Adaptive Surface Suture Anchor for Stronger Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Suture anchors face issues such as lower fixation strength, laxity, creep, and micro-motion over time, leading to gaps in repairs, especially in hard bone material like cortical bone, which can compromise healing.
Innovation Solution
A suture construct with a layer of material that changes size and surface texture in response to hydration, featuring deployable barbs or visual indicia that increase retention and provide feedback on physical condition, using a core structure with osmotically active substances to swell and contract, altering fiber intersections and surface features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If suture anchors are made from soft and pliable textile material, then they can fit within smaller pre-drilled holes in bone, but fixation strength is reduced compared to other anchor types
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor transitions from a compressed low-profile configuration during insertion to an expanded configuration after implantation. The anchor body is designed to expand radially within the bone hole, increasing its diameter and engagement with the bone wall, thereby achieving strong fixation despite the initial small size required for insertion through pre-drilled holes
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor undergoes a parameter change in its physical dimensions, specifically expanding its radial dimension after implantation. This transformation allows the anchor to occupy more volume within the bone hole, creating greater friction and mechanical interlocking with the bone tissue, thus resolving the contradiction between small insertion size and strong fixation strength
2Strength
If suture anchors are designed for expansion in hard bone material, then fixation strength improves, but the difficulty of setting the anchor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor is pre-loaded onto the suture before implantation, and the delivery system is designed to automatically deploy the anchor upon insertion into the bone hole. The anchor's expansion mechanism is pre-configured to activate when the anchor encounters resistance from the bone wall, eliminating the need for complex manual setting procedures and reducing the difficulty of implantation while maintaining strong fixation
3Reliability
If suture anchors are made stationary, then fixation is stable, but laxity and creep occur over time leading to loosening
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor incorporates a dynamic adjustment mechanism that allows it to adapt to changes in the bone and suture tension over time. The anchor can undergo controlled micro-adjustments in its expanded configuration, maintaining optimal engagement with the bone wall and preventing loosening, while still providing stable fixation throughout the healing period
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances retention strength, reduces laxity, and provides visual feedback, creating a stable healing environment by transforming to a grip-increasing configuration upon implantation, addressing issues of anchor breakage and loosening.
Implementation Method 1
a core structure with osmotically active substances to swell and contract
Implementation Method 2
configured to change in size from a first configuration to a second configuration responsive to hydration
Data Source
AI summary
A suture construct that is elongate along a longitudinal direction and configured to change in size from a first configuration to a second configuration includes an outer layer of material that extends along the longitudinal direction and has a plurality of intertwined fibers that comprise a first sub-set of fibers crossed by a second sub-set of fibers at respective intersections, such that the first subset of fibers and the second subset of fibers are configured to reorient relative to each other in a manner causing the outer layer of material to change in one or more of surface texture and visual appearance as the suture construct changes between the first and second configurations.