Segmented Surgical Button for Suture Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical anchoring devices and suture buttons have limitations in ease of placement and removal, particularly during joint repair and revision surgeries, often requiring surgeons to thread sutures through small openings and necessitating the severing or removal of existing anchoring devices.
Innovation Solution
A surgical button design featuring a plate with externally accessible slots and retaining tabs that allow sutures or suture loops to be easily drawn into contact with the plate, eliminating the need to thread sutures and enabling easy installation and removal without severing existing anchoring devices, facilitating both initial implantation and revision surgeries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional suture buttons with small openings are used, then the anchoring device provides secure fixation, but the surgeon must thread sutures through small openings which time-consuming and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The button is segmented with multiple slots instead of a single opening, allowing sutures to be placed independently through each slot without threading through small openings. This segmentation enables parallel suture placement and simplifies the overall operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of threading sutures through the button from the outside, the design allows sutures to be placed from the inside out through the slots, reversing the traditional threading approach and significantly easing the placement procedure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing anchoring devices are used in revision surgeries, then the original fixation remains in place, but the existing sutures and anchoring devices must be severed or removed
Solution Approach 1:
The button design with multiple slots and retaining tabs can accommodate both initial implantation and revision surgeries. During revision, new sutures can be placed through the slots without removing the original button or sutures, making the device universally applicable to both primary and revision procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The button is pre-configured with multiple slots and retaining tabs that anticipate future revision needs. This preliminary design allows surgeons to add new sutures without disturbing existing ones, enabling efficient revision procedures.
3Productivity
If sutures are threaded through small openings in traditional buttons, then secure anchoring is achieved, but the surgical procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple slots divide the suture placement task into independent channels, allowing sutures to be placed simultaneously or in sequence without the time-consuming threading process required by single small openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining tabs automatically secure sutures as they are placed through the slots, eliminating the need for additional threading maneuvers and reducing the time required for secure anchoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Improved methods, devices, systems and surgical techniques in the field of surgery and, in particular, improved anchoring devices and related surgical techniques for a variety of surgical repair procedures.