PRP Collagen Scaffold Implant Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bioactive surgical implants, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) implants, are fluidic and nonstructural, making it difficult to ensure they stay in place during tissue repair, and combining them with other biologic products like collagen can be cost-prohibitive and require additional fixation methods.
Innovation Solution
A method of creating an enhanced bioactive PRP implant by incorporating a collagen-based scaffold within a centrifuge container, allowing for the combination of PRP with other liquid biologics, and providing devices and methods to secure the implant in place using suture anchors or staples during meniscal or rotator cuff repairs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If PRP implant is used alone without additional biologics, then cost is reduced, but healing effectiveness is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple biologics (PRP, collagen, other orthobiologics) into a single integrated implant device. The centrifuge container processes whole blood to create PRP that is then combined with collagen scaffold and other biologics within the same device, eliminating the need for separate products and reducing overall cost while improving healing effectiveness through synergistic biological effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant uses a composite structure combining PRP (fluid component), collagen scaffold (structural component), and other orthobiologics. This composite approach allows each material to contribute its unique properties - PRP provides growth factors, collagen provides structural framework, and additional biologics enhance specific healing functions - thereby improving overall healing effectiveness without proportionally increasing cost.
2Ease of operation
If PRP implant is placed without secondary fixation, then ease of application is improved, but implant stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The implant incorporates a moveable filter that transitions from a locked position during centrifugation to a released position that allows the filter to move under centrifugal force. This dynamic mechanism enables the filter to automatically compact the implant material and provide structural stability after application, while maintaining ease of application during the initial placement phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The collagen scaffold acts as an intermediary structural element between the fluid PRP and the tissue repair site. The scaffold provides a stable framework that holds the PRP in place, preventing migration while allowing the PRP to remain accessible for biological activity. This intermediary structure enables the implant to be applied easily without immediate fixation while maintaining stability during healing.
3Reliability
If multiple separate products are used for tissue repair, then healing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centrifuge container and processing system are designed as a universal platform that can handle multiple biologics (PRP, collagen, bone marrow aspirate, adipose tissue, hyaluronic acid, stem cells, allografts) within a single device. The same container and processing mechanisms work for different biological materials, eliminating the need for separate specialized devices for each biologic and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining healing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple previously separate products (PRP preparation system, collagen scaffold, other biologics) into a single integrated device. The centrifuge container processes whole blood to create PRP, which is then combined with collagen and other orthobiologics in the same device, creating a unified multi-functional implant that replaces multiple separate products and simplifies the overall treatment protocol.
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
The solution enables the creation of a cost-effective, stable bioactive implant that combines PRP with collagen and other biologics, ensuring effective fixation and prolonged biological benefits at the repair site, thereby enhancing tissue repair outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
A centrifugal force is applied to the container sufficient to separate the bioactive implant from a layer of serum and a layer of erythrocytes
Implementation Method 2
The moveable member is then released such that the moveable member moves though the container under the centrifugal force to couple the collagen-based scaffold with the bioactive implant
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of making an enhanced bioactive PRP implant include supplying a centrifuge container with a collagen-based scaffold pre-inserted onto a moveable filter within the vial. A centrifuge process for creating the PRP implant is followed, resulting in a PRP/collagen implant combination. Other biologics may be added to the container instead of or in addition to the collagen-based scaffold. Additionally, methods of fixing the PRP implant into place at the point of a tear or wound include applying the PRP implant adjacent to or within a meniscal tear, or underneath or on top of a rotator cuff tear. Suture or staples may then be routed either through or over the PRP implant to hold the implant in place.