Self-retaining Sutures with Helical Retainers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current self-retaining sutures face issues such as breakage, inadequate anchoring, insufficient contact with tissue, breakage under tension, and rotation/slippage due to fragile retainers, small thread diameters relative to needle holes, and uneven tension distribution, limiting their clinical effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
The development of self-retaining sutures with expanded thread sections, uneven tissue engagement surfaces, helical and scaled retainer configurations, and secondary retainer structures to enhance anchoring, distribute tension evenly, and increase surface area contact with tissue, including bidirectional designs with transition segments and intersecting helical escarpments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional self-retaining sutures with simple retainer structures are used, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability is poor due to breakage and slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The suture is divided into multiple functional segments: primary retainers for initial anchoring, secondary retainers for enhanced engagement, and transition segments for bidirectional deployment. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, improving overall reliability without requiring complete redesign of the entire suture system.
Solution Approach 2:
Secondary retainers are positioned on or near the primary retainers, creating a nested structure where smaller retainer elements are integrated with larger ones. This nesting provides multiple levels of tissue engagement, ensuring that if one retainer fails, others remain to maintain suture reliability.
2Strength
If small thread diameters are used relative to needle holes, then the ease of operation is improved for needle passage, but the strength is insufficient leading to breakage under tension
Solution Approach 1:
The suture exhibits varying diameters along its length, with expanded sections at specific locations providing increased strength where needed (such as at retainer bases and transition zones), while maintaining smaller diameters in other areas to facilitate easy needle passage. This local variation in diameter allows the suture to optimize both strength and operability.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture incorporates composite structural features combining different material properties in various sections - expanded polymeric sections for strength, tapered sections for flexibility, and retainer regions for anchoring. This composite approach allows the suture to simultaneously achieve high strength where required and ease of passage where needed.
3Area of stationary object
If retainers are positioned only at suture ends, then the device complexity is low, but the area of tissue contact is insufficient leading to inadequate anchoring
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer configuration extends from one-dimensional end-point retention to three-dimensional distributed retention along the entire suture length. Primary retainers are positioned along the suture body, with secondary retainers adding another layer of tissue engagement, creating a volumetric distribution of contact points that dramatically increases total tissue contact area.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture is segmented into multiple retainer zones with primary retainers for initial anchoring and secondary retainers for enhanced engagement. This segmentation distributes the anchoring function across multiple locations along the suture, increasing the cumulative tissue contact area and improving overall anchoring effectiveness.
4Strength
If uniform tension distribution is not achieved, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability deteriorates due to concentrated stress causing breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The suture is segmented into multiple retainer zones that independently share the applied load. Primary retainers distributed along the suture body, combined with secondary retainers, create multiple load-bearing points that distribute tension evenly, preventing stress concentration at any single location and improving overall tension resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture design incorporates varying retainer spacing, sizes, and orientations along its length to optimize tension distribution. By changing these geometric parameters strategically, the suture achieves uniform stress distribution across all retainers, maximizing tension resistance without requiring active control mechanisms.
5Reliability
If simple retainer configurations are used, then the ease of manufacture is high, but the reliability is poor due to rotation and slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The retainers incorporate curved and helical geometries that naturally resist rotation and slippage through geometric interlocking with tissue. These curved configurations provide mechanical advantage and friction-based anchoring that prevents retainer migration, improving reliability while remaining compatible with standard manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer designs employ asymmetric geometries with specific directional features that engage tissue more effectively in the intended direction of force while preventing reverse movement, rotation, or slippage. This asymmetric configuration enhances anchoring reliability through directional mechanical engagement without requiring complex assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates generally to self-retaining systems for surgical procedures, methods of manufacturing self-retaining systems for surgical procedures, and their uses.