the first preferred embodiment of this invention , suturing instrument 16 , is represented in fig1 - 13r . referring to fig1 - 3 , show the suturing instrument 16 , which represents the sew - right ® sre • 5 manufactured by lsi solutions , inc . ( formerly lasersurge , inc .) of victor , n . y ., that has been modified to provide a means for selectably stripping its ferrule 103 from the needle 34 at its tissue engaging end 16 a . the tissue engaging end 16 a and needle 34 thereto may be similar to that shown in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 431 , 666 , 5 , 766 , 183 , european patent no . ep 0669101 , filed feb . 23 , 1995 and granted oct . 14 , 1998 , or u . s . patent application publication no . us 2002 / 0107530 a1 , filed feb . 2 , 2001 , which are herein incorporated by reference . the housing 30 has a body shaped like a pistol having a handle portion 30 a , and may be made of a two - piece construction of molded plastic . a needle 34 extends from housing 30 through the shaft 16 b into the tissue engaging end 16 a . needle 34 has a non - tissue engaging end 34 b in the housing 30 having a spherical member 34 a , such as a ball or bearing , respectively , attached thereto . the needle 34 and spherical member 34 a may be made of metal , such as surgical stainless steel . the spherical member 34 a may have a bore into which the non - tissue engaging end 34 b of the needle 34 extends and joins thereto , such as by welding or brazing . the suturing instrument 16 includes an actuating member 36 representing a lever 36 a having two pins 36 b extending into holes 30 b in the sides of housing 30 upon which the actuating member 36 is pivotally mounted in the housing 30 . actuating member 36 has a portion which extends through a lever opening 30 c ( fig2 ) in housing 30 to enable pivotal movement about pins 36 b . an extension spring 38 is provided which hooks at one end in a notch 36 c of actuating member 36 and is wound at the other end around a pin 40 located in holes 30 f in the sides of housing 30 , such that the actuating member 36 is spring biased to retain actuating member 36 normally in a forward position , fully out , as shown for example in fig2 . the body of housing 30 has a front pivot stop 30 e ( fig3 ) providing a stop that limits the pivotal movement of the actuating member 36 . a notch 36 c is provided in the actuating member 36 which is shaped to receive the non - engaging end of needle 34 , i . e ., spherical member 34 a , to be driven forward by an operator pulling actuating member 36 to pivot actuating member 36 towards handle portion 30 a . the groove 36 d ( fig3 ) is provided by two fingers 36 e into which the needle 34 near the spherical member 34 a may lie . as shown in fig4 b and 4c , a thumb slide holder 42 is fixed in housing 30 by two flanges 42 a above actuating member 36 . as best shown in fig4 a , the thumb slide holder 42 has a chamber 42 b with a groove 42 d formed by fingers 42 e which allow the needle 34 to be received in chamber 42 b to restrict movement of the needle 34 when held therein . the lower surface 42 f of thumb slide holder 42 is curved and faces correspondingly curved upper surface 36 f of actuating member 36 , such that the actuating member 36 is slidable along lower surface 42 f responsive to the operator pulling the actuating member 36 . the adapter 48 has a bore extending there through in which a needle spreader 50 is located . needle spreader 50 has two channels 50 b and 50 c into which needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 are respectively located to increase the distance between the needle 34 and the ferrule stripper 35 as they extend toward thumb slide holder 42 , such that the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 are properly aligned . a suture routing tube 47 is provided for suture thread in housing 30 . suture routing tube 47 has one end received in a valve assembly 19 , at the bottom of handle portion 30 a of housing 30 and then extends through the suture routing tube notch 30 d ( fig3 ) along the interior of the left side of housing 30 , and a groove 50 a along needle spreader 50 ( fig3 ). the other end of the suture routing tube 47 is then mounted in suture routing tube hole 51 a through gasket 51 . gasket member 51 further has two holes 51 b and 51 c through which needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 , respectively extend . the gasket 51 may be made of medical grade rubber , such as santoprene . a longitudinal guide member 53 is provided multiple tracks along its length , including two tracks 53 a and 53 b for needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 , respectively , and a suture track 53 c for suture 105 extending from opening 51 a of gasket 51 . the guide member 53 may be made of extruded flexible material , such as tecoflex ®. a d - tube 52 is provided which is d - shaped at one end 52 a is registered into a corresponding shaped opening in adapter 48 , and a threaded nut 54 having an opening which extends over d - tube 52 , screws onto the end of the adapter 48 to secure d - tube 52 to housing 30 . with the gasket 51 loaded first into d - tube 52 , guide member 53 extends from the gasket 51 through the d - tube 52 . in this manner , tracks 53 a , 53 b , and 53 c each form a channel with the interior surface of d - tube 52 . d - tube 52 may be made of stainless steel , or other rigid material , and has for example , d - tube 52 has an outside diameter of 0 . 