Collar-and-Plug Ligament Fixation for Initial Suture Tension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for fixing soft tissue to bone, such as ligaments, require improved anchor assemblies that maintain suture tension initially and before final fixation, and methods to seal off bone apertures to contain biologics for enhanced healing.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece fixation device comprising a larger collar and a smaller plug/bullet-shaped part is used to maintain suture tension and seal off bone tunnels, with components made of PEEK, composite, or metal, allowing secure fixation and containment of fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional single-piece anchor is used for tissue fixation, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot maintain suture tension initially before final fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor device is divided into two separate components: a collar that is initially impacted into the bone aperture and a plug that is subsequently inserted into the collar. This segmentation allows the collar to provide initial suture tension maintenance while the plug provides final securement, resolving the contradiction between reliability and structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If the bone aperture is left open for tissue fixation, then the fixation procedure is simple, but biologics such as blood, bone marrow, and growth factors cannot be contained
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is impacted into the bone aperture before the plug is inserted, creating a sealed environment that contains biologics. This preliminary action of sealing the aperture enables the containment of blood, bone marrow, and growth factors while maintaining procedural simplicity.
3Reliability
If a multi-piece device is used to maintain suture tension and seal apertures, then fixation reliability is improved, but the device requires multiple components increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is designed to be inserted into the collar, creating a nested configuration where one component fits within another. This nesting approach provides multiple functions (tension maintenance, aperture sealing, secure fixation) through two components rather than requiring a complex multi-component system.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for providing fixation of soft tissue (for example, ligament) to bone by employing a novel multi-piece device. The novel multi-piece device is a ligament fixation system consisting of a larger collar that is initially impacted into a bone aperture, and a smaller plug/bullet-shaped part that is impacted into the larger collar. During ligament repair/reconstruction, the graft is inserted into a bone tunnel with sutures from the graft extending outside the tunnel. The sutures are passed through a collar of the multi-part device and the collar is then inserted into the bone tunnel. The graft suture strands may be tensioned. Subsequently, the smaller plug/bullet-shaped part is impacted into the collar thereby maintaining the tension on the graft sutures. The plug/bullet-shaped part is tightened after the desired tension on the suture is achieved.