U-stitches and T-fasteners are two common surgical techniques used for securing organs and tissues. For example, during the initial placement of gastrostomy devices, the stomach should be pulled flush against the inner abdominal wall. U-stitches and T-fasteners are both techniques for doing so and can be performed percutaneously. U-stitches, for example, are stitches looped through a cavity in a patient's body. As a result, sutures on the outside of the body can be tightened by surgeons. In addition to adults, toddler-aged or even younger children are often the recipients of gastrostomy devices. As noted in the above example, the suture is looped through the patient's stomach using curved needles with sutures attached to the end. As the sutures are tightened, the stomach is pulled against the inner abdominal wall. Although this method is safe and reliable, smaller-sized children such as in the toddler age range, have limited distance between their skin surface and their stomach cavity.
The thicker abdominal wall in larger children and adults prevents this method of U-stitch. Additionally, while T-fasteners can be easily placed regardless of the size of the patient, T-fasteners may be inferior due to eroding and embedding into the lining of the stomach. Thus, an alternate anchoring method is needed that would be better-suited for patients of any age.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds