Bone Anchor Delivery System with Internal Suture Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone anchor systems face challenges in securely installing sutures without the ends of the sutures interfering with the anchoring process, particularly during the threading of the bone anchor into the bone, as older designs had exposed eyelets or suture ends dangling in the way, complicating the procedure.
Innovation Solution
A bone anchor delivery system with a handle assembly and driver assembly that allows for rotatable and impact-driven insertion of a threaded bone anchor, where sutures are contained within the device, with only a short loop exposed externally, ensuring secure fixation without external suture ends interfering with the anchoring process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sutures are fed through an external eyelet after the screw is driven into the bone, then the screw can be easily installed, but the eyelet is exposed in the soft muscle tissue which is undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The suture feeding mechanism is nested within the hollow interior of the bone anchor screw. The eyelet is positioned inside the hollow cavity rather than externally, allowing the suture to be fed through the interior passage. This nesting approach eliminates the exposed external eyelet while maintaining the suture feeding function, resolving the contradiction between ease of installation and aesthetic/clinical acceptability.
2Productivity
If the punch tip is malleted into the bone to start the anchor, then the anchor can be self-driven, but the dangling suture ends interfere with the threading process
Solution Approach 1:
The suture ends are extracted from the interference zone by feeding them through the hollow interior of the screw rather than allowing them to dangle externally. The suture is inserted through the eyelet into the hollow cavity and guided along the interior passage to the outer surface, removing it from the problematic external environment where it would interfere with the threading operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture is preliminarily positioned and secured within the hollow interior of the screw before the threading process begins. The suture is fed through the eyelet and arranged inside the hollow cavity in advance, ensuring it will not interfere with the subsequent rotation and threading of the screw into the bone.
3Reliability
If the suture anchor is driven into the bone with rotation, then secure fixation is achieved, but the dangling suture ends complicate the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The suture is nested within the hollow interior of the bone anchor, traveling through the internal passage from the eyelet to the outer surface. This internal routing keeps the suture organized and contained during the rotation and threading process, preventing it from becoming tangled or interfering with the fixation procedure, thereby reducing overall procedural complexity while maintaining secure fixation.
Data Source
AI summary
The device (10) has a handle assembly (40) and a bone anchor driver assembly (20). The handle assembly (40) has an upper handle portion (50) and a lower handle portion (60). The upper or lower handle portion is rotatable relative to the other handle portion. A bone anchor driver assembly (20) is for rotatably driving a bone anchor (12) into a hole in a bone. The bone anchor driver assembly (20) is fixed to one of either the upper or lower handle portions (50 or 60).