Barbed Suture with Bioabsorbable Needle for Knotless Tissue Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current tissue sutures, including barbed sutures, face challenges in providing effective and long-lasting wound closure and tissue approximation, especially in minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, where they often require knot tying and may not fully leverage the body's healing processes for sustained support.
Innovation Solution
A suture apparatus featuring an elongated flexible body with tissue-engaging elements and a porous sleeve, fabricated through injection molding or cold-heading, which provides directional or bi-directional camming action for enhanced tissue grip and bonding, eliminating the need for knot tying and integrating with the body's healing process for sustained support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional sutures with barbs are used for wound closure, then tissue grip is improved, but the requirement for knot tying increases procedural complexity and time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the knot-tying function from the suture system by using a pre-formed needle with integrated tissue-engaging elements. The needle itself carries the tissue-grabbing barbs directly on its surface, removing the need for separate knot-tying operations to secure tissue approximation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the needle function and the tissue-grabbing function into a single integrated component. The barbed elements are directly formed on the needle surface, combining the piercing, pulling, and securing functions into one unified device that eliminates multiple separate operations.
2Reliability
If traditional suturing methods are used, then wound closure is achieved, but procedural time and invasiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue-engaging barbs are pre-formed and integrated onto the needle before the procedure. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming knot-tying operations during the procedure, allowing the surgeon to simply insert and pull the needle through the tissue to achieve immediate closure.
3Strength
If barbed sutures are used for tissue approximation, then tissue support is improved, but the integration with body's healing process is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter of the needle from conventional non-absorbable materials to bioabsorbable materials. This parameter change allows the needle to provide strong tissue support initially, then gradually degrade over time as the body heals, creating a dynamic duration of action that matches the healing process.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~9
AI summary
A suture assembly includes an elongated flexible body which may be either a single filament for a multiple strand braided or woven body, supporting a plurality of shaped tissue- engaging elements in a generally spaced arrangement thereon. A curved body having a sharp point is joined to one end of the flexible body while a straight pointed body is joined to the remaining end of the flexible body. In alternate embodiments, the tissue-engaging elements define a variety of cross-section shapes. In a further alternate embodiment, the tissue-engaging elements are divided into first and second oppositely facing sets to provide a bidirectional suture. In a still further alternate embodiment, the elongated flexible body supports an elongated tissue- bonding sleeve.