Knotless Spreadable Web for Soft Tissue to Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical methods for tissue repair, particularly soft tissue to bone fixation, face challenges such as the need for knot formation, increased passing steps, and limited handling through small portals, which can complicate procedures and reduce fixation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A surgical construct featuring a spreadable web attached to peripheral members, which is tensionable and knotless, allowing for expansion and adjustment to various widths, providing improved fixation and compression without knot formation, using flexible filaments or strands that can be threaded or looped around the members to form a web-like structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional knot-based surgical methods are used for tissue fixation, then secure fixation can be achieved, but the procedure requires increased passing steps and knot formation which complicates the procedure and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the knot element from the surgical fixation procedure entirely. The spreadable web is designed to be deployed and secured without requiring knot formation, extracting the problematic knot-tying step from the surgical process while maintaining fixation security through the expandable web structure that distributes load across multiple anchor points.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical construct is segmented into multiple peripheral members (typically 3-6) spaced around the tissue footprint, with the spreadable web connecting them. This segmentation allows the fixation load to be distributed across multiple independent attachment points, achieving secure fixation without requiring a single complex knot configuration.
2Reliability
If traditional surgical constructs are used, then tissue fixation can be achieved, but handling through small portals is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical construct transitions from a compact, constrained configuration during insertion to an expanded, deployed configuration at the surgical site. The spreadable web remains compressed within a delivery device during passage through small portals, then expands to its full functional size after deployment, enabling easy handling during insertion while providing full functionality at the target site.
Solution Approach 2:
The spreadable web and peripheral members are nested within a delivery device or catheter during the passing phase. The entire surgical construct is contained within the delivery system, allowing it to be advanced through small arthroscopic portals. Once deployed, the construct expands from its nested state to provide the full spreadable web configuration for tissue fixation.
3Reliability
If non-uniform compression is applied to soft tissue, then fixation can be achieved, but uniform soft tissue compression is not realized which may affect healing
Solution Approach 1:
The spreadable web is designed to contact and compress the soft tissue at multiple discrete locations corresponding to the positions of the peripheral members. Each region of the tissue footprint receives localized compression from the web at its specific anchor point, ensuring uniform distribution of compressive forces across the entire tissue-bone interface rather than concentrating force at single points.
Data Source
AI summary
Surgical constructs, assemblies and methods of tissue fixation are disclosed. A surgical construct includes a spreadable web attached to a plurality of peripheral strands. The spreadable web may be tensionable and may include one or more flexible filaments or strands. At least one of the filaments is coupled to the peripheral strands. The filaments may extend from the peripheral strands in different directions and/or orientations. The spreadable web is expandable and can be adjusted to various widths. The spreadable web may be knotless. The spreadable web may be tensionable. The surgical construct may be attached to one or more knotted or knotless fixation devices.