| 摘要 |
A retainer for a suture having a suture strand and a needle attached to one or to each free end of the strand. The retainer has as many as five panels foldably connected together. When all of the panels are folded, the retainer has the approximate size and shape of a first one of the panels. The suture is contained within the folded panels. A separator on the first panel prevents tangling of the suture strand during withdrawal, facilitates such withdrawal, and, where multiple sutures are retained, keeps their respective strands separate. The separator may be one or more two-leaved, low friction and robust envelopes or an accordion-folded sheet of a low friction, robust material. Alternatively, the separator may be one or more sinuous cuts in the first panel which define adjacent tabs and beneath which the strand may be frictionally held. A suturewithdrawal site resides at one end of the first panel. The second panel, at the other end of the first panel, is foldable to prevent the strand from residing beyond the boundary of the first panel and when so folded may overlie a part of the separator. The third panel is foldable about a side of the first panel to overlie the folded second panel, the separator and the suture and to complementarily overlie the first panel, while not overlying the withdrawal site. A holder, which may be a foam strip with or without slits and mounted to the first panel, frictionally (where it has slits) or mechanically (where it does not have slits) holds the suture strand to maintain the needle and the needle-strand attachment at the withdrawal site.
|
