Rotating Tendon Retaining System for Collagen Fiber Sheet Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for harvesting and flattening tendons, such as the gracilis and semi-tendinosis hamstring tendons, often damage the discrete axial tendon bundles, compromising the strength of the graft due to the lack of preservation of their integrity during the flattening process.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that involve a surface with an opening and a blade coupled to it, along with a tendon retaining system that directs the graft toward the blade while rotating it, allowing for precise cutting and preservation of the collagen fiber bundles, resulting in a flat collagen fiber sheet with preserved bundle integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If traditional flattening methods are used to prepare tendon grafts, then the graft can be flattened for surgical use, but the discrete axial tendon bundles are damaged and their integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tendon retaining system segments the tendon into discrete axial bundles that are individually preserved during the flattening process. The system maintains the structural separation of bundles while achieving the desired flat shape, preventing damage to each bundle's integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions the tendon from a three-dimensional cylindrical structure to a two-dimensional flat sheet while preserving the internal bundle structure. This dimensional change is achieved by flattening the external shape while maintaining the axial orientation and integrity of the collagen fiber bundles within
2Ease of manufacture
If a blade is used to cut the tendon graft, then the graft can be prepared for surgical use, but the fiber bundles may be damaged during cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The tendon retaining system acts as an intermediary between the blade and the fiber bundles during cutting. It provides a controlled interface that allows the blade to cut the graft while the retaining system protects the bundles from direct blade contact and damage, ensuring clean cuts without compromising bundle integrity
3Manufacturing precision
If the graft is rotated during cutting, then precise cutting and preservation of fiber bundles is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tendon retaining system merges multiple functions into a single integrated component: it holds the tendon, rotates it during cutting, and protects the fiber bundles. This consolidation achieves precise cutting with preserved bundle integrity while minimizing the number of separate parts and overall device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for making a collagen fiber sheet from a graft of any of a tendon, ligament or fascia, the graft having an outer layer of tissue surrounding a plurality of fiber bundles, each of the plurality of fiber bundles having a first diameter. The apparatus can include a surface having an opening extending therethrough, a blade coupled to the surface proximate to the opening and extending a predetermined height above the surface, and a graft retaining system configured to direct the graft toward the blade while rotating the graft about a longitudinal axis thereof during a cutting operation, wherein the graft retaining system is configured to direct the collagen fiber sheet produced by the cutting operation through the opening.