Collapsible Suture Anchor for Soft Tissue Repair

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for attaching soft tissue to bone, such as suture anchors and sutures, often fail due to the suture ripping through tissues with longitudinally extending fibers, particularly in cases like biceps tendons, leading to incomplete repair and prolonged healing.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a collapsible suture and suture anchor where the soft tissue is folded and secured with additional sutures, with the collapsible suture trapped between the folded layers, allowing it to be collapsed and tensioned for secure attachment to the bone, reducing the risk of suture failure and facilitating minimally invasive procedures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional sutures are used to attach soft tissue to bone, then the procedure is simple and quick, but the suture rips through soft tissues with longitudinally extending fibers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesuture holding strengthVSAvoidattachment method complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The soft tissue is divided into multiple layers through folding, creating stacked layers that are individually secured. This segmentation distributes the load across multiple tissue layers rather than concentrating stress on a single layer, preventing suture rupture through the tissue.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The collapsible suture is nested within the folded soft tissue layers, with the suture positioned inside the created pouch or pocket formed by the folded tissue. This nesting arrangement allows the suture to be surrounded and protected by the tissue structure itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Adaptability or versatility

If suture anchors and sutures are used to attach soft tissue, then attachment to bone is achieved, but the method fails for tissues with longitudinal fibers like biceps tendons

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplicability to different tissue typesVSAvoidrepair success rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of attaching the suture in a single plane to the tissue surface, the tissue is folded to create a three-dimensional pouch structure. The collapsible suture is then positioned within this pouch and collapsed vertically, creating attachment in multiple dimensions that better engages the longitudinal fiber structure of the tissue.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If larger suture anchors are used to prevent suture failure, then attachment reliability improves, but patient pain and recovery time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment reliabilityVSAvoidpatient pain and recovery time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The collapsible suture is formed into a loop or curved configuration that distributes attachment forces more evenly across the tissue and bone interface. This curved geometry allows the suture to engage the tissue more effectively without requiring excessive anchor size, reducing bone damage and patient trauma.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS10383616B2Methods for attaching soft tissue to bone

Publication Date: 2019.08.20 MEDOS INT SARL

AI summary

Various exemplary methods for attaching soft tissue to bone are provided. In general, a soft tissue can be attached to a bone of a patient using a collapsible suture and a suture anchor. In at least some embodiments, attaching a soft tissue to bone includes use of a suture anchor and a collapsible suture in the form of a collapsible loop. In at least some embodiments, attaching a soft tissue to bone includes use of a suture anchor and a collapsible suture that is cinched with a cinchable knot.