[54] SURGICAL NEEDLE ASSEMBLY
[75] Inventors: Richard E. Davis, Grand Rapids;
William J. Greenhoe, Rockford, both of Mich.
[73] Assignee: Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.
[21] Appl. No.: 522,621
[22] Filed: Sep. 1, 1995
Related U.S. Application Data
[63] Continuation of Ser. No. 250,046, May 27, 1994, Pat. No. 5,466,225, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 930,098, Aug. 13, 1992, Pat. No. 5,336,191.
[51] Int. CI.6 A61M 5/158; A61M 5/32
[52] U.S. CI 604/165
[58] Field of Search 604/164, 165,
604/274; 128/754, 749
[56] References Cited
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Medi-tech, Inc., Chiba "Skinny" Needle, May 1985.
Medi-tech, Inc., Crown Biopsy Needle, Apr. 1985.
Primary Examiner—Paul J. Hirsch
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett LLP
[57] ABSTRACT
A surgical needle with a stylet selectively received within the lumen of a cannula is shown where establishing and maintaining a desired angular orientation between the stylet and cannula is achieved. The orientation may be determined in one of several ways. Preferably, a projection is mounted to the cannula hub which is selectively received in a recess of the stylet cap when the stylet and cannula are in the desired orientation. Alternatively, a pair of flexible arms may be mounted to the stylet cap wherein detents on the distal ends of the flexible arms are selectively received within complementary depressions on the cannula hub when the stylet and cannula are in the desired orientation. Also, a longitudinal rib on the stylet cap and a projection on the cannula hub can be visually inspected or can be felt by the user to determine the orientation. Finally, a projection from the cannula hub may be selectively received within a slot on the stylet cap to ensure proper alignment of the stylet and cannula.
11 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
