Knotless Syndesmosis Button With Sliding Loop Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current suture systems for maintaining bone positions during healing require knots, which can cause irritation and are prone to failure, increasing surgical time and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A knotless button system with a body and a slideable locking insert that allows for adjustable loops to be secured without knots, facilitating precise bone alignment and stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If knots are used to maintain sutures in a fixed position, then the sutures can be secured, but the knots cause irritation and are prone to tearing due to friction
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the knot element from the suture system entirely. The knotless button design allows sutures to be secured through a button mechanism with loop openings and locking features, eliminating the need for knots that cause tissue irritation and friction-related failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The button acts as an intermediary device between the sutures and the tissue. Instead of knots directly contacting and irritating the tissue, the button provides a smooth, knotless interface that secures sutures while minimizing harmful friction and irritation to surrounding tissues.
2Reliability
If surgeons form knots during surgery to secure sutures, then the sutures can be fixed, but the surgical time increases and the system is prone to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The button is pre-configured with loop openings and locking features before surgery. During the procedure, surgeons simply need to thread sutures through the pre-designed loop openings and engage the locking mechanism, eliminating the time-consuming process of forming knots during surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The button design incorporates self-locking features that automatically secure the sutures once threaded through the loop openings. The locking insert and engagement features provide automatic fixation without requiring complex manual knot-tying techniques, reducing surgical time and improving reliability.
3Productivity
If a knotless button with slideable locking insert is used, then surgical time is reduced and tissue irritation is minimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The button is segmented into distinct functional components: a body with loop openings, a slideable locking insert, and engagement features. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while maintaining an overall simple and intuitive assembly process during surgery.
Data Source
AI summary
A knotless button includes a body defining a proximal portion and a distal portion. The body further defines an internal cavity and a first loop opening extending from the internal cavity to an outer surface of the body. A locking insert is slideably positioned within the internal cavity. The locking insert defines a second loop opening extending from a first side of the locking insert to a second side of the locking insert. The locking insert is slideably moveable from a first position to a second position within the internal cavity. A flexible strand defines a first adjustable loop extending through the first loop opening and the second loop opening. The locking insert is slideably moveable from a first position configured to allow adjustment of the first adjustable loop to a second position configured to lock the first adjustable loop.