Knotless Suture Anchor for Avulsion Fracture Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fixation methods for avulsion fractures, such as set screws, risk fracturing the bone fleck during borehole drilling and may not provide optimal compression, especially when the bone fleck is thin, leading to less desirable positioning and potential complications in healing.
Innovation Solution
A suture anchor system is used, where a guide wire is inserted through both bone masses to define a path, followed by a suture that is tensioned to secure the bone fleck to the main bone mass, with a suture anchor system featuring a nose and tail portion that engages within a bore hole to prevent withdrawal, allowing for secure fixation without external knotting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If set screws are used to fix the bone fleck, then the bone fleck can be secured to the main bone mass, but the bone fleck may fracture during borehole drilling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical set screw system with a suture-based fixation system. The suture is inserted through a needle that creates a small incision, allowing the suture to pass through the bone fleck and main bone mass without requiring large boreholes. This substitution of mechanical fastening with soft-tissue-based suture fixation eliminates the need for aggressive drilling while maintaining secure fixation through tensioning and knotting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fixation mechanism from rigid mechanical screws to flexible sutures. The suture can be tensioned to provide compression between the bone fleck and main bone mass, and the flexibility of the suture allows it to accommodate thin bone flecks without causing fracture. The parameter change from rigid to flexible fixation enables secure attachment while minimizing trauma to the bone fleck.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thicker portions of the bone fleck are selected to receive set screws, then the risk of fracturing the bone fleck is minimized, but the positioning for compression becomes less desirable
Solution Approach 1:
The suture-based system replaces the requirement for thick bone portions by eliminating the need for large boreholes. The needle and suture can pass through thinner portions of the bone fleck without causing fracture, allowing surgeons to position the fixation at optimal locations for compression regardless of the fleck's thickness. This substitution decouples the thickness requirement from the fixation capability.
3Ease of operation
If traditional suture fixation methods are used, then external knotting is required, but the fixation process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the knotting step from the fixation process by incorporating a knotless suture anchor system. The suture is inserted through a needle that creates a self-anchoring mechanism within the bone, eliminating the need for external knotting. The suture can be tensioned and secured through the needle's structural design rather than requiring surgical knot tying, thereby simplifying the operation and reducing the complexity of the fixation procedure.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A method of fixing a proximal bone mass to a distal bone mass can include driving a guide wire through the proximal bone mass and the distal bone mass to define a path through the proximal bone mass and the distal bone mass. The method can include inserting a suture from the proximal bone mass into the distal bone mass along the path defined by the guide wire and fixing the suture to the distal bone mass. The method can further include tensioning the suture to draw the distal bone mass against the proximal bone mass.