Knotless Suture Anchor Limb Separation Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current knotless suture anchors face challenges in properly manipulating suture limbs during soft tissue repair surgeries, leading to issues with tensioning and retention, as suture limbs may cross, resulting in insufficient retention and potential sliding or deviation from the secured position.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a suture implantation assembly with a distal tip member and a proximal main member, featuring suture engagement surfaces that maintain suture limbs apart, allowing for improved tensioning and prevention of crossing, through a design that includes separate suture limb holding surfaces and a flared portion for enhanced bone engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If suture limbs are allowed to move freely during implantation, then ease of manipulation is improved, but suture limbs may cross resulting in insufficient retention and sliding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces suture limb holding surfaces as intermediary structures that mediate between the need for free manipulation and the requirement for secure retention. These surfaces provide controlled contact points that allow surgeons to manipulate suture limbs during implantation while preventing unwanted crossing and maintaining proper positioning throughout the procedure.
2Reliability
If suture limbs are constrained to prevent crossing, then retention is improved, but manipulation during tensioning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The suture limb holding surfaces are designed to provide dynamic constraints that adapt during the implantation process. The surfaces allow movement and manipulation when needed while automatically providing retention when the suture limbs are in the desired position, creating a dynamic system that transitions from permissive to restrictive based on procedural needs.
3Device complexity
If a single component suture anchor is used, then device complexity is reduced, but ability to manipulate suture limbs is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the suture anchor into multiple functional components including the anchor body, suture limb holding surfaces, and bone engagement features. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as an integrated system, providing improved suture manipulation capabilities without excessive overall complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Knotless suture anchors and methods are provided for affixing soft tissue to a bone. One exemplary embodiment of a suture anchor includes an insertion rod, a distal tip member removably coupled to a distal end of the insertion rod, the distal tip member having a suture engagement feature configured to have a plurality of suture limbs slidably coupled to the tip member, and a proximal main member having an elongated cylindrical body with one or more bone-engaging features disposed on its outer surface and a longitudinal lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end. The suture anchor can also include two suture limb holding surfaces to maintain two suture limbs a distance apart from each other. Other exemplary embodiments, as well as methods for affixing soft tissue to a bone, are also provided.