Soft Suture Anchor Expansion for Stable Shallow Bone-Hole Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional suture anchors designed for shallow and narrow bone holes lose retention capacity when scaled down, leading to instability and potential dislodgment.
Innovation Solution
A soft suture anchor construct with an all-suture design that expands within the bone hole upon tensioning, utilizing a filament to change direction and form pleats, enhancing retention by increasing diameter and securing the anchor in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of traditional suture anchor is scaled down to fit in shallow and narrow bone hole, then the anchor can be installed in the bone hole, but the anchor loses retention capacity and becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor is designed to transition from a compressed delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration. The anchor body includes expandable elements such as arms or struts that can be actuated to increase the anchor's diameter and surface area within the bone hole, providing stable retention without requiring a larger initial size
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor utilizes material property changes through shape memory alloys or superelastic materials that allow the anchor to be compressed to a small diameter for delivery, then spontaneously or actively expand to a larger diameter for stable fixation. This parameter change enables the anchor to achieve both small delivery size and large retention size
2Ease of operation
If conventional suture anchor is inserted in pre-formed hole, then the anchor can be deployed, but the anchor may extend out of the shallow bone hole causing tissue irritation or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor remains in a compressed, low-profile configuration during insertion and only expands after full insertion into the bone hole. The expansion is controlled through the deployment mechanism, ensuring the anchor stays within the bone hole boundaries and does not protrude to irritate surrounding tissues
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor is pre-compressed to a small diameter before insertion, allowing it to be fully inserted into the shallow bone hole without protruding. The expansion action is performed only after insertion is complete, ensuring the anchor remains contained within the bone hole throughout the critical insertion phase
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The anchor maintains stability and retention within the bone hole by expanding to fit snugly, minimizing movement and ensuring secure fixation without compromising the integrity of the surrounding tissue.
Implementation Method 1
A soft suture anchor construct with an all-suture design that expands within the bone hole upon tensioning, utilizing a filament to change direction and form pleats
Data Source
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AI summary
A soft suture anchor construct is provided for placement in or against tissue or bone. The anchor includes an all-suture anchor having two ends positioned in a first direction in a pre-deployment configuration. In a deployed configuration, the two ends are positioned in a second direction different from the first direction. The suture anchor construct also includes a filament passing through the anchor at a plurality of passing locations, where the filament changes direction at least once along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the anchor and forms at least one slack line. In the pre-deployment configuration, the filament extends a first length between adjacent passing locations, and in the deployed configuration, the filament extends a second length between adjacent passing locations. The second length is shorter than the first length. The suture anchor construct may be deployed in a bone hole with an inserter, anchor driver, or other deployment device.