Flexible Suture Anchor Deployment Below the Cortical Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing arthroscopic procedures using sutures and suture anchors have challenges in fully deploying at the time of securing soft tissue to bone. Existing anchors have challenges in securing soft tissue to bone. Existing anchors may not fully deploy below the cortical layer, leading to potential migration, loosening of the repair suture, and damage during insertion, compromising the integrity of the repair.
Innovation Solution
A flexible fixation member with a suture and a delivery device, including a tubular member, an elongated inserter, and a trigger, configured to advance and retract the inserter to position the fixation member securely below the cortical layer, forming a cluster within the surgical site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a suture anchor is inserted to secure soft tissue to bone, then tissue fixation is achieved, but the anchor may not fully deploy below the cortical layer leading to inadequate fixation and potential migration
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation member is designed with dynamic deployment characteristics, transitioning from a compressed delivery state to an expanded deployed state. The member includes body portions that expand outward from the longitudinal axis upon delivery, ensuring full deployment below the cortical layer and achieving reliable fixation without migration.
2Reliability
If the anchor is inserted to provide fixation, then tissue repair is secured, but the anchor may be damaged during insertion causing fraying or severing of the anchor and suture
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation member is pre-loaded onto the inserter in a protected, compressed state before insertion. The delivery device shields the member during traversal through tissue, preventing damage. Only after safe insertion does the member expand to its functional configuration, avoiding fraying or severing during the critical insertion phase.
3Ease of operation
If the anchor is not fully deployed, then insertion is simpler, but the repair suture may loosen causing loss of repair integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation member dynamically transitions from a compact delivery configuration to an expanded fixation configuration. This dynamic deployment ensures that while insertion remains relatively simple, the member achieves full deployment below the cortical layer, providing maximum fixation strength and preventing suture loosening.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the anchor is made flexible to improve deployment, then the member can navigate tissue better, but control during insertion may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation member is segmented into multiple body portions that can independently expand and conform to the tissue cavity. This segmentation provides flexibility for navigating tissue and adapting to anatomical variations, while the overall structured design maintains controllability during insertion through the delivery device.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly includes a flexible fixation member, a suture, and a delivery device. The fixation member includes a body with two terminal ends. A suture passes through the flexible fixation member at various points along a length of the body such that portions of the fixation member are slidable relative to the suture and configurable to form a cluster within a surgical site. The delivery device includes a tubular member, an elongated inserter, and a trigger. The elongated inserter is slidably disposed within the tubular member. The inserter has a forked distal end configured to receive a portion of the flexible fixation member and the suture. The trigger is finger-engagable and fixedly coupled to the proximal end of the inserter. It is configured to advance and retract the inserter relative to the tubular member. The trigger includes a retention member for retaining a proximal end portion of the suture.