Knotless Suture Locking Device for Cardiac Implant Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for securing heart valve repair or replacement prostheses require time-consuming knot-tying during surgery, especially in minimally invasive procedures, which can lead to increased surgical time and risk due to the complexity of tying knots in a limited space near the heart.
Innovation Solution
A suture locking device with a bifurcated locking clamp and a biasing member that eliminates the need for knots by using a retention member to maintain suture tension, allowing for easy installation and precise tensioning without affecting the suture's tension, and a delivery tool for deploying these devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional knot-tying methods are used to secure sutures during heart valve repair, then the sutures can be securely anchored, but the surgical time is significantly increased and the procedure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the knot-tying operation from the suture securing process by introducing a separate locking device that attaches to the suture and provides the anchoring function without requiring the surgeon to tie knots. The locking device is delivered independently and then engaged with the suture to secure it in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device serves as an intermediary between the suture and the tissue, providing the anchoring function that would otherwise require direct knot-tying. The device includes features like barbs or engagement elements that interact with the suture material to prevent slippage without requiring surgical knot manipulation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If knot-tying is performed in minimally invasive surgery with limited space, then the procedure can be performed through small incisions, but the difficulty of tying knots increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the knot-tying operation from the constrained surgical field by delivering the locking device through a catheter or delivery system that can access the heart through small incisions. The device is then deployed in the limited space and engages with the suture without requiring complex manual manipulation that would be difficult to perform endoscopically.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device is designed to self-engage with the suture material after delivery, reducing the need for precise manual manipulation by the surgeon. The device may include features that automatically capture or lock onto the suture once positioned, making the procedure easier to perform through minimally invasive access.
3Reliability
If multiple knots are tied to prevent suture backing out, then the anchoring security is improved, but the surgical complexity and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the anti-backout function from the multiple-knot system and consolidates it into a single locking device. The device incorporates features such as barbs, ratchets, or friction-based mechanisms that provide unidirectional locking to prevent suture slippage without requiring multiple separate knot-tying operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions (anchoring, anti-backout security, and tension maintenance) into a single integrated locking device rather than requiring separate knots for each function. This consolidation reduces the overall complexity of the suture securing process while maintaining or improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for securing prostheses such as heart valves or annuloplasty rings with sutures and without using knots are disclosed. The devices are particularly well suited for traditional surgery or minimally invasive surgery, and improve the ease of implantation by eliminating surgical knots a clinician would normally tie in the limited space in and around the implant site. The devices have opposed the clamp halves surrounded by a coil spring. Sutures pass between the clamp halves and the coil spring has an inner coil diameter sufficient to compress the sutures between the clamp. A retention member positioned between the clamp halves maintains a minimum space and therebetween to enable the locking device to be slid along the sutures into position, and to adjust the tension of the sutures therethrough. A delivery tool may be used to deliver and deploy the locking devices.