203 inches . ( note for other applications , such as flexible endoscopy , this tube could be flexible .) inside d - tube 52 , gasket 51 has a ring 51 d , which frictionally engages the interior surface of d - tube 52 . hole 51 a of the gasket 51 is of a diameter such that the suture tube 47 tightly fits therein and provides a seal around suture tube 47 . the suture tube 47 may be held in place in hole 51 a by friction , but adhesive may also be used . holes 51 b and 51 c are of a larger diameter than the needle 34 , except for a small section of holes 51 b and 51 c where the diameter reduces to form flaps of gasket material which seal around needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 , respectively . this enables movement of the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 tube back and forth while maintaining a seal about the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 . one feature of the gasket 51 is that it enables sealing the shaft 16 b as well . the guide member 53 is received into the d - tube 52 , such that guide member 53 abuts gasket 51 and engages distal tip 98 . distal tip 98 is attached to the d - tube 52 by mechanical fastening by forming small dents 52 c in the metal of the d - tube 52 with a press into recessed four pockets 98 b ( fig3 ), i . e ., two on each side of the distal tip 98 . an optional valve assembly 19 can be provided at the bottom of handle portion 30 a , as shown in fig3 , having a valve seat 19 a and a valve controller 19 b . valve seat 19 a is composed of medical grade rubber , such as santoprene ®, and has a through hole extending into an interior chamber . a valve controller 19 b composed of molded plastic , or other rigid material , has a circular section through an opening and a surface forming a cam that can be turned to select a valve fully open to intermediate partially open to a fully closed position . the suture routing tube 47 is received in hole 76 of valve seat 19 a , as shown in fig3 , such that suture 105 material from the tube can pass through openings of the valve seat 19 a and then through the valve controller 19 b . referring to fig2 and 3 , the tissue engaging end 16 a of the suturing instrument 16 is shown having the distal tip 98 which is mounted in a d - tube 52 , such that the front section 98 a of the distal tip 98 extends from d - tube 52 . referring to fig4 a - 4c , the thumb slide holder 42 is shown . the thumb slide holder 42 may be made of a one - piece construction of molded plastic . the thumb slide holder 42 is fixed in the housing 30 above the actuating member 36 by two opposing flanges 42 a , as best shown in fig4 b . as best represented in fig4 a , the thumb slide holder 42 has a chamber 42 b through which the positive stop 41 b of the timing tube 41 c is located . one groove 42 d formed by two fingers 42 e allows the needle 34 ( fig3 ) to pass through the thumb slide holder 42 through the groove 36 d formed by the two fingers 36 e of the actuating member 36 and enables the spherical member 34 a to rest in the notch 36 c of the actuating member 36 . the lower curved surface 42 f extends over the curved upper surface 36 f of the actuating member 36 to further retain the needle 34 and spherical member 34 a in the notch 36 c throughout the entire range of motion of the actuating member 36 . the housing 42 g of the thumb slide holder 42 is fashioned to accommodate and guide the thumb button 41 e ( fig3 ). the thumb button stop 42 k serves as a motion - limiting surface to prevent the thumb button 41 e from traveling farther than intended . the thumb slide holder 42 has a bore 42 c for the timing tube 41 c ( fig3 ) is located . contained within the housing 42 g is a raised region 42 h to enable alignment of the return spring 46 ( fig3 ) and resting surface 42 j which seats and retains the return spring 46 . fig4 c shows a perspective view of the thumb slide holder 42 and timing tube stop 42 l which provides a positive engagement surface for the positive stop 41 b to limit the advance of the timing tube 41 c . the thumb slide holder 42 may further have a channel 42 p forward of the groove 42 d to provide clearance for suture routing - tube 47 ( fig3 ). the body of the thumb slide holder 42 has lock spring bores 42 n and spring lock channels 42 m to provide for the assembly , alignment , and retaining of the lock springs 45 and distal spring lock 43 and proximal spring lock 44 , respectively and best represented in fig5 a and 5b . fig5 a shows the push button assembly 41 interfacing with other components . the timing tube 41 c is shown with the thumb button 41 e attached thereto . housed inside the thumb button 41 e is the return spring 46 which serves as a return mechanism for the assembly . the ferrule stripper 35 is received into the distal opening 41 d and coupled to the timing tube 41 c via an insert molding or adhesive process . the lock springs 45 are inserted into the thumb slide holder 42 and followed with the proximal spring lock 44 and the distal spring lock 43 . with the proximal spring lock 44 and the distal spring lock 43 inserted in the thumb slide holder 42 and compressed , the push button assembly 41 with attached ferrule stripper 35 is inserted into the thumb slide holder 