JP2781817B2 - Method of manufacturing suture needle and suture needle - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a suture needle used for suturing a living tissue and a suture needle.

<Related Art> A suture needle used for a surgical operation or a suture needle used for a dental treatment includes a tapered point type suture needle having a tapered body and a sharp needle tip, and a polygonal shape having a cutting blade. And a cutting edge type suture needle having a sharp toe. In addition, there are an eyeless needle and an eyed needle according to the attachment form of the suture. These suturing needles are selected and used according to the nature of the suturing site.

Prior to the operation, the suture needle is sterilized by, for example, a heat treatment or a radiation irradiation method.

The suture needle is required to have characteristics such as low piercing resistance and sustained sharpness.

The thickness of the suturing needle is very thin, and the thickest suturing needle has a thickness of about 1.4 mm. Some suturing needles used for brain surgery and ophthalmic surgery have a thickness of 70 μm. The length of the suture needle is generally about 5 mm to 65 mm. As described above, the suturing needle is minute, and therefore has many problems in fixing and positioning the material in the manufacturing process of the suturing needle.

As a material of the suture needle, martensitic stainless steel, precipitation hardening stainless steel, or the like is generally used. Although both the martesitic stainless steel and the precipitation hardening stainless steel are hardened by heat treatment, there is a possibility that the hardness may vary due to lack of repetitive stability due to the nature of the heat treatment. Further, the martensitic stainless steel has difficulty in corrosion resistance, and the precipitation hardening stainless steel has difficulty in cost. Further, a suture needle hardened by quenching or a suture needle hardened by precipitation can maintain pierceability and sharpness due to hardness, but also has brittleness. For this reason, there is a risk of loss.

For this reason, the applicant of the present invention manufactures an ultra-fine medical device using a wire obtained by applying a cold drawing process to a wire made of austenitic stainless steel at a predetermined area reduction rate and hardening it, and using a wire obtained by elongating a metal structure into a fiber shape. A method has been developed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-11084).

A conventional manufacturing process of a suture needle using the austenitic stainless wire as a material will be described.

First, a line obtained as described in the above publication is cut into a predetermined length. The needle point or the needle point and the cutting edge are formed on the cut line by mechanical grinding, and the thread mounting portion is formed by press working or drilling, a laser beam, an electron beam, or the like. As described above, the line on which the needle tip, the cutting blade, the thread attaching portion, and the like are formed is bent into a predetermined shape by bending the line, thereby forming the material of the suture needle.

The material is immersed in a salt bath to be subjected to a tempering treatment (aging treatment) to prevent a temporal change in shape. A chemical polishing process is performed to remove the temper color generated on the surface of the material during the tempering process and to smooth the surface of the material.

In the manufacturing process, the shaping of the cut austenitic stainless steel wire of a predetermined length is performed individually for each wire. In addition, for the tempering process and the polishing process for the material formed into a predetermined shape, a large number of materials are accommodated in a container, and the container is immersed in a salt bath,
Furthermore, it is immersed in a processing tank containing a chemical polishing treatment liquid for the treatment.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the above-described denper treatment step, a large number of materials are accommodated in a container to perform a tempering process. There is a risk of damaging the cutting blade.

In addition, since the tempering process is performed by a salt bath, a temper color is generated on the surface of the material, and it is necessary to remove the temper color by a polishing process.
However, when the temper collar is removed by the polishing process, the sharpness of the needle tip or the cutting blade may be impaired.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a method for producing a suture needle that does not reduce the piercing property and sharpness of the suture needle, and a suture needle sterilized after packaging.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to solve the above problems, a method for manufacturing a suture needle according to the present invention uses an austenitic stainless wire reduced in surface area to a predetermined diameter by cold drawing. After performing a predetermined operation on each wire in the forming process, polishing process, inspection process, and bending process, the material formed into a predetermined shape is packaged using a heat-resistant material, and then subjected to a non-oxidizing atmosphere. It is characterized by performing a tempering process inside.

Another manufacturing method uses austenitic stainless steel wire reduced to a predetermined diameter by cold drawing,
A material formed into a predetermined shape by performing a predetermined operation on the wire in a forming process, a polishing process, an inspection process, and a bending process, respectively, is heated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere using a material having heat resistance and airtightness. After the sealing, a tempering process is performed.

