Filamentary Soft Tissue Fixation for Minimal Bone Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional fixation devices for soft tissue to bone repair are large in diameter, invasive, and require significant bone mass, limiting implantation locations and causing excessive bone loss due to large drill holes.
Innovation Solution
The development of filamentary fixation devices and associated instrumentation, including a system with a filamentary fixation device, inserter, guide, and loading device, allows for smaller bore holes and less invasive procedures, enabling repair at various angles and in difficult-to-reach anatomical locations using a filamentary fixation device system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fixation devices are used, then sufficient bone mass is required to accommodate the device, but the device diameter becomes large and limits implantation locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a filamentary fixation device constructed from flexible filament material rather than rigid metal or hard plastic. This filamentary structure allows the device to be extremely thin and flexible, eliminating the need for large device diameter while maintaining sufficient strength for soft tissue to bone fixation. The flexible nature of the filament enables it to conform to small bone structures without requiring large implantation sites.
2Strength
If traditional fixation devices are used, then sufficient material is required to withstand forces, but the device size increases and requires large drill holes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using high-strength filament material with optimized tensile properties. The filament is engineered to have sufficient strength to withstand soft tissue reattachment forces despite its minimal diameter. This parameter change allows the device to maintain force resistance while requiring only small drill holes for implantation, eliminating the need for large bone openings required by traditional devices.
3Device complexity
If traditional fixation devices are used, then the device structure is simple, but the invasiveness increases and healthy bone is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The filamentary fixation device uses a flexible filament structure that can be inserted through minimal openings in the bone. This thin-film approach requires only small drill holes rather than large openings, significantly reducing the amount of healthy bone that must be removed during implantation. The flexible nature allows the device to pass through small apertures without requiring extensive bone removal or creating large repair sites.
Data Source
AI summary
Filamentary fixation devices may be used in a variety of surgical procedures to secure soft tissue to bone. The present invention provides various devices, systems, kits and instrumentation for performing such surgical procedures including preparation of soft tissue and bone, preparation and manipulation of such filamentary fixation devices, and insertion and utilization of the fixation devices within a patient's anatomy. In one embodiment, a method for securing soft tissue to bone, the method includes accessing the soft tissue and the bone, passing a filament through the soft tissue, preparing a bore hole in the bone, loading the filament into a filamentary fixation device, implanting the filamentary fixation device, with the filament, into the bore hole, and tensioning the filament so that the filamentary fixation device and filament are secured within the bore hole.