Knotless Suture Anchor Tissue Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current suture anchor designs that do not require knot-tying often lack sufficient compression of soft tissue against bone, leading to reduced healing and increased gap formation due to loss of tension between anchors.
Innovation Solution
A threaded suture anchor pre-loaded with suture that allows for tissue compression against the bone without knot-tying, utilizing a loop configuration where the suture is loaded into the anchor to form loops or free ends, which are then secured in a knotless anchor to provide tension and compression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a screw-in knotless anchor is used to avoid knot-tying, then the procedure time is reduced and technical failure is minimized, but sufficient compression of soft tissue against bone is lost leading to increased gap formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of tissue compression and suture anchoring into a single integrated construct. The screw-in anchor provides initial fixation while the knotless anchor positioned adjacent to it maintains compression on the soft tissue against the bone, eliminating the need for separate knot-tying while preserving compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component - the knotless anchor positioned adjacent to the screw-in anchor - that serves as a mediator to maintain tissue compression. This intermediary element transfers and distributes the compressive force without requiring direct knot-tying on the bone surface.
2Force
If a sliding knot is used in a PEEK anchor to allow suture tightening, then tissue compression is achieved, but pull-out forces are reduced and only one suture strand is available for loading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the suture system into multiple independent strands that can be loaded into separate knotless anchors. This segmentation allows multiple suture strands to be used simultaneously, distributing the load and maintaining high pull-out forces while still achieving tissue compression through the adjacent anchor construct.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different qualities to different parts of the system - the screw-in anchor provides strong bone anchorage with high pull-out force, while the adjacent knotless anchor provides localized tissue compression. This local differentiation of functions allows both high strength and effective compression without compromise.
Data Source
AI summary
A simple, threaded suture anchor is pre-loaded with suture in a configuration that allows a surgeon to compress tissue against the bone without tying a knot. The knot-tying step is replaced by a simple suture looping step which requires less time and is not prone to errors in knot tying technique. The suture anchor is a screw-in style anchor body. The suture is loaded into the anchor in a configuration that allows it to create a loop on top of the tissue after it has been passed through the tissue from bottom to top. The suture limbs are then loaded into a knotless anchor which is implanted off the lateral edge of the tissue. Tensioning of the suture limbs in the knotless anchor tightens the loop on top of the tissue, providing a fulcrum point of fixation over the pre-loaded suture anchor without the otherwise need for requisite knot tying.