The suturing needle is characterized in that it is hermetically sealed using a heat-resistant and air-tight packaging material and sterilized by heat treatment after hermetically sealed packaging.

<Operation> According to the first manufacturing method, an austenitic stainless steel wire reduced to a predetermined diameter by cold drawing is cut in accordance with the length of a suture needle to be manufactured in a molding process. Then, a needle tip or a needle tip and a cutting blade are formed on the cut material, and a thread attachment portion is formed. The surface is smoothened by performing an electrolytic polishing process or a chemical polishing process in a polishing process, and the inspection process is performed. In the bending process, a material for the suturing needle is formed into a predetermined bent shape. By individually packaging the materials using a heat-resistant material and performing the tempering process, even when a large number of materials are stored in a container and the tempering process is performed, the individual materials may be treated with other materials. There is no risk of contact with the material. For this reason, the tempering process can be performed in a state where the needle point, the cutting blade, and the like are not damaged and the piercing property and the sharpness are maintained.

According to the second manufacturing method, after a material formed into a predetermined shape is sealed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere using a material having heat resistance and airtightness, and then subjected to a tempering process, the individual material is There is no danger of contact with other materials. For this reason, the tempering process can be performed in a state where the needle point, the cutting blade, and the like are not damaged and the piercing property and the sharpness are maintained. A sterilization process can be performed on the material at the same time as the tempering process, and since the material is in a sealed state, there is no possibility that bacteria will adhere to the processed material.

In each of the above means, the tempering treatment is performed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, so that the material does not have a temper color. For this reason, it is possible to obtain a suture needle as a finished product in a state where the material after the tempering process is packaged.

In addition, a suture needle sterilized by heat treatment in a state of being sealed and packaged using a heat-resistant and air-tight material eliminates the need for sterilization treatment for individual suture needles which has been performed prior to the operation, and the operation proceeds smoothly. You can do it.

<Example> An example of a method for manufacturing a suture needle to which the above-described means is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 (A) to 1 (C) are explanatory diagrams of a suture needle, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a material of the suture needle, FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B) are schematic explanatory diagrams of a polishing process, FIG. (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams of a membrane method of the inspection method, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a suture needle packaged with a heat-resistant material, and FIG. 6 is a suture packaged with a heat-resistant and air-tight material. It is explanatory drawing of a needle.

 First, the shape of the suturing needle will be described.

The tapered point type suture needle 1 is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B). That is, a sharp needle tip 1a is formed at one end, the body 1b is tapered toward the needle tip 1a, and the center is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. A thread mounting portion 1c is formed at the opposite end of the needle tip 1a. Furthermore, the entire suture needle 1 is curved at a predetermined angle.

The cutting edge type suture needle 2 has a sharp needle tip 2a formed at one end as shown in FIG. 1C, and a body 2b is formed in a polygonal shape. A thread mounting portion 2c is formed at the opposite end of the needle tip 2a. A cutting edge 2d is formed near the needle tip 2a and at a ridge line forming a polygonal shape formed on the body 2b. Further, the entire suture needle 2 is curved at a predetermined angle.

FIGS. 3A and 3C show the through holes 1c and 2c of the thread mounting portions 1c and 2c, respectively.
The eye needle is constituted by c ₁ , 2c ₁ and configured so that a suture (not shown) can be passed through and held in the through holes 1c ₁ , 2c ₁ . FIG (B) is a thread attachment portion 1c constituted by a blind hole 1c _2, is inserted the end of the suture (not shown)該盲hole 1c _2, stitching the outer periphery of the blind hole 1c ₂ by caulking Figure 2 shows an eyeless needle configured to hold a thread.
FIG (B) is shows the case of forming the blind hole 1c ₂ the suture needle 1 of the taper point type, the eyeless needle formed a blind hole in the needle 2 of the cutting edge type may be used as well.

As a material constituting the suture needles 1 and 2, a wire obtained by reducing the surface of an austenitic stainless steel wire (φ6 to φ10) to a desired diameter (φ1.4 to φ0.07) by cold drawing is used. I have.

The austenitic stainless steel has excellent corrosion resistance and good workability. However, since hardening by quenching cannot be expected, the steel sheet is hardened to a predetermined hardness by performing the cold drawing.

