JP3078339B2 - Medical suture needle bending method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for bending medical suture needles having different curvature radii.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a medical suture needle for suturing a living tissue (hereinafter referred to as a "suturing needle"), a needle tip for penetrating the tissue is formed at the tip and a torso is made circular. Suture needles such as circular needles or bladed suture needles having a cutting blade formed over a predetermined length from a needle tip formed at the tip are provided. Each of the suturing needles is formed so as to have a predetermined curved shape, and these suturing needles are selected and used in accordance with the suturing site and the properties of living tissue. A suture needle is generally bent with a single radius of curvature, and its curved shape is a half circle (180 degrees) or a 3/8 circle (135 circles).
Degrees), a 1/4 circle (90 degrees) or the like. In order to perform the above-described bending process on the suturing needle, it is possible to use the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 18-18256 developed by the present applicant. This technique is a method for bending a shaft rod or a thin plate into an arc shape. A work material such as a shaft rod is formed between a cylindrical roll and a thin belt which is pressed against and wound around the outer peripheral surface of the roll. And a part of or the whole of the processed material is bent into an arc shape by inserting and winding.

[0003] In addition, suture needles are required to have appropriate strength and non-rusting properties. For this reason, stainless steel is used as a material constituting the suture needle. Stainless steel includes martensitic stainless steel and precipitation hardening stainless steel having quench hardening properties, and austenitic stainless steel having no quench hardening properties. When martensitic stainless steel is used as the material of the suture needle, it is possible to form the material into a desired shape of the suture needle in advance and then increase the hardness and obtain the strength by heat treatment. When austenitic stainless steel is used, it is easy to form this material into the shape of the desired suture needle,
Since it does not have quench hardening properties, it is necessary to obtain a predetermined strength by work hardening by cold working.

Recently, there have been proposed ophthalmic suturing needles in which a needle tip and a torso are curved with different radii of curvature. As the suture needle, for example, DJMcIn
By curve needle proposed by tyer, or R.
There is a bi-curve needle proposed by Torchia. According to these suturing needles, a portion to be sewn can be sewn deeply and narrowly.

[0005] As described above, in order to manufacture a suture needle curved with different radii of curvature (hereinafter, referred to as a "composite curved needle"), a straight needle having a needle tip, a cutting blade, a hole for binding a suture, and the like is formed. It is necessary to perform a bending process with different radii of curvature on the shape-like material. Such bending can be performed by press forming using a bending die corresponding to the curved shape. When a martensitic stainless steel is used as the material of the composite curved needle, it is possible to form a desired curved shape by a single press forming using a bending method by a press. Then, by subjecting a material formed into a desired curved shape to a quenching process, it is possible to manufacture a target composite curved needle.

[0006]

However, in the case of manufacturing a composite curved needle using austenitic stainless steel, since this material does not have quench hardening properties, the metal structure is subjected to cold drawing in advance to change the metal structure to fiber. It is stretched in a shape to impart strength. When such a work-hardened austenitic stainless steel is subjected to bending by press forming, the springback is large, and it is difficult to bend at a set radius of curvature. Also, when using martensitic stainless steel, even if it is possible to bend to a desired shape by a single forming process by pressing, the size of the composite curved needle is large, several types of thickness alone, and length Considering the curved shape, the required number of bending dies becomes enormous. For this reason, the production cost may increase, and the management of the bending mold may be complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for bending a medical suture needle which can rationally bend a compound curved needle having a different radius of curvature irrespective of a material into a desired shape. is there.

[0008]

A method for bending a suture needle according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a method for bending a medical suture needle having a curved shape having different radii of curvature. A straight needle-shaped material formed into a predetermined cross-sectional shape is subjected to a bending process over a predetermined range from one end side of the material with the largest radius of curvature constituting a curved shape, and then the bent material is processed. Bending is performed over a predetermined range from the end of the material with a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of curvature, and thereafter, bending is performed over a predetermined range from the end of the material so that the radius of curvature is gradually reduced. It is.

