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Capio / Capio SLIM Suture Capturing Device

The Capio™ Suture Capturing Device (Boston Scientific) is a single-handed suture-passing and retrieval instrument designed to place sutures in deep, difficult-to-access locations — most notably the sacrospinous ligament during apical pelvic organ prolapse suspension. Its defining feature is a throw-catch-retrieve motion in one plunger actuation, eliminating the multi-step maneuvers required by traditional devices.

Design​

  • Medium-caliber shaft with a curved working end
  • Distal hook that catches and retrieves the needle on the opposite side of the target ligament
  • Plunger trigger on the handle — one actuation passes the small curved needle through the tissue and captures it on the other side
  • Pre-loaded suture or manually loaded depending on the variant
  • Capio SLIM — narrower-profile contemporary version for transvaginal apical POP work

How It Works​

  1. The device tip is placed against the target ligament (sacrospinous, uterosacral, or arcus tendineus fascia pelvis)
  2. Plunger depression drives the needle through the ligament
  3. The hook on the opposite side catches the needle
  4. Release brings the needle and suture through to the catch side in a single motion

Key Uses in Urogynecology​

  • Sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF) — the dominant contemporary indication
  • Uterosacral ligament suspension (high uterosacral and Mayo-McCall variants)
  • Arcus tendineus fascia pelvis (ATFP) suspension — paravaginal repair
  • Iliococcygeus fixation
  • Other deep ligament pelvic suspensions

Evidence​

Comparative series report that sacrospinous colpopexy using the Capio reduces operative time and blood loss compared with traditional technique using the Miya hook or Deschamps ligature carrier.[1][2] Contemporary reviews find the Capio, Caspari, and Endostitch devices remain confined within the sacrospinous ligament, while the Miya hook and Deschamps historically impinge upon but deflect posterior vessels.[3]

  • Caspari — suture-capturing device with similar concept, used in orthopedic and pelvic applications
  • Endostitch (Medtronic) — laparoscopic suture-passing device with comparable utility
  • Miya Hook — traditional alternative for SSLF
  • Deschamps Ligature Carrier — traditional suture-passing alternative

References​

1. Casarotto O, et al. Vaginal Sacrospinous Colpopexy Using the Capio Suture-Capturing Device Versus Traditional Technique: Feasibility and Outcome. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2013. doi:10.1007/s00404-012-2540-y

2. Capio SLIM suture capturing device for transvaginal apical pelvic organ prolapse. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2025.

3. Barber MD. A Review of Six Sacrospinous Suture Devices. Int Urogynecol J. 2014.

See also: Miya Hook, Deschamps Ligature Carrier, Raz-Pereyra Trocar.