The austenitic stainless steel wire subjected to the cold drawing as described above has high hardness and high toughness (stickiness).

Next, a manufacturing method for manufacturing the suturing needles 1 and 2 having the above-described shape will be described.

In the forming step, an austenitic stainless wire that has been cold drawn to a diameter substantially equal to the thickness of the suture needles 1 and 2 is cut into a length substantially equal to the entire length of the suture needles 1 and 2.

When the tapered point type suture needle 1 is manufactured, a needle tip 1a is formed by mechanical grinding on the cut line, and a tapered shape having a predetermined angle is formed from the needle tip 1a to the body 1b. Further, it is formed in a cylindrical shape over the thread mounting portion 1c.

In the case of the cutting edge type suture needle 2, the needle tip 2a is formed by mechanical grinding on the cut line, and the trunk 2b is formed in a predetermined shape such as a triangular or quadrangular shape. It is formed in a cylindrical shape from 2b to the thread mounting portion 2c. At this time, a cutting edge 2d is formed on the ridge forming the polygon of the trunk 2b and near the needle tip 2a.

The suture needle 1 having the needle tip 1a and the torso 1b formed as described above,
Alternatively, an intermediate product of the suture needle 2 having the needle tip 1a, the trunk 2b, and the cutting blade 2d is manufactured.

Since the following steps are performed in the same manner on the taper point type suture needle 1 and the cutting edge type suture needle 2, the case of manufacturing the taper point type suture needle 1 will be described as a representative.

When forming the thread attachment portion 1c with respect to the intermediate product of the suture needle 1 having the needle tip 1a and the trunk portion 1b, the thread attachment portion 1c is formed by pressing to form the suture needle 1 as an eye needle. It is formed into an oval shape. And the thread mounting portion 1c
Or punching by press working, or a laser beam to form a through hole 1c ₁ shown in FIG. 1 by performing cutting process by a beam such as an electron beam (A). Further to configure the suture needle 1 as eyeless needle, the end face of the thread attachment portion 1c, or bored blind holes 1c ₂ using a drill, or a laser beam, a blind hole with an electron beam or the like 1c ₂ Drilling.

Through the above-described forming step, it is possible to produce the straight needle-shaped material 3 shown in FIG.

Fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the material 3 due to the effect of abrasive grains when mechanical grinding is performed. This material 3
The minute irregularities formed on the surface of the substrate have a bad influence on the piercing resistance.

Also, it has recently been found that fine burrs attached to the needle tip 1a of the material 3, particularly burrs attached to the cutting blade 2d of the cutting edge type suture needle 2, have a great effect on the piercing property.

The polishing step includes removing irregularities formed on the surface of the material 3,
That is, electrolytic polishing or chemical polishing is selectively performed for the purpose of smoothing the surface of the material 3 and removing burrs attached to the material 3.

FIG. 3A is a schematic explanatory view for performing an electropolishing process on the material 3. As shown in the drawing, a plurality of materials 3 are attached to an electrode member 4 and the electrode member 4 is connected to a power source 5.
, And is immersed in the electrolytic treatment liquid contained in the tank 6 and energized with the electrode 7 so that the electrolytic polishing treatment can be performed.

At this time, since the material 3 has a straight needle shape, when the material 3 is attached to the electrode member 4, the individual material 3 does not come into contact with the adjacent other material 3, and accordingly, the needle tip 1 a or the cutting edge In the case of the suturing needle 2, there is no risk of damaging the needle tip 2a and the cutting blade 2d.

In the above configuration, when a DC power supply is used as the power supply 5, electricity is supplied using the electrode member 4 as an anode and the electrode 7 as a cathode. It is known that, when electrolytic polishing stainless steel, the treatment can be performed even by using an AC power supply. Therefore, power supply 5
May be either a DC power supply or an AC power supply.

In the electropolishing process, by appropriately setting processing conditions such as the composition of the processing solution, the temperature of the processing solution, the processing time, and the current density, the amount of metal removed, that is, the thickness of the removed layer on the surface of the material 3 It is possible to control the length. Therefore, by appropriately selecting the processing conditions according to the surface roughness of the material 3 or the state of burrs attached to the material 3, the surface can be smoothed and the needle tip 1a or the needle tip 2a can be cut. Burrs attached to the material 3 can be removed without impairing the sharpness of the blade 2d.