In the above-mentioned processing method, when bending a material into a curved shape having a different radius of curvature, a bending roll having a diameter corresponding to the largest radius of curvature and a belt pressed against the bending roll are used. After the material is inserted from the end between the ends and subjected to the first bending, the material is inserted from the end between the bending roll having a smaller diameter than the bending roll and the belt pressed against the bending roll. Then, the material is inserted from the end between a bending roll having a smaller diameter and a belt pressed against the bending roll, thereby sequentially bending the material into a curved shape having different radii of curvature. Is preferably applied. Furthermore, when performing bending, it is preferable to stick a protective tape over a predetermined range from the end of the material.

[0010]

According to the first bending method, the curved shape of the compound bending needle is divided into different curvature radii, and the bending is performed on portions having a large radius of curvature sequentially from a portion having a large radius of curvature, thereby obtaining another portion. The bending process can be performed as a continuous curve without interfering with the curved portion.

According to the second bending method, there is provided a bending roll having a plurality of radii of curvature constituting a composite curved needle and a belt pressed against the bending roll. After being inserted between the belts and subjected to bending, the material can be continuously bent into a curved shape having different radii of curvature by sequentially inserting the material between a bending roll and a belt having a smaller diameter. When performing the first bending process or the second bending process, a protective tape may be applied over a predetermined range from the end of the material, for example, from the needle tip to the body including the cutting blade. The bending process can be performed without damaging the portion affixed by the cutting step and without damaging the bending roll or belt by the cutting blade.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a method for bending a suture needle to which the above means is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a compound curved needle curved with different radii of curvature, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a straight needle-like material is bent with the largest radius of curvature, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a state in which the formed material is bent at a small radius of curvature, and FIG.

According to the bending method of the present invention, when manufacturing a compound curved needle having a curved shape having a plurality of different radii of curvature, a bending is performed on a straight needle-like material by the maximum radius of curvature constituting the compound curved needle. Then, bending is performed in order with a smaller radius of curvature. Therefore,
The present invention is applicable to any shape of the bending state of the compound bending needle. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a bending method in a process of manufacturing the composite curved needle A having two large and small radii of curvature shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The compound curved needle A shown in FIG. 1 is an ophthalmic suture needle called a bi-curve needle developed by DJ McIntyer.
A sharp needle tip 1a for penetrating a living tissue is formed at the tip of a material 1 of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm, and a cutting blade 1b is formed from the needle tip 1a over a predetermined length. The cross section of the tip portion where the cutting blade 1b is formed has a substantially trapezoidal shape, the body 1c following the cross section is formed in a flat circular shape, and the original end 1d is formed in a circular shape. In addition, a blind hole having a predetermined depth is formed in the base end 1d to connect the suture 2 thereto. Approximately 3 mm from the body 1c to the base end 1d
And has a maximum radius of curvature R of about 85 degrees, and a predetermined length portion including the needle tip 1a to the cutting blade 1b is about 1 mm.
And has a minimum radius of curvature r of about 105 degrees. In the case of the compound curved needle A having a curved shape as described above, uniform suturing with a constant length and depth can be performed, and deep and narrow suturing can be performed.

As a material constituting the composite curved needle A, a piano wire, a martensitic stainless steel wire, an austenitic stainless steel wire, or the like can be used. However, it is preferable to use an austenitic stainless steel wire having non-rusting properties. In this embodiment, an austenitic stainless steel wire is used, and the steel wire is subjected to cold drawing at a predetermined working rate, so that the wire is in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm according to the target composite curved needle A. A line having a predetermined thickness is formed. Next, the line is cut into a length corresponding to the size of the target compound curved needle A to form a linear line, and the line is subjected to press working and / or grinding to attach the needle tip 1a to the tip. At the same time, the cutting blade 1b is formed from the needle tip over a predetermined length, and the cross-sectional shape of each part is formed into a predetermined shape. In this way, the wire is subjected to press working, grinding, drilling of a blind hole, etc., to form the straight needle-shaped material 1.

