Adjustable Suture Loop with Sliding Coil Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical loops for ligament and tendon fixation, such as titanium plates with loops, face challenges in adjusting coil length and stability under graft reaction forces, leading to increased surgery time and risk, and are not conducive for grafts with varying pulling forces.
Innovation Solution
A loop design featuring a fixing plate with threading holes, where a first coil and a second coil are wound on one side, with ends passing through different holes to form fixing portions, allowing for automatic length adjustment and increased stability, preventing coil retreatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed-length titanium plate with a loop is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the coil length cannot be adjusted and requires measurement and calculation before use, increasing surgery time and risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the fixed-length coil into an adjustable-length coil. The coil is designed with a sliding mechanism that allows the length to be dynamically adjusted during surgery by sliding the coil along the suture line, eliminating the need for pre-measurement and calculation while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the coil's length parameter from fixed to variable. The coil structure includes a sliding portion that enables continuous adjustment of the coil length to match different bone tunnel distances, thereby reducing surgery time and eliminating measurement requirements while keeping the overall device structure simple.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an adjustable titanium plate with a loop is used, then the coil length can be adjusted, but the reaction force of tendon and other grafts makes the coil easily retreat, and the processing technology is complicated requiring special equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the coil into multiple segments: a fixed portion, a sliding portion, and a locking portion. The sliding portion allows length adjustment, while the locking portion secures the coil at the desired length to prevent retreat under graft reaction forces, thus maintaining both adjustability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service through the automatic locking mechanism. When the coil is adjusted to the appropriate length, the locking portion automatically engages to secure the coil position, preventing retreat without requiring external intervention or complex processing equipment, thereby maintaining reliability while enabling adjustment.
3Reliability
If a cored woven rope loop is used, then fixation is firmer and tissue irritation is smaller, but the outer line sleeve is easy to deform under graft reaction force, and the loop is too thick for convenient clinical use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible shells and thin films by using a thin-walled titanium tube instead of a thick cored woven rope. The thin-walled tube provides sufficient structural strength and fixation firmness while being thin enough for convenient clinical use, avoiding the deformation issues of the outer line sleeve and the excessive thickness of the woven rope structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a loop, comprising a fixing plate and at least one suture, characterized in that the suture is wound to form a first coil and a second coil and is provided on a first side of the fixing plate, a first end of the first coil and a third end of the second coil pass through different threading holes and are connected on a second side of the fixing plate to form a first fixing portion, so that the length of the first coil and the length of the second coil can be adjusted through the first fixing portion under the action of a graft. A second end of the first coil forms at least one second fixing portion on the second side of the fixing plate by passing through the plurality of threading holes, and then is wound around part of the first coil and part of the second coil at the first side of the fixing plate to form an adjusting portion, so that the length of each of the first coil and the second coil can be adjusted under the action of artificial external force, and the first coil and the second coil can be effectively prevented from retreating under the pulling force of the graft. The present invention further provides a manufacturing method for the loop.