42 such that the positive stop 41 b passes into the chamber 42 b and the proximal spring lock engages in the spring lock engagement slot 41 a . the ferrule stripper 35 continues through the adapter 48 . fig5 b shows a perspective view of the underside of assembled push button assembly 41 , thumb slide holder 42 , adapter 48 , nut 54 , and d - tube 52 and highlights the relative location of the proximal spring lock 44 and distal spring lock 43 . referring to fig6 a and 6b , the operation of the actuating member 36 and the needle 34 is described . as the actuating member 36 is engaged , rotating about the pins 36 b , the needle 34 and the attached spherical member 34 a are advanced as the spherical member 34 a is in contact with the notch 36 c of the actuating member 36 . fig7 a and 7b illustrate the operation of the push button assembly 41 and the ferrule stripper 35 . the actuating member 36 is engaged , rotating about the pins 36 b until the flat engagement surface 36 g comes into contact with and forces the proximal spring lock 44 out of the spring lock engagement slot 41 a ( fig5 a ) allowing the forward motion of the push button assembly 41 and the coupled ferrule stripper 35 . this forward motion is limited primarily by the engagement of distal spring lock 43 with spring lock engagement slot 41 a ( fig5 a ). advancement of timing tube 41 c is also limited by engaging the adapter 48 . fig8 a shows the assembly of the distal tip 98 and the ferrule retainer 99 with the d - tube 52 , the needle 34 , and the ferrule stripper 35 . the distal tip 98 has a gap 104 in a c - shaped jaw 104 having two openings 98 c at one side of the gap through which each needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 may extend the needle 34 and the ferrule stripper 35 are received into the needle / stripper openings of the distal tip 98 and the distal tip 98 is then coupled to the d - tube 52 which may be achieved by mechanical fastening forming small dents in the metal of the d - tube 52 with a press into four recessed pockets 98 b , i . e ., two on each side of the distal tip 98 . the ferrule retainer 99 is inserted into the ferrule retainer hole 98 e until the ring 99 a seats into the opening created where the ferrule retainer hole 98 e intersects the ferrule pocket 107 as best shown in fig8 b . the suture 105 attached to the ferrule 103 enters the ferrule compartment 107 through the open slot located on the side of the ferrule chamber opposite from the ferrule retainer 99 . fig9 a - 13r represent highlights of twelve sequential steps overviewing the loading , reloading and locking operations through one complete cycle of use of instrument 16 . for example , the first three steps presented in fig9 a - 9m , illustrate the needle 34 first advancing into the ferrule 103 . fig9 a - 9d show the instrument loaded and ready for use , the first step . fig9 a shows a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed and both the thumb button 41 e and the lever 36 a are fully out ; the proximal spring lock 44 engages the timing tube 41 c . fig9 b is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig9 a showing the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 and the jaw 104 . fig9 c is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig9 a with the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 , and the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 fully back . fig9 d is a side view of the proximal components of fig9 a showing the lever 36 a and thumb button 41 fully out . proximal spring lock 44 is shown engaging spring lock engagement slot 41 a of timing tube 41 c . figs . 9e - 9h show partial advancement of the needle 34 as part of the second step . fig9 e is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with its thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a partially retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig9 f is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig9 e with the needle 34 partially advanced and the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . fig9 g is the partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig9 e showing the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 , the needle 34 partially advanced and the stripper 35 fully back . fig9 h is a side view of the proximal components of fig9 e showing the lever 36 a partially retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig9 j - 9m show the needle 34 fully advanced and engaged inside of the ferrule 103 as part of the third step . fig9 j is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig9 k is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig9 j showing the needle 34 fully advanced to engage the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 ; best shown in fig9 l . fig9 l is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig9 j with the needle 34 engaging the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back . fig9 m is a side view of the proximal components of fig9 j showing the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . note that the flat engagement surface 36 g is shown raising the proximal spring lock 44 out of the spring lock engagement slot 41 a . the next two steps presented in fig1 a - 10h , illustrate the needle 34 , now attached to the ferrule 103 and its suture 105 , being retracted fully back . fig1 a - 10d show the needle 34 pulling its ferrule 103 back through jaw 104 . fig1 a is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , with the thumb button 41 e fully out , the lever 36 a partially forward and the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 partially back . fig1 b is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 with suture 105 partially retracted . fig1 c is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 partially retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back . fig1 d is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 a showing the lever 36 a partially back and the thumb button 41 e fully out ; fig1 e - 10h show this instrument 16 with the ferrule 103 and its suture 105 attached to the fully retracted needle 34 . fig1 e is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a fully out and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig1 f is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 e showing the suture 105 fully retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back . fig1 g is a perspective side view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 e showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back . fig1 h is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 e showing the lever 36 a fully out and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig1 a - 11j show the next two steps representing reinsertion of the ferrule 103 into it ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 a - 11e show the partial advancement of the needle 34 with its attached ferrule 103 and suture 105 . fig1 a is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a partially retracted , the needle 34 with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 partially advanced and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig1 b is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and the suture 105 partially advanced . fig1 c is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and the suture 105 partially advanced and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back . fig1 d is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 a showing the lever 36 a partially retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . figs . 11e - 11j show the needle 34 fully advanced attached to the ferrule 103 and its suture 105 . note that at this step of the operation , fig1 j is provided to show an enlarged view of the distal spring lock 43 and proximal spring lock 44 . fig1 e is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed and the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig1 f is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 e with the needle 34 fully advanced into the ferrule 103 . fig1 g is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 e showing the needle 34 along with its attached ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced into its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 h is a side view of the proximal components of fig . 11e showing the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out . fig1 j is a close - up side view of the lock features of the components of fig1 h showing the flat engagement surface 36 g of the actuating member 36 raising the proximal spring lock 44 to disengage it from the spring lock engagement slot 41 a of the timing tube 41 c . fig1 a - 12k illustrate the next two steps to complete advancement of the ferrule stripper 35 . fig1 a - 12e show the advancing of the push button assembly 41 to partially advance towards stripping the ferrule 103 from the fully advanced needle 34 . fig1 a is a right partial view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a fully retracted , the needle 34 with its attached ferrule 103 and suture fully advanced and the thumb button 41 e partially advancing the ferrule stripper 35 . fig1 b is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced into its ferrule compartment 107 and the ferrule stripper 35 partially advanced . fig1 c is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced and the ferrule stripper 35 partially advanced . fig1 d is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 a showing the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e and its attached timing tube 41 c partially forward . fig1 e is a close - up side view of the lock features of the components of fig1 d showing the flat engagement surface 36 g raising the proximal spring lock 44 out of the spring lock engagement slot 41 a and the timing tube 41 c partially forward . fig1 f - 12k show the full advancement of both the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 . fig1 f is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a fully retracted , the needle 34 with its attached ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced , and the thumb button 41 e advancing its ferrule stripper 35 fully forward . fig1 g is a right perspective view of the distal end of the components of fig1 f showing the needle 34 with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced and the ferrule stripper 35 fully advanced and engaging the proximal edge of the ferrule 103 , as best shown in fig1 h . fig1 h is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 f showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and the suture 105 and the ferrule stripper 35 fully advanced and flexed onto the needle 34 to engage the proximal edge of the ferrule 103 . fig1 j is the side view of the proximal components of fig1 f showing both the lever 36 a and the thumb button 41 e fully forward . fig1 k is a close - up side view of the lock features of fig1 j showing the actuating member 36 raising the proximal spring lock 44 , allowing the distal spring lock 43 to engage the spring lock engagement slot 41 a in the timing tube 41 c . note a relief 36 j in the top of the actuating member 36 allows the distal spring lock 43 to travel downward and engage the spring lock engagement slot 41 a . the last three steps , figs . 