Needle Driver

A needle driver is used by laparoscopic surgeons to hold suturing needles when closing surgical incisions and wounds. An example of the use of the needle driver is during laparoscopic suturing of the gastrojejunostomy during a laparoscopic gastric bypass. Forming slip-knots to close wounds and surgical incisions when inside the body requires precise skills.

Suturing can often be tricky to use owing to the property of “memory” which causes the suture material to resist deformation. Needle drivers have three parts – the jaws, joints, and handles. The instrument is classified as straight or curved depending upon the shape of the jaws. The shape of the jaw corresponds to the shape of the surgical needle it has to grip. The number of teeth ratcheted onto the jaws is a factor in facilitating the easy release and regrasping of the needle during laparoscopic surgery.

The needle driver should offer the surgeon control to suture both fine and coarse tissue. This requires that the instrument enable the surgeon to control suturing material of different thicknesses and material types. More importantly the needle driver must allow proper positioning of the needle.

The handles are often spring-loaded and the jaw surface coated with diamond to ensure proper gripping of the suturing material. The handle is one of the most important parts of the instrument as this is what is held by the surgeon during the procedure. An ergonomic design that facilitates easy maneuverability of the needle driver is a prime requirement. Economy of movement and repeatability of actions is necessary and a surgeon’s choice of needle drivers has to take this into account. Laparoscopic suturing is usually done using two needle drivers or with one needle driver and a bowel grasper in the other hand.