872,952. Suturing appliances. NATIONAL RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Oct. 29, 1959 [Nov. 7, 1958], No. 35875/58. Class 81 (2). [Also in Group VII] Apparatus for holding a surgical needle comprises a pair of clamps 17, 18, Figs. 1, 2, adapted to grip the needle alternatively at spaced points. In use, clamp 18, which is biased to a forward and closed position, grips the needle adjacent the eye, while clamp 17 occupies a retracted and open position. The needle is then passed through the lips of the wound and clamp 17 is advanced to grip the needle adjacent the point, when clamp 18 releases the needle and is retracted to enable the thread to be drawn through said lips. Clamp 18 then advances and re-grips the needle, and finally clamp 17 releases the needle and retracts. A cylindrical casing 1 is provided with a downwardly-extending handle 2 and a forwardly-extending support 4. Bars 5 and 6, slidable in casing 1, are pivoted to respective bars 19, 20, and the latter are pivoted to respective pairs of toggle links 37, 38. Links 38 are pivoted to support 4 and links 37 are pivoted to links 32 which are pivoted to support 4. Links 32 and 37 carry co-operating clamping jaws 30, 31 respectively, the jaws associated with slide 5 constituting the clamp 17 and the jaws associated with slide 6 constituting the clamp 18. A spring 9 biases slide 5 inwardly to position clamp 17 in rearward and open position. A spring 10, stronger than spring 9, biases slide 6 forwardly to hold clamp 18 in its advanced and closed position. A trigger 14, pivoted at 13 to a lug 12 on slide 6, has a tongue 16 which abuts the inner end of slide 5. Initial pressure on the trigger serves to move slide 5 forwardly till spring 9 is fully compressed, for advancing and closing clamp 17. Further pressure on the trigger pivots tongue 16 on slide 5 to move slide 6 inwardly for opening and retracting clamp 18. On release of the trigger, clamp 18 is first advanced and closed, and then clamp 17 is opened and retracted. A cranked end 53 of a rotatable rod 41a is adapted to be swung into contact with the needle for removing debris from the latter and to support the needle while gripping is being transferred from one clamp to the other. Rod 41a carries a gear 44 which meshes with a gear 45 adapted to be rotated by a crank 52 having a pin-and-slot connection 50, 51 with a bar 48 slidable rearwardly against the bias of a spring 49 by means of a trigger 47. To open the clamp 18 for initial reception of the needle, and outwardly-biased button 54 is pressed to engage its inner end with a recess 56 in slide 5 to hold the latter stationary when the trigger 14 is operated. In a modification, a separate trigger 47 is dispensed with and initial movement of trigger 14 is arranged to rotate bar 41a. In a further modification, Fig. 7, the member 53 is dispensed with, and forward movement of clamp 17 is adapted to move a hook-like member 65 to needle-supporting position, said member having a pin-and-slot connection 67, 68 with link 32 and being pivoted to a bar 66 carried by the support 4. In a further modification, Figs. 8, 9, 11, the clamps are arranged to open fully before they are retracted from their advanced positions. The casing 1 contains the usual slides 5 and 6, biased respectively rearwardly and forwardly by the springs 9 and 10. A forwardly-extending support 70 has lateral extensions 71, 72 in which are slidably mounted rods 73, 74. Rod 73 terminates in a clamp 75 and rod 74 in a clamp 76. The clamps have jaws 80 constituted by the end of said rods, and co-operating jaws 81 pivoted to said rods. Slide 5 is connected by an operating rod 91 to the pivoted jaw 81 of clamp 75, and slide 6 is connected by an operating rod 82 to the pivoted jaw 81 of clamp 76. A compression spring 99 is interposed between a lug 93 on slide 5 and a collar 97 on rod 73. A compression spring 100 is interposed between a lug 94 on slide 6 and a collar 98 on rod 74. When the trigger 14 is pressed, rods 73 and 91 move forwardly until collar 97 engages extension 71 to halt the movement of rod 73. Rod 91 continues to move forward to compress spring 99 and to pivot jaw 81 for closing clamp 75. Further movement of slide 5 then cannot occur and slide 6 moves rearwardly, rod 74 remaining stationary and rod 82 moving to open clamp 76 while spring 100 is being unstressed, when rods 74 and 82 move together to retract clamp 76. On release of trigger 14 these operations occur in the reverse order. A spring lever 105 is provided for holding slide 6 stationary to facilitate the initial insertion of a needle in clamp 76. Couplings 92 are interposed in the operating rods 82, 91. The inner portions of each of the latter are secured to segmentshaped plates 101, and the outer portions carry arms 104 which may be secured by a screw 106 in alternative spaced holes 103 formed in plate 101. The clamps may thereby be tilted to hold a curved needle with its axis of curvature either above or below the clamps. It is stated that the apparatus may also be arranged to enable the stitching to be performed either by rotating the clamp supports while holding the casing stationary, or by rotating the casing within an outer stationary casing provided with a handle.