Multi-Density All-Suture Anchor for Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current all-suture anchors used in arthroscopy lack the fixation strength of rigid body anchors, especially in soft bone, and often fail to deploy properly in hard bone due to interference fit issues.
Innovation Solution
The development of a multi-density all-suture anchor with a braided anchor body and a passing filament of different densities, along with a binding filament, to create an interference fit within a bone hole and a deployment device that allows for expansion without reaching a specific deployment distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If all-suture anchors are made smaller in size, then they are easier to insert, but they provide less fixation strength in soft bone
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor body incorporates regions of varying density within its structure. The distal portion includes a first region with a first density and a second region with a second density that is greater than the first density. This local variation in density allows the anchor to provide enhanced fixation strength in soft bone while maintaining an overall small size for easy insertion.
2Strength
If rigid body expanding anchors are used to provide fixation strength, then they achieve better fixation, but they fail to deploy properly in hard bone due to interference fit issues
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor utilizes density variations within its structure to change mechanical parameters. The higher density region in the distal portion provides increased rigidity for reliable deployment in hard bone, while the overall small size and suture construction allow it to be inserted easily. The density gradient allows the anchor to adapt to different bone densities without failing to deploy.
3Ease of manufacture
If all-suture anchors are made with uniform density, then they are easier to manufacture, but they are pulled out more readily from bone
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor body is constructed with non-uniform density, featuring a first region with a first density and a second region with a second density that is greater than the first density. The second region is positioned in the distal portion of the anchor body, providing enhanced grip and resistance to pull-out forces while maintaining manufacturability through controlled material distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
An all-suture anchor for attaching soft tissue to bone while creating an interference fit within a bone hole, and a deployment device for the all-suture anchor. The all-suture anchor includes an anchor body having first and second ends. The second end is folded toward the first end, creating a looped distal end of the anchor body, while the first and second ends of the anchor body form a proximal end. The anchor body is composed of a first material having a first density. A passing filament, of a second (different) density, is woven through the anchor body at passing locations such that a pair of free ends of the passing filament extends from the proximal end of the anchor body. The all-suture anchor additionally includes a binding filament bound axially at the proximal end of the anchor body around the first end and the second end of the anchor body.