Knotless Suture Anchor Construct for Secure Soft Tissue Fixation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soft tissue fixation solutions require a multi-step process for connecting sutures to suture anchors, which can be time-consuming and challenging, often necessitating precise knotting while maintaining tension, and may fail if tension is inadequate or excessive.
Innovation Solution
The development of knotless suture anchor constructs and methods that allow for the rapid connection of sutures to tissue fixation implants, where the suture is pre-assembled with a tensioning and repair portion, and a snare loop, enabling securement without the need for knots, using a deployment tool or by hand, to maintain desired tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional knotting methods are used to connect sutures to suture anchors, then secure connection is achieved, but the surgical process becomes time-consuming and challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The suture is pre-assembled with the suture anchor in a knotless configuration before surgery. The suture is threaded through the anchor and positioned in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming knot tying during the surgical procedure. This preliminary preparation maintains connection security while significantly reducing surgical time.
Solution Approach 2:
The knotting step is extracted and removed from the surgical process entirely. The invention uses a knotless suture anchor system where the suture connects to the anchor through a mechanical interface rather than through knot tying, eliminating the challenging and time-consuming knotting operation while maintaining secure connection.
2Reliability
If traditional knotting methods are used to connect sutures to suture anchors, then connection is achieved, but the surgical process becomes challenging and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The knotting operation is extracted from the surgical process. The invention employs a knotless suture anchor where the suture connects to the anchor through a simplified mechanical interface, removing the complex knot tying steps and reducing surgical process complexity while maintaining connection security.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture is divided into distinct portions (tensioning portion, intermediate portion, repair portion) with specific functions. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific role and simplifies the overall connection process by eliminating the need for complex knot tying to secure different suture functions.
3Reliability
If traditional knotting methods are used while maintaining tension, then secure connection is achieved, but tension control becomes critical and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The knotting step that requires critical tension control is extracted from the process. The knotless suture anchor system allows the suture to be secured to the anchor without requiring the surgeon to maintain precise tension while manipulating knots, significantly easing the operation and reducing the risk of connection failure due to improper tension.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture anchor system is designed to self-secure the suture without requiring manual knot tying and tension maintenance by the surgeon. The mechanical interface of the knotless anchor automatically secures the suture in place, making the process easier to perform and less dependent on surgeon skill in tension control.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosure herein are knotless suture anchor constructs and methods of use thereof. The suture anchor constructs can include a bone anchor and a suture. The bone anchor can include a suture anchoring member and can define a cavity and a longitudinal passage extending from a trailing end of the bone anchor at least partially therethrough to the cavity. The suture anchoring member can be located in the cavity. The suture can be coupled to the suture anchoring member and can include a tensioning portion, a repair portion, and an intermediate portion. The intermediate portion can form a suture loop extending along the longitudinal passage.