FIG. 3B is a schematic explanatory view for performing a chemical polishing treatment on the material 3. Many materials 3 as shown
Are housed side by side in a container 8 having liquid permeability,
By immersing the container 8 in a chemical polishing treatment liquid accommodated in a tank 9, a chemical polishing treatment can be performed.

When the raw materials 3 are arranged side by side in the container 8, since the raw materials 3 are formed in the shape of a straight needle, the individual raw materials 3 do not become entangled with other adjacent raw materials 3, and come into contact with each other to form a needle tip.
There is no risk of damaging sharpness such as 1a.

In the chemical polishing treatment, the thickness of the removal layer on the surface of the material 3 can be controlled by appropriately setting processing conditions such as the composition of the processing solution, the temperature of the processing solution, and the processing time. . Therefore, by appropriately selecting the processing conditions according to the surface roughness of the material 3 or the state of burrs attached to the material 3, the surface can be smoothed and the needle tip 1a can be formed.
Alternatively, the material 3 can be used without impairing the sharpness of the needle tip 2a and the cutting blade 2d.
Can be removed.

In the polishing step as described above, the surface of the material 3 is smoothed and the burrs attached to the material 3 are removed by subjecting the material 3 to electrolytic polishing or chemical polishing in which processing conditions are appropriately set. Becomes possible.

In the inspection step, a visual inspection is mainly performed on the material 3 that has undergone the polishing step.

When this inspection is performed manually as shown in FIG. 4 (A), the materials 3 removed from the electrode members 4 are arranged side by side on a work table, and the materials 3 accommodated in the container 8 are placed on the work table. In a state where the individual materials 3 are taken out of the pile and arranged side by side, the inspector holds the
Perform a visual inspection with. At this time, since the raw materials 3 are straight needle-shaped, the individual raw materials 3 do not become entangled with other raw materials 3. For this reason, there is no possibility that the needle tips 1a and the like may be damaged due to the contact between the materials 3.

As described above, by inspecting the straight needle-shaped material 3 manually, the damage rate of the material 3 can be reduced.

Further, since the material 3 is formed in a straight needle shape, the inspection operation can be automated as described below.

In general, it cannot be said that the curved shape given to each material in the bending process can give the same shape to all the materials. That is, when a straight needle-shaped material is bent by a bending device, a variation occurs in a curved shape formed in the material due to a variation in an insertion depth when the material is inserted into the bending device, and a lot difference between materials constituting the material. For example, even if the insertion depth when inserting the material into the bending device is the same, the return amount (spring back amount) when the material is removed from the bending device is different,
Variations occur in the curved shape formed on the material. The variation in the curved shape is included in an allowable range set according to the standard of the suture needle, and does not cause any problem as to the quality of the suture needle.

However, the dispersion of the curved shape has become a serious problem when the inspection work is automated. As described above, when the suturing needle having a variation in the curved shape is fixed on the basis of, for example, the thread attachment portion, the position of the needle tip does not become a fixed position, and when the suturing needle is fixed on the basis of the needle tip, The position of the thread attachment part does not become a fixed position. For this reason, it is impossible to simultaneously photograph a needle tip, a cutting blade, a thread mounting portion, and the like formed on the material at a predetermined magnification by a CCD camera or the like.
It is difficult to perform effective automatic inspection work.

In the case where the material 3 is formed in a straight needle shape as in the present embodiment, the needle 1a, the thread attachment portion 1c, and the cutting edge type suture needle 2 formed on the material 3 are provided with a needle. Destination 2a,
Since the cutting blades 2d are located at predetermined positions on the axis of the material 3, it is easy to automate the inspection work.

FIG. 4B is a schematic explanatory view for automatically performing the appearance inspection work on the straight needle-shaped material 3.

In the figure, the material 3 is a blind hole 1c ₂ is configured as a material of the eyeless needle is formed in the thread attachment portion 1c. The plurality of blanks 3 are arranged at a fixed pitch via a spacer 11 having a fixed dimension. The material 3 is configured to be able to move at a constant speed by a driving device (not shown) or at a constant pitch according to the dimensions of the spacer 11.

