Surgical Inserter Assembly for Knotless Soft Tissue Fixation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Surgical knots used in soft tissue repair can loosen, leading to compromised compression and movement at the healing interface, potentially resulting in suboptimal or failed repairs.

Innovation Solution

An inserter assembly with a handle and sleeve system that allows for the insertion and securement of anchors into bone, utilizing a filament to maintain tension without the need for knots, ensuring consistent compression and stability at the tissue-bone interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If surgical knots are used to hold tissue against bone, then the tissue can be anchored initially, but the knots are subject to loosening which reduces compression and causes movement at the healing interface

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanchor stabilityVSAvoidcompression consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the knot from the system entirely, replacing it with a continuous filament that passes through bone tunnels and connects anchors without requiring surgical knots. This extraction of the knot eliminates the loosening problem while maintaining anchor stability and compression consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The continuous filament creates an unbroken tension path from one bone anchor through the tissue to the other anchor, maintaining continuous compression force without interruption. This continuous action prevents the periodic loss of compression that occurs with knot loosening over time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

2Ease of manufacture

If surgical knots are used to secure tissue, then anchoring can be achieved, but the knots require additional surgical time and complexity to tie and secure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedure simplicityVSAvoidsurgical time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical knot-tying system with a tensioning system using a continuous filament and anchors. Instead of manually tying knots to secure the tissue, the system uses anchored filament tension to maintain compression, eliminating the time-consuming knot-tying step while simplifying the overall procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If anchors are inserted into bone for tissue fixation, then stable attachment can be achieved, but the insertion process requires precise positioning and control

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue fixation stabilityVSAvoidanchor insertion precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses bone tunnels as intermediary structures that guide and position the anchors precisely. The tunnels are created beforehand with specific orientation and positioning, serving as conduits that ensure accurate anchor placement without requiring complex real-time positioning during anchor insertion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10568616B2Instruments and methods of soft tissue fixation

Publication Date: 2020.02.25 HOWMEDICA OSTEONICS CORP

AI summary

An inserter assembly for inserting anchors into bone includes a handle having a handle body. A first inserter is disposed within the handle body and is fixedly connected thereto. The first inserter has an insertion end configured to retain a first anchor for insertion thereof into bone. A second inserter is slidably disposed within the handle body and has an insertion end configured to retain a second anchor for insertion thereof into bone. A sleeve is slidably disposed within the handle body and is releasably connected to the second inserter.