Next, a bending apparatus suitable for bending the straight needle-shaped material 1 constructed as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The bending device includes a bending roll 3 (3R, 3r) driven by a motor (not shown), a belt 4 that presses against a part of the surface of the bending roll 3, and a press roll 5 that backs up the belt 4. I have. The bending roll 3 is constituted by a roll having a diameter of about 1 mm to 3 mm according to the radius of curvature of the curved shape of the composite curved needle A. Thus, the bending roll 3 is constituted by a very thin round bar. Further, the radius of the bending roll 3 is not necessarily the same value as the radius of curvature of the composite curved needle A, and is set according to the springback of the material 1. That is, when the material of the raw material 1 is an annealed martensitic stainless steel, the springback of this material is not so large, and therefore, the radius of the bending roll 3 is slightly smaller than the value of the radius of curvature to be bent. Is set smaller. When the material of the material 1 is austenitic stainless steel subjected to cold drawing, the springback of this material is large. Therefore, the radius of the bending roll 3 is sufficiently larger than the radius of curvature to be bent. Is set smaller. The diameter of the bending roll 3 according to the radius of curvature is empirically set according to the material to be bent. Belt 4 is 0.01mm thick
It is composed of a long steel belt of about 0.5 mm. One end of the belt 4 is wound around the supply roller 4a,
The other end is wound around the winding roller 4b. Then, it is pressed against the bending roll 3 from the roller 4a to the roller 4b. Motors (not shown) are connected to the rollers 4a and 4b, respectively, and are configured to move the belt 4 in the same direction in accordance with the rotation of the bending roll 3. The press roll 5 is configured to have a larger diameter than the bending roll 3,
Is disposed at a position opposite to the above. This press roll 5
Is rotatably supported by supporting means (not shown), and is configured to be able to adjust the gap with the bending roll 3. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the press roll 5, the gap between the press roll 5 and the bending roll 3 is set according to the thickness of the material 1 to be bent, and the pressing force of the belt 4 against the bending roll 3 is set. It is possible to

A procedure for performing a bending process on the material 1 by the bending apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a bending roll 3R having a diameter corresponding to a large radius of curvature R constituting the compound bending needle A is selected and mounted on a bending device. Bending roll 3
The R and the belt 4 are rotated in the direction of the arrow a, and the straight needle-shaped material 1 is inserted between the bending roll 3R and the belt 4 from the needle point 1a side. Then, the material 1 is bent over a range in which the bending process is performed with the radius of curvature R and a range in which the bending process is performed with the radius of curvature r. After finishing the bending in the above range, the material 1 is taken out from the bending device by rotating the bending roll 3R and the belt 4 in the direction of arrow b. At this time, the material 1 taken out of the bending device is curved with a radius of curvature R as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, a bending roll 3r having a diameter corresponding to a small radius of curvature r constituting the compound bending needle A is selected and mounted on a bending device. The bending roll 3r and the belt 4 are rotated in the direction of arrow a, and the radius of curvature R is set between the bending roll 3r and the belt 4.
The material 1 which has been bent into a shape is inserted from the end on the side to be bent at the radius of curvature r. The composite curved needle A shown in FIG. 1 is inserted between the bending roll 3r and the belt 4 with the needle tip 1a as the head. The needle tip 1a has a bending roll 3r and a belt 4
By controlling the rotation angle of the bending roll r based on the time when the bending roll r is inserted between them, the bending process is performed with the radius of curvature r over a predetermined range from the needle tip 1a. After finishing the bending, the material 1 is taken out from the bending device by rotating the bending roll 3r and the belt 4 in the direction of arrow b. At this time, the raw material 1 taken out of the bending device is subjected to a bending process with a radius of curvature r from the needle tip 1a as shown in FIG. Bending is performed with a radius R.

As described above, when one material 1 is subjected to bending with different radii of curvature, the bending rolls 3 corresponding to the respective radii of curvature are selected, and the bending is performed for each bending roll 3. In addition, the bending can be performed without being affected by the thickness and length of the material 1. That is, when the thickness of the material 1 changes, it is possible to cope with this change by adjusting the gap between the bending roll 3 and the press roll 5, and when the length of the material 1 changes. By controlling the rotation angle of the bending roll 3, it is possible to cope with this change. Therefore, unlike a bending process by press molding, a bending die corresponding to each composite bending needle is not required, and a composite bending needle having any curved shape can be easily handled.

