apparatus comprising:
a needle body;
a radio-frequency identification (“RFID”) chip disposed proximate to the needle body, the RFID chip encoded with an identifying information associated with the suture needle apparatus, and the RFID chip including an electromagnetic coupling element; and
a suture thread operatively coupled to the needle body;
wherein the RFID chip is disposed axially between the needle body and the suture thread;
wherein the RFID chip and at least a portion of a suture thread are concurrently received within a recess of the needle body, the RFID chip being longitudinally interposed between the suture thread and at least a portion of the needle body; and
wherein at least one of the needle body and the suture thread is an antenna selectively electromagnetically coupled to the RFID chip and, when coupled, is configured to wirelessly communicate the identifying information responsive to radio-frequency interrogation of the suture needle apparatus.