13a - 13r , illustrate the complete retraction of both the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 . fig1 a - 13e show the lever 36 a partially forward to retract the needle 34 to strip the ferrule . 103 by engaging ferrule 103 with the fully advanced ferrule stripper 35 . fig1 a is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a partially released , the needle 34 partially retracted , the ferrule stripper 35 engaging the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 and the thumb button 41 e fully forward . fig1 b is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 partially retracted from its ferrule 103 ( not visible in this view ) and the ferrule stripper 35 fully forward . fig1 c is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 a showing the needle 34 partially retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully forward engaging the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 d is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 a showing the lever 36 a partially out and the thumb button 41 e fully forward . fig1 e is a close - up side view of the lock features of fig1 d showing the convex engagement surface 36 h of the actuating member 36 ( fig1 d ) raising the distal spring lock 43 to disengage the spring lock engagement slot 41 a of the timing tube 41 c . fig1 f - 13k show both the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 partially returning with the ferrule 103 replaced back into its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 f is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a , needle 34 , thumb button 41 e and ferrule stripper 35 partially back . fig1 g is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 f with the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 partially retracted and the ferrule 103 back into its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 h is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 f showing the needle 34 and the ferrule stripper 35 partially back and the ferrule 103 and suture 105 in the ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 j is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 f showing the lever 36 a and the thumb button 41 e partially back . fig1 k is a close - up side view of the lock features of fig1 f showing the engaging surfaces 36 f - 36 h of the actuating member 36 not raising the proximal spring lock 44 or the distal spring lock 43 with the spring lock engagement slot 41 a released . fig1 l - 13r show the instrument reloaded , ready for use and are identical to fig9 a - 9d , respectively , while fig1 r highlights re - engagement of the proximal spring lock 44 with the spring lock engagement slot 41 a . fig1 l is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of fig3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed , the lever 36 a , needle 34 , thumb button 41 e and ferrule stripper 35 fully back and the ferrule 103 and suture 107 reloaded into the ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 m is a perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 l showing the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 fully retracted and the ferrule 103 and suture 107 in the ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 n is a partial cross - sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of fig1 l showing the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 fully back and the ferrule 103 and suture 107 in the ferrule compartment . fig1 p is a side view of the proximal components of fig1 l showing the lever 36 a and the thumb button 41 e fully back . fig1 r is a close - up side view of the lock features of fig1 l showing the proximal spring lock 44 engaging the spring lock engagement slot 41 a of the timing tube 41 c . now referencing fig1 a - 17d , showing the multiple placement of sutures to form a wound closure . fig1 a - 14e illustrate the use of this instrument for the placement of the first suture of a wound closure and the readiment of the instrument for subsequent bites . fig1 a shows the distal tip 98 of the instrument 16 above a wound closure 110 . note the distal side of the wound closure 110 has crosshatching for purposes of this illustration . fig1 b shows the device 16 with the needle 34 passing through the first bite 124 of the distal side of the wound 110 . fig1 c shows the needle 34 retracted back with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 pulled through the wound 110 . fig1 d shows the needle 34 now advanced through to place the ferrule 103 back into its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 e shows the needle 34 back after having its ferrule 103 stripped . the instrument is now ready