The bending roll 3 in the bending device has a high surface hardness, and the belt 4 uses a high-strength steel belt. For this reason, the needle tip 1a or the cutting blade 1 of the material 1 to be bent and sandwiched between the bending roll 3 and the belt 4
b may be damaged, such as settling, or the surface of the bending roll 3 or the belt 4 may be damaged by the cutting blade 1b. For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The protective tape 6 is adhered to a portion extending from the end of the body to a predetermined range, that is, from the needle tip 1a to the body portion 1c including the cutting blade 1b, and thereafter, a bending process is performed. The material of the protective tape 6 is not particularly limited. For example, an adhesive tape such as a cellophane tape, a paper tape, or a cloth tape can be used. These tapes are cut into a dimension larger than the width dimension of the cutting blade 1b of the material 1 and cut into a predetermined length to form a protective tape 6. 1 includes a body 1 including a cutting blade 1b from a needle tip 1a of the material 1.
By adhering to material c, it is possible to protect the material 1, the bending roll 3, and the belt 4 when performing the bending process.
When the protective tape 6 is attached to the material 1 to increase the apparent thickness of the material 1, it is possible to prevent the material 1 from being lost, and to place the material 1 on a table during bending. It becomes easy to align the raw materials 1 in the same direction. That is, the setup when bending the material 1 is facilitated.

In the above-described embodiment, a cutting edge type suture needle in which a sharp needle tip 1a is formed at the tip of the material 1 and a cutting blade 1b is formed at a predetermined length from the needle tip 1a has been described. The present invention is not limited to this type. For example, a round needle may be applied as long as it has a curved shape having a different radius of curvature.

[0020]

As described above in detail, according to the first bending method of the present invention, a suture needle having a different radius of curvature can be rationally formed without being affected by the material constituting the suture needle. It can be bent.

According to the second bending method of the present invention, irrespective of the thickness, length, etc. of the target suture needle,
The material can be bent into a continuous curved shape by a bending roll according to the radius of curvature constituting the suture needle. Further, when performing a bending process on the material of the suturing needle, a bending roll corresponding to the radius of curvature constituting the suturing needle may be prepared. For this reason, a bending mold corresponding to a curved shape is not required unlike the press molding, so that a manufacturing cost, a management cost, and the like of the bending mold are unnecessary. Therefore, the manufacturing cost does not increase. Further, when performing the first bending process or the second bending process, by applying a protective tape to a portion extending from the end portion of the material to a predetermined range, that is, from the needle tip to the body portion including the cutting blade portion, Bending can be performed without damaging the material, bending roll, belt, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a compound curved needle curved with different radii of curvature.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a straight needle-shaped material is bent at the largest radius of curvature.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a material bent with a large radius of curvature is bent with a small radius of curvature.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a material to which a protective tape is stuck.

[Explanation of symbols]

A is a compound curved needle, 1 is a material, 1a is a needle tip, 1b is a cutting blade,
1c is a torso, 1d is a base end, 2 is a suture, 3, 3R, 3
r is a bending roll, 4 is a belt, 4a is a supply roll, 4b
Is a take-up roll, 5 is a press roll, and 6 is a protective tape.

Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B21G 1/02 B21G 1/08 A61B 17/06 310 B21D 7/08

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for bending a medical suture needle having a curved shape having different radii of curvature, wherein the largest curvature constituting a curved shape is formed on a straight needle-shaped material having a predetermined cross-sectional shape. Bending is performed over a predetermined range from one end side of the material with a radius, and then the bending-processed material is bent over a predetermined range from an end of the material with a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of curvature, A method for bending a medical suturing needle, comprising: performing bending over a predetermined range from an end of a material so that a radius of curvature is sequentially reduced. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein when the material is bent in a curved shape having a different radius of curvature, the material is placed between a bending roll having a diameter corresponding to the largest radius of curvature and a belt pressed against the bending roll. After performing the first bending process by inserting the material from the end portion, the material is inserted from the end portion between the bending roll having a smaller diameter than the bending roll and the belt pressed against the bending roll to perform the second bending. After that, the material is inserted from the end between a bending roll having a smaller diameter and a belt pressed against the bending roll from the end to bend into a curved shape having a different radius of curvature. The method for bending a medical suture needle according to claim 1. 3. A bending process for a medical suture needle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a protective tape is applied over a predetermined range from an end of the material when the medical suture needle is bent. Method.