Hip Capsule Suture Passer for External Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing arthroscopic surgical instruments face challenges in reliably closing hip capsule tears without encroaching on the joint, as they often place fixation devices on the internal surface, which can irritate or damage tissue and fail to maintain adequate compressive forces under stress.
Innovation Solution
A suture passer device with a handle and elongate shaft, featuring a jaw with a cleat to capture and release suture, and a needle with recesses for advancing and retracting the suture, allows for passing suture through two sides of a tissue opening without removing the device, placing fixation members on the external surface to maintain compressive forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If typical arthroscopic instruments place fixation devices on the internal surface of the capsule, then the repair can be performed through standard access, but the fixation devices irritate or damage joint tissue and fail to maintain adequate compressive forces under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by placing fixation devices on the external surface of the capsule rather than the internal surface. The suture passer delivers anchors through the capsule thickness from the external side, positioning them on the outer surface where they do not interfere with joint articulation or cause tissue irritation, while still maintaining effective compression of the capsule layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional internal surface placement to a three-dimensional external surface placement. By moving the fixation devices to the external surface, the system utilizes the additional spatial dimension outside the joint capsule, allowing anchors to be positioned where they can maintain compressive forces without encroaching on the joint space.
2Strength
If multiple passes and loops are used to close the capsule opening, then a strong repair can be achieved, but the procedural time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple suture passes into a single continuous operation. The suture passer delivers multiple anchors in sequence through one integrated instrument, and the suture is threaded through all anchors in a single continuous motion, eliminating the need for separate passes and manual knot tying that would otherwise require multiple instrument insertions and time-consuming manual manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture passer acts as an intermediary device that facilitates the placement of multiple anchors and the threading of suture through them. This intermediary instrument enables the complex multi-anchor configuration to be achieved through a simplified, single-pass procedure, reducing the time and complexity associated with traditional multi-pass closure techniques.
3Ease of manufacture
If fixation devices are placed on the internal surface of the capsule, then the procedure can be completed with standard instruments, but the compressive forces between capsule leaflets are insufficient under normal physiological stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the fixation device placement location from the internal surface to the external surface of the capsule. This inversion allows the anchors to be positioned where they can effectively compress the capsule layers together, utilizing the external surface location to maintain adequate compressive forces that withstand normal physiological stresses on the hip joint.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of repairing tissue are disclosed. Systems and methods may repair an opening through a hip capsule. Systems and methods preferably repair the tissue while minimally encroaching on the tissue immediately behind the repair, such as the hip joint tissues. Some systems may repair the tissue with a suture passer having a needle that slides in axial alignment with the passer and includes a first recess for passing the suture in a first axial direction and a second recess for passing the suture in an opposing axial direction. Some systems may pass a portion of a repair construct in a retrograde direction, placing the repair construct in a preferred arrangement accommodating for the stresses on the tissue.