The medical journal Surgery, Vol. 86, Nov. 5, November 1979, pages 748-760, whose contents are hereby incorporated by reference, is a review article summarizing the state of the art in splenorrhaphy, the surgical repair of traumitized spleens. As explained in this article, the spleen is a friable vascular organ, and when injured typically suffers transverse rupture or fracture. Repair by suturing the tissue is complicated by its lack of tensile strength. Various procedures have been devised which are reported on and illustrated in this article, extending from the use of fine sutures in different patterns, to the use of absorbable suture ladders which are sutured to the organ across the fracture. Such known procedures are complicated, difficult to carry out during profuse bleeding, do not readily provide hemostasis, and are time consuming.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds