Resilient Wire Suture Anchor for Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suture anchors for attaching soft tissue to bone often cause trauma and damage due to the need for high impact forces, require specialized tools, are costly, and weaken the bone, especially when used in smaller bones or when extra holes are drilled for tool access, and have limited applications and high removal difficulties.
Innovation Solution
A suture anchor made from a resilient wire, bent into a loop with diverging legs and a tight helical shape, allowing for secure anchoring without specialized tools, suitable for various bone sizes, and constructed from FDA-approved materials like titanium, stainless steel, or bio-absorbable materials, which can be easily installed using common surgical tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hammered or impacted anchors are used to fix the anchor to the bone, then the anchor can be secured to the bone, but trauma and damage to the bone and surrounding tissues occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical impact/hammering system with a friction-based insertion system. The anchor is inserted into a pre-drilled hole and secured through friction between the anchor surface and bone walls, eliminating the need for high-impact forces that cause bone trauma.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fixation mechanism from impact-based to friction-based by designing the anchor with specific surface characteristics and insertion parameters that maximize frictional engagement with the bone, allowing secure fixation without traumatic impact forces.
2Reliability
If screw in anchors are used to grip the bone tunnel wall, then the anchor can be secured to the bone, but the installation process becomes time consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the threaded screw mechanism with a friction-based insertion system. The anchor is inserted into a pre-drilled hole and secured through friction between the anchor surface and bone walls, eliminating the time-consuming threading process while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the threading mechanism from the anchor design, removing the complex screw threads and replacing them with a simpler friction-based insertion system that can be installed quickly without specialized tapping tools.
3Ease of operation
If extra holes are drilled into the bone to accommodate special tools, then the anchor can be inserted, but the bone is weakened and the process becomes more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the anchor and insertion tools to work through the existing single bone tunnel hole, making the tool universally applicable without requiring additional bone access points. The tools can be inserted and manipulated through the same hole used for anchor placement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of drilling extra holes to accommodate tools, the patent inverts the approach by designing tools that can access and manipulate the anchor through the existing single bone tunnel hole, eliminating the need for additional bone penetration.
4Ease of operation
If specialized high priced tools are used to insert the anchor, then the anchor can be installed, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs simple, inexpensive, disposable insertion tools that can be easily manufactured and discarded after single use, replacing expensive specialized instruments. The tools are designed to be simple enough to be cost-effective but functional enough to successfully insert the anchor.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor design allows for self-insertion or insertion with simple tools, reducing dependence on expensive specialized equipment. The friction-based mechanism enables the anchor to be installed with basic surgical instruments already available in most operating rooms.
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 anchor provides strong, cost-effective, and quick fixation of sutures to bone without damaging the bone or requiring extra holes, suitable for both small and large bones, with enhanced holding power due to its design and materials, reducing surgical time and costs.
Implementation Method 1
A suture anchor made from a resilient wire, bent into a loop with diverging legs
Implementation Method 2
The wire is twisted a full 495 to 510 degrees to close the loop creating a suture retaining loop. The two wire ends extend generally distally along opposite transverse sides of the suture retaining loop at a diverging 30 to 45 degree to angle forming two straight legs.
Data Source
AI summary
A suture anchor made of a single length of wire that forms a suture retaining loop having two diverging legs, each having a pointed end. The transverse spacing of the diverging legs is greater than the diameter of the bone tunnel. The suture anchor may be spring loaded and set into the bone tunnel so that the distal points of each diverging leg are below the surface of a bone cortex, the sharp distal points of each diverging leg expand out laterally under pressure and penetrate the bone tunnel wall prohibiting removal of the suture anchor. The diverging legs further penetrate the bone tunnel wall in response to applied withdrawal forces.