for another bite . now referencing fig1 a - 15e , the device 16 is again placed into the wound 110 this time with the proximal side of the wound 110 in the instrument &# 39 ; s jaw 104 . the needle 34 will enter the tissue 120 as shown in fig1 a , traverse the tissue 120 and enter the ferrule compartment 107 as shown in fig1 b . fig1 c illustrates the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 107 pulled back leaving suture 105 through the first bite 126 on the proximal side of the wound closure 110 . fig1 d shows the needle 34 advanced yet again . fig1 e shows the ferrule 103 back in its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 a - 16d shows the second suture placement on the distal side of the wound 110 . fig1 a shows the needle 34 traversing the second site 127 on the distal wound 110 aspect . fig1 b shows the suture 105 through the second bite 127 on the distal side of the wound 110 . fig1 c shows the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 advanced to the ferrule pocket . fig . 16d shows the instrument again ready for the bite . fig1 a - 17d show the second bite 128 on the proximal side of the wound closure 110 . fig1 a shows the needle 34 going through the second site 128 of the proximal side of the wound closure 110 . fig1 b shows the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 advanced back into its ferrule compartment 107 . fig . 17c shows the instrument with the ferrule 103 reloaded and the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 retracted back . fig . 17d illustrates the appearance of the wound closure 110 . if the sutures 105 were to be tied at this time , this type of closure is commonly called a figure of eight suture closure . if the process were to continue with further placements of suture 105 running along the distal and proximal aspects of the wound closure , this type of closure is typically be called a running suture wound closure . now referencing fig1 a - 21 , fig1 a shows the instrument 16 of this invention with the distal tail of the suture 105 exposed and the distal tip 98 of the instrument 16 ready for knot tying . fig1 a - 19b show the first throw of the knot tying process . fig1 c - 19f show the second throw of the knot tying process . fig2 and 22 show the cinching down of the knot . in fig1 b , a surgical grasper 129 , is used to grab the free end of the suture 105 and to wrap the suture 105 around the jaw 104 of the instrument 16 . note that to construct the unique knot of this invention , which we have named the “ super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot ,” the first wrapping of suture 105 around the jaw 104 consists of two complete loops wrapped around the jaw 104 . fig1 c shows the advancement of the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 back into its ferrule compartment 107 , best shown in fig1 a , after the double wrap has been placed around the jaw 104 of the instrument 16 . fig1 d shows the now stripped ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . fig1 e shows the knot forming double loops being slid down towards the wound closure site 110 . fig1 a shows the grasper 129 further cinching the knot down to the wound closure site 110 . fig1 b shows the suture 105 now fully retracted back on its needle 34 to further expose the jaw 104 of the knot tying instrument 16 . fig1 c shows a second wrapping of a single loop placed around the distal tip 98 of the instrument 16 to secure the knot . fig1 d shows the needle 34 again advanced to replace the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 along with the suture 105 . fig1 e shows the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 with the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 now back . fig1 f shows the second throw , a single loop throw , of the super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot being slid over the ferrule 103 and suture 105 down towards the wound closure 110 . fig2 d illustrates that by pulling on the surgical grasper 129 on the free end of the suture 105 , the suture loops are further slid towards and down onto the wound closure 110 to begin to pull ( also called approximate or appose ) the edges of the wound 110 together , but not fully locking the knot in place . fig2 shows by pulling on the surgical grasper 129 holding the free end of the suture 105 , and now by simultaneously pulling on instrument 16 holding the ferrule 103 end of the suture 105 , both ends of the suture 105 are drawn tight , thereby locking the super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot in place . the distinct advantage of the super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot is that it permits the user to place the knot above the wound closure and appropriately appose the wound edge by pulling only on the free end of the suture , and then , once the correct tissue apposition is achieved , the user can pull on the ferrule end of the suture to lock the knot down . locking down the super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot alone provides adequate holding force , at least temporarily , to hold together many types of wound closures . for example , a super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot made with 2 - 0 strongsorb ® suture by lsi solutions , inc ., achieves an average tissue holding strengths of approximately 0 . 