Suture supporting and attaching plate

Application filed April 22, .

This invention relates to suture supporting and attaching plates adapted for use m the practice of surgery, in the closing of wounds or incisions. , κ It is general practice to pass, a suture through the skin adjacent an incision, downwardly through the fatty and muscular layers, by means of a curved needle, then upwardly through said layers and tne skin a 10 the opposite side of the incision to draw the edges of the skin together and then tie the ends of the suture into a knot. The knotted suture thus crosses the incision and rests on the sensitive skin adjacent the wound. In 15 the event any . swelling takes place alter tl suture has been applied, no .means are pr vided for relieving the strain and tne discomfort of the patient.

to the practice referred to is the 20 cleansing a wound so sutured, and the dange of infections. . ,

The object of the present invention is. to provide a suture supporting, and attaching plate which will permit of adjustment of the 25 suture as often as desired after it has been applied. Another object is to produce a device which, without bearing on the skin adjacent the incision, will support the suture in such manner that it will not bear on the 30 wounded region. Another object is to piovide a device of the character described which will permit free circulation of air adjacent the wound and will facilitate cleansing of the parts.

In the drawings— . .

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view ot a suture supporting and attaching plate embodvine mv invention. . ...

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device as it appears in use.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3—3 of Fig. 2.

Fi°·. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 4—4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a blank from which the device ot Fig. 1 is formed.

Fi<y 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view^of a modified form of the invention.

1931. Serial No. 531,941.

Fig. 7 is a blank from which the modified form of device shown.in Fig. 6 is formed. .

Tn the drawings a device embodying the invention is shown in position on the skin 10 of a patient, and the fatty and muscular 55 layers beneath the skin are indicated at 11 and 12. An incision is indicated at 13.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the suture supporting and attaching plate comprises a base which may ( be substantially fiat or shaped to be compxemental to the surface 10 on which it is intended to rest. The base consists of two oppositely facing, L-shaped members, the arms 14 of which are intended, to extend parallel to, and the arms 15 at right angles to, the incision 13. These L-shaped base members are connected together in spaced apart relation by an upwardly projecting wall 16 which is preferably integral with the arms 15 of the base and rises from, the inner edges of said arms 15. The. upright wall 16 is preferably cut away as indicated by the curved line 17, at the part between the arms 15. , . , ,, ,.

The wall 16 supports a horizontally disposed member 18 which is the suture attach' mg plate. The plate 18 is provided on its ' longitudinally extending free margin with ; narrow slits 19 which extend inwardly, from said free edge. The slits 19 at each side of the center extend diagonally inwardly and toward opposite end margins of the plate 18. Adj acent each end the plate 18 is cut to form tongues 20 bent slightly upwardly from the plate. 18. 21 indicates an aperture in the Avails 16 and 18. _ . . _ . .

As best shown m Fig. 3, the wall 16 is inclined so as to overhang the arms 15 ot the base to some extent in order to bring the slit edo-e of the plate 18 substantially midway between the margins 22 and 23 of the device.

The under surface of the base members. 14 and 15 may be provided with ridges 24 which extend transversely of the device and parallel to the incision 13 when the plate is in the position shown in Fig. 4. These ridges 24 project downwardly and inwardly, that is, toward the transverse median line ot the device;

60.

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1,852,098

In using my invention, the suture 25 is applied in the usual manner so that the ends emerge from the skin 10 at opposite sides of the incision 13. The ends 25' are drawn to⁶ ward each other to bring the incision edges together and then the suture supporting and attaching plate is placed into position, with the base arms 14 parallel with the incision and located slightly outwardly of the points where the sutures 25' emerge from the skin. The ridges 24 assist in urging the skin and flesh , at opposite sides of the incision toward each other. In this position no part of the base or of the upwardly extending wall 16 is in contact with the incision or with the points where the sutures emerge from the skin. The free edge of the plate 18 is spaced trom the wound and is substantially directly on ⁶ f ^ext?^nding across the incision and ^ ^ie P^oints where the sutures emerge, lhe surgeon preferably grasps the device ana holds it in position by an instrument which engages the plate 18 adjacent the aperoc iu^re 7 suture ends 25' are inserted through slits 19 at opposite sides of the center of the edge of the plate 18 and are then passed under the tongues 20 on top of the plate 18 as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4. In _n this manner the sutures are supported oiit of contact with the wound and are adjustably and removably held in desired position and may be readily loosened and reattached. . κ · may be made in various sizes, it being intended that the base arms be spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate the sutures inwardly of said arms, and the distance be tween the margins 22 and 23 being substantially equal to the distance between adjacent sutures.

⁴⁰ In Fig_S. 6 and 7 I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the parts are identical with those heretofore described excepting that the free edge of the plate 18.’ near its ends, is provided with legs 26 to aid in supporting the attaching plate 18 and to render the device as a whole, firm and reliable- Th® legs 26 extend downwardly and at their lower ends are provided with feet 27 which rest on the skin 10.

⁵⁰ From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the parts adjacent the incision are not in direct contact with the suture supporting and attaching plate and that the wound may. be kept perfectly clean and infections avoided; also that while the suture ends are drawn toward each other sufficiently to close the wound, they are not knotted together and are attached to the plate 18 in Bn ?^uc“ manner that they may be easily loosened m the event swelling occurs, and thereby the patient is rendered comfortable.

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exact form shown and described, except as set forth in the appended claims.