C-SPRING SUTURE FOR PRIMARY CLOSURE OF SURGICAL INCISIONS
A c-spring suture for primary closure of surgical incisions comprises a “C” shaped, lenticular center spring hingedly connected at each end with surgical tape. In one embodiment, the tape is connected to the center spring through a tape clamp and pin hinge. In another embodiment, the tape is connected to the center spring through welding flanges attached to membrane hinges. In operation, when the c-spring suture is in place on a wound or incision line, the distal ends of the surgical tape relative to the center spring, in conjunction with the center spring, are adapted to produce closure forces along the incision line that are remote from the incision, enabling such forces to act through the thickness of the skin through shear force transfer and provide closure force at the dermal level of the skin that is initially applied at the epidermal level, thus overcoming the problem of skin inversion at incision line common to skin tapes of the prior art.
This application claims the benefit of and incorporates by reference co-pending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/821,334, filed May 9, 2013.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSReferring now to the drawings and in particular
Tape clamps 3′ are attached to pin hinges 2′ at each end of the center spring 1′ and serve to fasten the center spring 1′ to the surgical tape 4′, 5′. The surgical tape 4′, 5′ is embodied as conventional surgical tape and provides an attachment means that is connected to the center spring 1′ for supplying energy to the center spring 1′ and transferring energy released from center spring 1′ to skin. The surgical tape 4′, 5′ is shown as having a proximal surgical tape end 4′ and a distal surgical tape end 5′. When the c-spring suture 10′ is in place on a wound or incision line, the distal surgical tape ends 5′, in conjunction with the center spring 1′, produce closure forces along the wound or incision line that are remote from the incision, enabling such forces to act by shear force transfer, through the thickness of the skin to provide closure force at the dermal level of the skin that is initially applied at the epidermal level.
Referring now to
In the preferred version of this embodiment, the center spring 1, membrane hinges 2 and the welding flanges 3 are defined as a continuous extrusion that is attached to the surgical tape 4, 5. Such a construction enables the manufacture of an entire sheet of a c-spring assembly, which is then slit to make the individual suture strips, or alternately as a continuous line process.
Despite any structural variations, however, the mechanical action of a c-spring suture, whether embodied with a pin hinge or a membrane hinge, is essentially similar to that of the center spring acting through the distal ends of two opposing surgical tapes for the provision of dermal level closure forces.
Referring now to
Referring now to
When force in the stressing direction is placed on the surgical tape 512′, 512 in such a manner, the center spring 112′, 112 moves in a vertical flattening direction 422′, 422, with the hinge members 212′, 212 enabling the center spring 112′, 112 to swing in a flattening direction 412′, 412 relative to the surgical tape 512′, 512. The flattening of the center spring 112′, 112 stores the mechanical energy employed and places it at a self gauging level of pre-stress. Unlike prior art spring sutures, commonly embodied as either cylindrical, coil or leaf form, the center spring 112′, 112 embodied as a “C” shaped lenticular spring, has a geometrical limit to the amount of pre-stress that may be applied thereto before the c-spring suture 102′, 102 is placed on the incision or wound that is to be closed. This closure pre-stress is applied to the dermal level as partly described in the description of
Referring now to
It understood that the hinge members 213′, 213 enable the c-spring suture 103′, 103 to isolate the flexure forces in the center spring 113′, 113 from the surgical tape 513′, 513 while in use on a wearer. Such isolation prevents the twisting forces of the center spring 113′, 113 from being applied to the skin around the wound or incision, thereby preventing distortion and misalignment of the skin which is detrimental to healing.
Referring now to
Each discrete c-spring suture 610 includes a “C” shaped, lenticular center spring 601, a membrane hinge 602 and a welding flange 603, all of which are nominally nylon or similar polymer, extruded together as one. Connection is made between the center elements, the spring 601, the hinge 602 and the welding flange 603, and the surgical tape 604, at the welding flange 603. The bond is made by thermal weld between the nylon extrusion and the conventional surgical tape normally made of spun bonded nylon. The doubled back tape release strip 623 is included with the surgical tape 604 when the tape and the center are connected.
While the surgical tape 604 generally exerts force from the center spring 601 on the skin of a wearer, it is understood that because it stretches less easily than skin, the surgical tape's distal end 605 primarily supplies the transfer closure force from the c-spring suture 610 structure to the surface of the skin, remotely from the edges of the wound or incision at the distal end 605.
Referring now to
Referring now to
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Referring now to
It is contemplated that the application of closure pre-stress to the skin, remote from the line of the wound or incision, then acting through shear in the skin to provide dermal level compression closure force in conjunction with providing a relief space for the compressed tissue enables the c-spring suture to overcome the classical problem of skin inversion common to prior art skin tapes, while maintaining the advantage over staples or stitches, of being non invasive, that is also common to prior art skin tapes.
Referring now to
A fully stressed state c-spring suture 900, defined by a center spring 901 under the effect of the applied stretching direction 950, has the largest horizontal span. It is appreciated that the flattening of the center spring 901 acts as an inherent limit to the stretch of the center spring 901, making the self gauging property of the center spring 901 possible. This self gauging action enables the automatic provision of the correct, designed level of closure force, for any particular application of any particular version of c-spring suture.