5 kg knot holding force to temporarily secure and tissue edges together . subsequent throws on top of the super surgeon &# 39 ; s knot will add additional knot holding force up to the native strength of the suture ( e . g ., with 2 - 0 strongsorb ®, up to 5 to 6 kg tensile pull ). no other knot is known ( to the inventors ) that can be constructed under such surgically relevant conditions and provides excellent tissue holding force immediately when the first throws are drawn together by pulling on both ends of the suture . fig2 a - 22c illustrate an alternate method of securing the free ends of the suture 105 left by the instrument 16 , used to close the wound 110 in the tissue 120 . fig2 a represents an instrument 130 , which crimps a sleeve member 121 to secure suture 105 together and is commercially available as a ti - knot ® tk • 5 ®. device manufactured by lsi solutions , inc ., under at least the following patents u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 520 , 702 ; 5 , 643 , 289 and 5 , 669 , 917 . the free ends of the suture 105 are passed through the instrument 130 and the instrument 130 is passed closer to the wound closure 110 . fig2 b illustrates the instrument 130 being applied directly to the wound closure 110 and both free ends of the suture 105 drawn tight , removing any slack and drawing the opposing sides of the wound closure 110 closer together . fig2 c shows the sleeve member 121 crimped around the suture 105 at the wound closure 110 . note that the suture 105 has been trimmed . after using instrument 16 to place suture 105 for running a wound closure 110 , one or both ends of the suture 105 may remain unsecured . these free ends of the suture 105 can be attached to pledgets or bolsters 122 a and 122 b to prevent their ability to be pulled into or away from the wound site 110 . a pledget is typically a pliable , non - reactive piece of material , such as polyester mesh , gortex ®, or the like , that is often used in conjunction with sutures or staples to augment wound closures . in this invention , a bolster 122 a is attached ( e . g ., by tying or sewing ) to one end of an additional segment of suture 123 a . by placing the free end of this bolstered suture 123 a , along with one free end of the suture 105 , the bolster 122 a and its attached suture 123 a can be passed down using suture 105 as a guide . bolster 122 a , suture 123 a and one end of suture 105 can be secured at one end of the wound site 110 with a sleeve member 121 . the bolster 122 a can hold this end of the running suture 105 from being pulled into the wound 110 . by repeating a similar bolstered suture 123 b placement at the opposite end of the wound 110 , the second bolster 122 b and its suture 123 b can hold the second suture 105 end from being pulled into the wound 110 . bolsters 122 a and 1 22 b secured at each end of the wound 110 , prevent the suture 105 from being pulled out of the wound 110 from either direction . fig2 a - 24c illustrate a second preferred embodiment of this invention . the main difference between this embodiment and the first preferred embodiment , is that instead of stripping the ferrule 103 with the ferrule stripper 35 traversing the gap and engaging the ferrule 103 , the member that directly contacts the ferrule 103 for ferrule stripping is incorporated in the distal tip 98 . the thumb button 41 e drive mechanism for this embodiment can be the same as in the first preferred embodiment . fig2 a shows a perspective of the distal jaw , which looks similar to the first embodiment , except instead of a slope to direct the stripper wedge 131 towards the ferrule , the stripper wedge 131 enters a chamber 141 and subsequently wedges member 133 against ferrule 103 to permit removal of the needle 34 . fig2 b shows needle 34 engaging ferrule 103 in ferrule compartment 107 with the stripper wedge 131 traveling toward chamber 141 . fig2 c shows the ferrule 103 held in its ferrule compartment 107 by stripper wedge 131 forcing over member 133 . needle 34 can now be extracted from ferrule 103 . stripper wedge 131 can be subsequently withdrawn leaving the ferrule 103 in it reloaded position . fig2 a - 25c illustrate a third preferred embodiment of this invention . in this embodiment , unlike the prior two , the ferrule stripping element does not traverse the gap in the distal tip 98 . rather , in this embodiment , the stripper wedge 131 , which can be a semi - flexible material , such as memory metal , nitinol , or the like , passes through a channel in the bridge that traverses behind the gap in the jaw . this ferrule stripping embodiment can also be advanced towards the ferrule using a mechanism similar to the already described thumb slide mechanism 41 ( fig3 ). fig2 a shows needle 34 after being retracted back and stripped off ferrule 103 held in its ferrule compartment 107 by the flexible integrated stripper 135 . fig2 b is a partial sectional view of needle 34 engaging ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . the flexible integrated stripper 135 is shown retracted into the bridge channel 134 to permit the needle 34 to pull the ferrule 103 out of its ferrule compartment 107 . fig2 c illustrates a partially retracted needle after its ferrule 103 is stripped by the flexible integrated stripper 135 . fig2 - 30j describe a fourth preferred embodiment of this invention . unlike the