Fenestrated swivel anchor for knotless fixation of tissue

Abstract

A method and device for knotless fixation of tissue. A swivel anchor having a rotatable implant is used to capture suture for surgical tissue repair without requiring suture knots. The implant may be provided with a conical metal tip which is self-punching and avoids the need for pre-drilling a hole in bone. The implant includes a closed aperture to allow free sliding of a suture strand. The swivel anchor is secured in a hole in bone by advancing a fenestrated fixation device, such as a cannulated interference screw, over the body of the implant.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12 / 368,946, filed on Feb. 10, 2009, which is a CIP of application Ser. No. 12 / 043,008, filed on Mar. 5, 2008, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11 / 802,057, filed on May 18, 2007, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 801,097, filed on May 18, 2006, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to methods and instruments for fixation of sutures and tissue to bone.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]When soft tissue tears away from bone, reattachment becomes necessary. Various devices, including sutures, screws, staples, wedges, anchors and plugs have been used in the prior art to secure soft tissue to bone. Surgical methods utilizing suture anchors alone are disadvantageous for reattachment of large areas of detached tissue because they often do not allow good tissue to bone conta...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]In one embodiment of the invention, the strand is passed through the graft at desired points. A cannulated plug or screw is pre-loaded onto a driver provided with a swivel lock twist-in anchor at its distal end. The strand attached to the graft is passed through the aperture of the swivel implant located at the distal end of the driver. The distal end of the driver together with the implant is inserted directly into the bone. The driver may be rotated (in a clockwise direction, for example) to advance a screw over the anchor to complete insertion. The cannulated plug or screw is provided with a plurality of openings or fenestrations of various dimensions and geometries to provide multiple pathways through the device (i.e., though the interior of the body and through the fenestrations) to allow blood to flow to increase the healing zone, for example, for rotator cuff repair, while also promoting bone in-growth.

Problems solved by technology

Surgical methods utilizing suture anchors alone are disadvantageous for reattachment of large areas of detached tissue because they often do not allow good tissue to bone contact.

Knot tying during surgery, particularly arthroscopic surgery, is tedious and time-consuming.

There is also a tendency for the knots to deform or collapse as the surgeon manually forces the knots down into the proper position.

Also, the suture knots often are exposed to abrasion or cutting by sharp or rough areas along the walls of the bone canal into which anchors are typically inserted to provide fixation of tendon to bone.

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