A retracted state c-spring suture 1000, defined by the center spring 1001 in an intermediate position between unstressed and stressed and exerting force in a retracting direction 1050 on attached surgical tape 1005, has a horizontal span between that of the non-stressed c-spring suture 620 and a stressed c-spring suture 900. The application of the force in a retracting direction 1050 at the surface of the skin 2300 through the surgical tape 1005 is transferred through shear to become dermal closure force 1051 at the base of the skin, against the underlying tissue (not shown). The dermal closure force 1051 at the dermal level provides the compression force that allows dermal level closure. The self gauging aspect of the spring geometry allows for the magnitude of the closure force to be designed to be correct for the specific application on a structural level, through selection of i.e. cross section geometry and elastic modulus of material.
The independence of the linear closure forces 1050, 1051 acting on the skin 2300, from the twisting flexural forces in the center spring 1001, is ensured through the hinge members 1011 disposed on opposite sides of the center spring 1001, respectively. The independence of the forces allowed by the hinge members 1011, in conjunction with the designable, self gauging level of closure force, provide for wound or incision closure of the highest accuracy. This in turn provides for minimum blood clotting volume, therefore minimum scarring and most rapid healing.
Referring now to
The present invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
Claims
1. A suture for primary closure of surgical incisions, comprising:
- a resilient center piece having a first end and a second end;
- a first attachment strip connected to said first end of said center piece, wherein said first attachment strip includes a distal end opposite the connection to the center piece and is adapted to be attached to the skin of a wearer of the suture;
- a second attachment strip connected to said second end of said center piece, wherein said second attachment strip includes a distal end opposite the connection to the center piece and is adapted to be attached to the skin of a wearer of the suture; and
- wherein said first attachment strip are and second attachment strip are adapted to enable the center piece to be stretched from a first position into a second position defined by the center piece having self gauging level of pre-stress, over a wearer's surgical incision, then attached to the wearer's skin, transferring recoiling force from the center piece through the thickness of the skin through shear force transfer to provide closure force initially applied at the epidermal level at the dermal level of the skin.
2. The suture of claim 1, wherein said resilient center piece is a “C” shaped, lenticular spring center configured to provide relief space while in retracted form for compressed tissue below.
3. The suture of claim 1, wherein said first attachment strip and said second attachment strip are connected to the center piece through an attachment member and a hinge member disposed on the first end and an attachment member and a hinge member disposed on the second end, respectively.
4. The suture of claim 3, wherein a pin hinge defines at least one of said hinge members.
5. The suture of claim 4, wherein a tape clamp defines at least one of said attachment members.
6. The suture of claim 3, wherein a membrane hinge defines at least one of said hinge members.
7. The suture of claim 6, wherein a welding flange defines at least one of said attachment members.
8. The suture of claim 7, wherein welding flange and hinge member disposed on said first end, said center piece, and said welding flange and hinge member disposed on said first end comprise a single, continuous extrusion.
9. The suture of claim 1, wherein surgical tape defines at least one of said first attachment strip and said second attachment strip.
10. The suture of claim 1, wherein the distal ends of said first attachment strip and of said second attachment strip attach to a wearers skin through a polymerizing skin adhesive.
11. A suture for primary closure of surgical incisions, comprising:
- a resilient means for storing and releasing mechanical energy;
- a first attachment means connected to said resilient means for supplying energy to said resilient means and transferring energy released from the resilient means to skin; and
- a second attachment means connected to said resilient means for supplying energy to said resilient means and transferring energy released from the resilient means to skin.
12. The suture of claim 11, wherein:
- said first attachment means is attached to the resilient means through a first connecting means for hingedly attaching; and
- said second attachment means is attached to the resilient means through a second connecting means for hingedly attaching.
13. A method of closing surgical incisions, comprising the steps of
- providing a resilient center piece having a first end and a second end;
- providing a first attachment strip connected to said first end of said center piece, wherein said first attachment strip includes a distal end opposite the connection to the center piece and is adapted to be attached to the skin of a wearer of the suture;
- providing a second attachment strip connected to said second end of said center piece, wherein said second attachment strip includes a distal end opposite the connection to the center piece and is adapted to be attached to the skin of a wearer of the suture; and
- stretching said center piece from a first position into a second position defined by the center piece having self gauging level of pre-stress, over a wearer's surgical incision; and
- attaching at least one of said first attachment strip and said second attachment strip to the wearer's skin, enabling said first attachment strip and said second attachment strip to transfer recoiling force from the center piece through the thickness of the skin through shear force transfer to provide closure force initially applied at the epidermal level at the dermal level of the skin.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said resilient center piece is a “C” shaped, lenticular spring center.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein said first attachment strip and said second attachment strip are connected to the center piece through an attachment member and a hinge member disposed on the first end and an attachment member and a hinge member disposed on the second end, respectively.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein:
- a pin hinge defines at least one of said hinge members; and
- a tape clamp defines at least one of said attachment members.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein:
- a membrane hinge defines at least one of said hinge members; and
- a welding flange defines at least one of said attachment members.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein welding flange and hinge member disposed on said first end, said center piece, and said welding flange and hinge member disposed on said first end comprise a single, continuous extrusion.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein surgical tape defines at least one of said first attachment strip and said second attachment strip.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein the distal ends of said first attachment strip and of said second attachment strip attach to a wearers skin through a polymerizing skin adhesive.
Type: Application
Filed: May 6, 2014
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2014
Inventor: ANTHONY BARR MCLORG (MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH)
Application Number: 14/271,387
International Classification: A61B 17/08 (20060101);