previous three embodiments , this fourth version does not require an additional manual mechanism , like the thumb slide mechanism , to enable ferrule stripping . instead of pushing a button to activate a stripper , this instrument is more automated to enable stripping the ferrule 103 imply squeezing the lever 36 a a second time . fig2 shows this instrument in a perspective view illustrating window 136 in the right handle half ; a comparable window ( not shown ) is located in the opposite location on the left handle half . these windows permit an instrument user to view from either handle an asymmetric rotating disc 138 a that indicates whether the cam needle 139 is in the stripper or non - stripper orientation . also , note rod 137 mounts into the right handle half to engage the slots in the rotating cam 138 . when lever 36 a rotates back , cam 138 drives forward , lifts towards the mid stroke , then lowers and rotates about rod 137 , as seen in fig2 a - 27c . fig2 a shows the rod 137 engaging the distal slot in cam 138 . the rotating indicator disc 138 a is vertically oriented indicating a non - faceted edge of the cam needle 139 faces the ferrule latch 140 ( fig2 a ; also see fig2 - 31j ). release of the lever 36 a permits the cam needle 139 and its rotational cam 138 to travel back and elevates slightly at mid stroke , where rod 137 enters an obliquely oriented slot , to begin rotating the rotational cam 138 and its attached cam needle 139 ( fig2 e ). by completion of the lever 36 a , the full rotation of the rotational cam 138 ( fig2 a ), the needle facet 139 b ( fig2 f ) is now oriented towards the ferrule latch 140 , which permits ferrule stripping . fig2 shows the partially retracted cam needle 139 having its ferrule 103 held by ferrule latch 140 . note this illustration shows a pocket 142 recessed in the distal tip 98 for holding the ferrule latch 140 . fig2 a shows cam needle 139 oriented with a non - faceted shoulder 139 c engaging and lifting the ferrule engaging surface 140 g of the ferrule latch 140 . the ferrule 103 is not held by the ferrule latch 140 , because the ferrule 103 latch 140 is compressed by the non - faceted shoulder 139 c pushing against timing surface 140 b . the ferrule 103 is able to be pulled from its ferrule compartment 107 by cam needle 139 . fig2 b shows the distal end of the fourth preferred embodiment with cam needle 139 retracting back through the gap and the ferrule latch 140 engaging into the proximal edge of ferrule 103 . fig2 b highlights cam needle 139 oriented to have a facet 139 b towards the ferrule latch 140 , to not engage timing surface 140 b so that the ferrule engagement surface 140 g contacts the proximal edge of ferrule 103 . surfaces 140 f and 140 e provide contacts to help maintain latch placement in its pocket 142 . fig3 a - 30j show one complete cycle of the cam needle 139 traversing the jaw 104 , picking up a ferrule 103 , the ferrule 103 being returned to its ferrule compartment 107 and the ferrule 103 being stripped by the ferrule latch 140 . this cycle reloads the ferrule 103 for another stitch placement . fig3 shows the retracted cam needle 139 oriented with a non - faceted shoulder 139 c facing the ferrule latch 140 , which secures the ferrule 103 with its suture 105 in its ferrule compartment 107 in the distal tip 98 . fig3 b shows cam needle 139 fully advanced into ferrule 103 , with its non - faceted shoulder 139 c compressing ferrule latch 140 . fig3 c shows cam needle 139 pulling ferrule 107 and suture 105 back beyond the compressed ferrule latch 140 . at approximately the midpoint of the cam needle 139 retraction , cam needle 139 begins its rotation with ferrule 103 and suture 105 rotating with cam needle 139 . fig3 e shows cam needle 139 along with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully retracted back with its 900 rotation completed . fig3 f shows cam needle 139 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 advancing back into ferrule compartment 107 . a faceted shoulder 139 a of cam needle 139 now faces the ferrule latch 140 . fig3 g shows the cam needle 139 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully placed back into its ferrule compartment 107 . the faceted shoulder 139 a of cam needle 139 does not cause ferrule latch 140 to compress up or deflect away from the proximal edge of ferrule 103 . fig3 h shows the retraction of ferrule 103 stopped by ferrule latch 140 , stripping ferrule 103 from its partially retracted cam needle 139 . fig3 j shows the cam needle 139 now fully retracted back and rotated back 180 ° so that the opposite side of the non - faceted shoulder 139 c is oriented towards the ferrule latch . the ferrule 103 is reloaded back into its ferrule compartment 107 and cam needle 139 is ready to advance through more tissue 120 , picking up ferrule 103 and pulling it along with its suture 105 back through another bite of tissue 120 .
an instrument and method for suturing wound closures is provided having a handle , shaft and suture engagement mechanism . the instrument provides for multiple placements or “ bites ” of suture in tissues to enable a wide variety of suturing techniques , including the ability to “ run ” a suture . the instrument further facilitates suture knot tying . the method of this instrument provides for rapid and effective remote suture placement and knot tying .