Polymeric Cored Braided Suture for Bone Fracture Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical bone fixation technologies face issues such as mismatch in elasticity between fixation devices and bone, leading to loss of compression, fatigue-induced failure, stress-shielding effects, and increased risk of pathologic fractures, which hinder effective primary healing and require further surgical interventions.
Innovation Solution
The use of a polymeric cored braided suture held in place by anchors on either side of a fracture, providing tension to compress the bone fragments and maintain fixation under load, with advanced surgical anchors designed to optimize securement and tension distribution, and a deployment instrument that can drive anchors and tension the suture effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal fixation devices (screws, plates, nails) are used to compress bone fragments, then fracture fixation and compression are achieved, but mismatch in elasticity between device and bone causes loss of compression with minor bone resorption or device stretching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to polymer, which has elastic properties more closely matched to bone. This allows the fixation device to maintain compression force through the healing process without losing effectiveness due to elastic mismatch, resolving the contradiction between achieving compression and maintaining it reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction with a polymer core providing elastic compliance and a braided jacket providing tensile strength. This composite structure achieves both the needed compression force and the reliability to maintain it, overcoming the limitations of pure metal devices.
2Strength
If metal fixation devices are used to stabilize fractures, then fracture fixation is achieved, but fatigue-induced failure occurs leading to need for further surgical intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material from metal to polymer, fundamentally altering fatigue resistance properties. Polymers exhibit different fatigue behavior that avoids the fatigue-induced failure modes of metal devices, thereby improving reliability and durability while maintaining fracture stabilization.
3Strength
If plates are used to span and compress fractured bone, then fracture fixation is achieved, but stress-shielding effect causes disuse-induced resorption and weakening of bone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material stiffness parameter from high (metal) to lower (polymer), allowing stress transfer to the healing bone. This reduces the stress-shielding effect while maintaining adequate fixation strength, thereby preventing disuse-induced bone resorption.
4Strength
If screws are used to compress fractures, then fracture compression is achieved, but screw holes act as stress risers increasing risk of pathologic fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the compression function from traditional screw holes and implements it through a different mechanism - a polymer cable system that distributes compression forces along the fracture line rather than concentrating them at discrete hole locations, thereby eliminating stress risers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes from discrete point compression (screws) to distributed linear compression (cable), fundamentally altering the stress distribution pattern and eliminating the stress concentration problem at screw holes.
5Strength
If traditional fixation devices are used, then fracture compression is achieved, but large incisions are required disrupting periosteum or medullary blood supply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible polymer cable that can be inserted through small incisions and delivered to the fracture site using a delivery device. This thin, flexible structure minimizes soft tissue disruption while maintaining the ability to provide effective fracture compression.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables rigid fixation for primary healing, maintaining compression under tensile and shear loads, reducing the risk of complications and the need for additional surgeries by distributing load effectively and minimizing stress concentrations.
Implementation Method 1
The suture (110) can be tensioned so as to compress the fracture and hold it in place
Implementation Method 2
All of these methods described above have shortcomings despite their clinical usefulness. Metal fixation devices generally suffer from a mismatch in elasticity between the device and the bone
Implementation Method 3
The suture (110) is disposed between two anchors (100). The anchors (100) can be configured to distribute applied loads
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure includes surgical anchors and related devices and methods that can be used for surgical bone fracture fixation. Some embodiments involve the use of a polymeric cored braided suture that can be held in place by anchors implanted or inserted into bone on each side of a fracture. In some embodiments, the present anchors can be secured into the bone while maintaining high tension (e.g., relative to certain prior art methods) in the suture during the deployment process. Some embodiments can provide for tensioning (e.g., using a polymeric cored braided suture) to compress the fracture and hold the bone in place, functioning as though the suture has sewn the bone (e.g., fragments or portions) together. This can, for example, provide rigid fixation of a fracture which may be important for healing to occur. The tension preload can provide compression to maintain fixation in the face of tensile and shear loads applied to the bone (e.g., as a result of movement and weight bearing).