CCD camera 12a is an extending direction of the axis of the material 3 is arranged in the thread attachment portion 1c side is for shooting at a set magnification according blind holes 1c ₂ to the thickness of the material 3. The CCD camera 12a is, if the material 3 which is a material of the idle needle is disposed at a position capable of capturing the hole 1c ₁ formed in the thread attachment portion 1c.

A CCD camera 12b is arranged on the needle tip 1a side of the material 3 at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of the material 3. This CCD
The camera 12b photographs the needle tip 2a and the cutting edge 2d of the needle tip 1a formed on the material 3 and the cutting edge type suture needle 2 at a predetermined magnification.

The CCD cameras 12a and 12b are image processing devices 13a and 13b, respectively.
Is connected to the control device 14 via the. The control device 14
Image processing from the CPU, ROM storing the image information of the blind hole 1c ₂ with the allowable range set in advance, the needle information 1a, 2a and the cutting edge 2d with the allowable range similarly set, and image processing from the CCD cameras 12a, 12b. It is composed of a RAM that temporarily stores image information transmitted via the devices 13a and 13b. Then, the controller 14 compares the images captured by the CCD cameras 12a and 12b with the image information stored in advance to make a pass / fail judgment, and displays a pass / fail for each material 3 so as to perform a visual inspection. Is automatically implemented.

The automation of the inspection work as described above can be performed on condition that the material 3 is formed in a straight needle shape.

In the bending process, the straight needle-shaped material 3 is inserted into the bending device from the needle point 1a side, and is taken out from the bending device when the insertion length reaches a predetermined size, so that the material 3 has a predetermined curved shape. Give.

Through the above steps, the material 3 which has been formed into a predetermined shape, that is, the shape shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. A tempering process is performed to prevent the bent shape from changing over time.

In this embodiment, the raw materials 3 are individually packaged in a bag 15 made of a heat-resistant material as shown in FIG.

As the material having heat resistance, for example, ceramic fiber such as Tyranno fiber manufactured by Ube Industries, Ltd. or carbon fiber can be used. By weaving a cloth-like sheet using a yarn formed by twisting a plurality of ceramic fibers or carbon fibers, and forming the sheet into a bag shape,
The bag 15 can be configured.

In this way, when each of the materials 3 is wrapped in the bag 15, there is no possibility that each material 3 comes into contact with another material 3. Therefore, in order to perform the tempering process, the material 3 packaged in the bag 15 is accommodated in a container (not shown), and the container is kept in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, or a soaking furnace such as a vacuum. By performing a heat treatment for about 5 hours while maintaining the temperature at about 300 ° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, the material 3 is subjected to an aging treatment without generating a temper color, and the curved shape given in the bending step with time Deformation can be prevented.

The bag 15 can be used for the interior of the completed suturing needles 1 and 2. That is, the material 3 is individually wrapped in the bag 15, subjected to a tempering process in this state, and
After setting 1,2, without taking out the suture needles 1,2 from the bag 15,
It is possible to ship it as a product by applying the outer packaging.

Prior to performing the tempering process, the material 3 may be wrapped in a bag 16 made of a heat-resistant and air-tight material as shown in FIG. 6, and the tempering process may be performed in the wrapped state. It is.

As the material having heat resistance and airtightness, a metal sheet such as an aluminum foil or a stainless film can be used. Then, the sheet is cut in accordance with the dimensions of the material 3 and folded in two, and seam-welded in two directions airtightly to form a bag.
By storing the book material 3 and filling it with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, the inside air is replaced to form a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and the opening is hermetically sealed by seam welding. Make up body 16.

Further, as the material having heat resistance and airtightness, it is also possible to use a material formed in a sheet shape by laminating a material having heat resistance such as ceramic fiber or carbon fiber on a sheet such as an aluminum foil or a stainless steel film. When the bag body 16 is formed by using such a laminated material, the material 3 accommodated in the bag body 16 does not directly contact the aluminum wheel or the like, and the needle tip 1a or the needle formed on the material 3 The sharpness of the tip 2a and the cutting edge 2d is not impaired.

The bag 16 containing the material 3 is accommodated in a container and subjected to a tempering process under the same processing conditions as in the above-described embodiment, so that the aging process can be performed without generating a tempered color in the material 3. It is possible to implement.

