Knotless Suture Snare Structure for Soft Tissue-to-Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical devices for securing soft tissue to bone, particularly in weak bones, cause trauma and require multiple knots that can slip, leading to loss of tension and obstruction in tight joints.
Innovation Solution
A surgical construct with a collapsible snare formed by a first and second limb, where the second limb is shorter and disposed within the first, allowing a slidable knot to adjust the snare's opening size without tying knots, and a coaxial region that can be deconstructed after placement, enabling secure fixation to bone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional repair constructs with sleeves and multiple knots are used, then tissue can be secured to bone, but tissue trauma increases and knot security is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for traditional knots and sleeves from the surgical construct. The filament is configured to pass through tissue and anchor in bone without requiring knots to secure it, thereby removing the harmful effects of knots (tissue abrasion, slippage risk) while maintaining the essential function of securing tissue to bone.
Solution Approach 2:
The construct uses a bioabsorbable filament that is discarded after serving its purpose. The filament naturally degrades and is absorbed by the body over time, eliminating the need for removal surgery while providing temporary but reliable fixation during the healing process.
2Strength
If multiple knots are tied to secure tissue, then fixation strength is improved, but device complexity and procedural time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the knot-tying step entirely from the surgical procedure. The filament is designed with specific geometry and material properties that allow it to be pushed through tissue and anchored in bone without requiring any knots, thereby simplifying the device and procedure while maintaining fixation strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical knot-tying system with a push-through anchoring mechanism. Instead of using friction and interlocking from knots, the construct uses the filament's physical properties and the anchor's geometry to secure the tissue in a single, simple motion.
3Ease of operation
If conventional knots are used to draw tissue to bone, then tissue approximation is achieved, but knot size causes obstruction in tight joints
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates knots from the construct, replacing them with a sleek, knotless filament design. This removes the bulky knot structure that causes obstruction in tight joints while preserving the ability to approximate tissue to bone through the filament's tension and anchor fixation.
Data Source
AI summary
Suture constructs and methods are provided for securing soft tissue to bone. One exemplary embodiment of a construct includes a first limb, a second limb, a coaxial region, and a collapsible snare defined by the first and second limbs. The coaxial region can be formed by a portion of the second limb being disposed in a volume of the first limb, which allows for a low profile construct that is useful in various soft tissue repair procedures. The construct can be configured to be disposed in tissue to draw the tissue toward bone, and the coaxial region can be deconstructed so that the first and second limbs can be used to help secure the desired location of the tissue with respect to the bone. Various features of the construct and methods for using the same in a surgical procedure are also provided.