Knotless Suture Locking Bone Plate for Syndesmosis Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current suture systems for maintaining bone positioning during healing, such as in syndesmosis repair, are prone to failure due to knot irritation and tearing, requiring surgeons to form knots during surgery, which increases surgical time and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an anchoring device with a body and wings that lock flexible strands in place, using locking elements within a bone plate to maintain bone positioning without knots, allowing for tensioning and locking of strands to secure bone alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If knots are formed on sutures to maintain fixed position, then the sutures can be secured in place, but the knots cause irritation during healing and are subject to tearing due to friction or other forces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the knot from the suture system by introducing a locking mechanism within a bone plate that secures the suture strand without requiring external knotting. The locking mechanism captures the strand internally, removing the harmful knot element while maintaining fixation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone plate with its internal locking mechanism serves as an intermediary device between the suture strand and the bone tissue. Instead of the strand directly forming knots on itself, the locking mechanism mediates the fixation process by capturing and securing the strand within the bone plate structure.
2Reliability
If surgeons form knots during surgery to secure sutures, then the sutures can be maintained in fixed position, but the surgical time increases and the procedure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate with the locking mechanism is prepared in advance with the locking structure already in place. During surgery, the suture strand is simply passed through and captured by the pre-configured locking mechanism, eliminating the need for time-consuming knot-tying procedures while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism within the bone plate performs the fixation function automatically once the strand is inserted. The mechanism self-secures the strand without requiring manual knot-tying by the surgeon, thereby reducing surgical time and complexity while ensuring reliable fixation.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional suture systems with knots are used, then the procedure is well-established, but the systems are prone to failure due to knot-related complications
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the problematic knot element from the suture system and replaces it with an internal locking mechanism. This extraction of the harmful knot component eliminates the source of failures while maintaining the overall simplicity and ease of manufacture of the surgical system.
Data Source
AI summary
A syndesmosis system includes a bone plate and an anchor. The bone plate includes a body extending between first and second surfaces. The body defines a strand-locking hole extending from the first surface to the second surface. A first locking element and a second locking element each extend from a first side wall of the strand-locking hole to a second side wall of the strand-locking hole. Each of the first anchor and the second anchor extend transverse to a central axis of the anchor hole. The anchor includes a body defining a first wing and a second wing. The first and second wings are coupled at a distal end and are biased away from a longitudinal axis of the body. The first and second wings are configured to maintain the anchor in a fixed position when inserted into a hole formed in a bone.