Normally, when performing sterilization by the dry heat method, 180 ° C
It is necessary to maintain the temperature at -200 ° C for 0.5 hour to 1 hour. Therefore, since the processing temperature in the tempering process is about 300 ° C. and the processing time is about 5 hours, it is possible to perform the tempering process and simultaneously perform the sterilization process on the bag 16 and the material 3. It becomes possible.

The sterilization process as described above requires that the bag 16 is sealed and that the bag 16 after the process is not opened until immediately before use. Therefore, when shipping the suture needles 1 and 2,
Is used as the interior, and the bag 16 is packaged for exterior, so that it can be shipped as a product.

As described above, the suture needles 1 and 2 hermetically sealed and packaged by the bag body 16 made of a material having heat resistance and airtightness and heat-treated in the hermetically sealed state are subjected to the heat treatment. It is in a sterilized state, and there is no possibility that bacteria and the like adhere in the distribution process. Therefore, it is possible to use the end user without performing a sterilization process.

As described above, in the manufacturing method according to the present invention, a straight needle-shaped material 3 having a needle tip 1a or a needle tip 2a, a cutting blade 2d, and thread attachment portions 1c, 2c formed by cutting an austenitic stainless wire is formed. Then, the material 3 is polished to smooth the surface of the material 3 and at the same time to the needle tip 1a of the material 3.
Alternatively, burrs attached to the needle tip 2a and the cutting blade 2d can be removed without impairing the sharpness of the needle tip 1a or the needle tip 2a and the cutting blade 2d.

<Effect of the Invention> As described above in detail, in the method for manufacturing a suture needle according to the present invention, a predetermined operation is added to the austenitic stainless steel wire reduced to a predetermined diameter by cold drawing. By performing the tempering process by individually wrapping the material of the suture needle formed into a predetermined shape by using a material having heat resistance or heat resistance and airtightness.
There is no danger of individual materials coming into contact with other materials,
The tempering treatment can be performed while maintaining the piercing property and sharpness.

Since the tempering process is performed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere,
There is no temper color in the material. For this reason, it is possible to obtain a suture needle as a finished product in a state where the material after the tempering process is packaged.

When the material is hermetically sealed with a material having heat resistance and air tightness, the material can be subjected to a tempering treatment and a sterilization treatment by heating.

In addition, a suture needle sterilized by heat treatment in a state of being sealed and packaged using a heat-resistant and air-tight material eliminates the need for sterilization treatment for individual suture needles which has been performed prior to the operation, and the operation proceeds smoothly. You can do it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (A) to 1 (C) are explanatory diagrams of a suture needle, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a material of the suture needle, FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B) are schematic explanatory diagrams of a polishing process, FIG. (A) and (B) are schematic explanatory views of the inspection method, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a suture needle packaged with a heat-resistant material, and FIG. 6 is a suture needle packaged with a heat-resistant and air-tight material. FIG. 1 is a taper point type suture needle, 2 is a cutting edge type suture needle, 1a and 2a are needle tips, 1b and 2b are a trunk, 1c and 2c are thread attachment parts, 1c ₁ is a through hole, 1c ₂ is a blind hole, 3 is a material, 4 is an electrode member,
5 is a power supply, 6 and 9 are tanks, 7 is an electrode, 8 is a container, 10 is a loupe, 12a and 12b are CCD cameras, 13a and 13b are image processing devices, 14
Is a control device, 15 is a bag, and 16 is a bag.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A61B 17/06 A61L 17/00 A61L 31/00 B21G 1/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An austenitic stainless wire whose surface is reduced to a predetermined diameter by cold drawing is used to perform predetermined operations in the forming step, polishing step, inspection step, and bending step. A method for manufacturing a suture needle, comprising: packaging a material formed into a predetermined shape by using a material having heat resistance, and then performing a tempering treatment in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. 2. Using an austenitic stainless wire whose surface has been reduced to a predetermined diameter by cold drawing, predetermined operations are performed on the wire in a forming step, a polishing step, an inspection step, and a bending step, respectively. A method of manufacturing a suture needle, comprising sealing a material formed into a predetermined shape by using a material having heat resistance and airtightness in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and then performing a tempering treatment. 3. A suture needle which is hermetically sealed using a heat-resistant and air-tight packaging material and sterilized by heat treatment after hermetically sealed packaging.