Adjustable Suture Constructs for Ligament Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical methods for ligament repairs often require patient immobilization to prevent over-exertion and promote healing, but external bracing systems are cumbersome, and traditional suture or elastic band solutions do not adequately limit joint mobility, risking injury to the repair.
Innovation Solution
An internal stabilization system using adjustable sutures implanted with anchors in specific bone locations to provide controlled tension, limiting joint mobility and preventing over-exertion by tensioning the sutures to a final tension that restricts movement in specific directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If external bracing systems are used to limit joint mobility, then joint stability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to cumbersome external braces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bracing function from external devices and relocates it internally by implanting suture anchors and tensioning devices within the joint structure itself, eliminating the need for cumbersome external braces while maintaining joint stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces suture anchors as intermediary elements that connect the suture to the bone, providing a stable internal anchoring point that mediates between the tensioning force and the joint structure, thereby achieving stability without external devices
2Strength
If traditional suture or elastic band solutions are used to supplement repaired soft tissues, then joint support is improved, but reliability deteriorates because they do not provide for a limit on joint mobility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamically adjustable suture tensioning system that can be tuned to provide optimal support while limiting joint mobility to safe ranges, transforming static suture support into a controllable dynamic system that adapts to healing requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of suture tension from a fixed value to an adjustable parameter that can be precisely controlled and set to specific tension levels, enabling reliable limitation of joint mobility while maintaining necessary support
3Ease of operation
If standard repair methods are used without immobilization, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability worsens due to risk of post-surgical failure from ligament weakness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-tensioning the suture before ligament healing occurs, creating a protective counter-force that prevents excessive joint motion and ligament overload during the vulnerable early healing period, thereby ensuring repair reliability while allowing post-surgical mobility
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention describe methods of implanting and setting an adjustable suture structure capable of maximizing and controlling the available range of motion in a defective joint. The adjustable suture structure can augment a joint repair following surgery or be used as a standalone construct. One embodiment involves completion of a standard ligament repair, followed by the implant of anchors to secure sutures between bone locations proximal to the native origin of the repaired ligaments. Each of the sutures is implanted with at least some slack. Once the sutures are secured, the first suture is alternatively tensioned and moved through a range of motion, followed by the same process in a second suture. The steps are performed iteratively until the range of motion is controlled or limited sufficiently to protect the repaired ligaments.