Self-Drilling Suture Anchor Inserter Without Bone Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for inserting suture anchors into bone often result in misalignment of the drill guide with the bone hole, requiring additional surgical time and risking trauma to surrounding tissue, or impart undesirable impact forces on the bone, especially in smaller bones.
Innovation Solution
A self-drilling anchor inserter with a cannulated inserter tube and inserter tip featuring cutting edges and a suture anchor retention slot, allowing for the insertion of suture anchors without drilling a bone hole and minimizing hole enlargement, while avoiding impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a drill bit is advanced through a drill guide to create a bone hole and then a suture anchor is passed through the drill guide, then the suture anchor can be inserted into the bone hole, but the drill guide may move out of alignment with the bone hole requiring creation of a second bone hole
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the drill bit and suture anchor into a single integrated self-drilling anchor inserter device. The inserter includes a cutting tip for drilling and an anchor retention slot for holding the suture anchor, allowing both drilling and anchor insertion to be performed in one continuous operation without removing the drill guide, thereby maintaining alignment accuracy and reducing surgical time
Solution Approach 2:
The self-drilling anchor inserter performs multiple functions: it drills the bone hole, holds the suture anchor, and inserts the anchor into the bone hole all through a single device. This multi-functional design eliminates the need to switch between separate drilling and anchor insertion tools, ensuring continuous alignment and reducing procedural time
2Ease of manufacture
If a self-punching suture anchor is hammered directly into the bone, then the anchor can be inserted without drilling, but impact forces are imparted to the bone which may be undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the hammering mechanical action with a controlled rotational cutting mechanism. Instead of impacting the anchor directly into the bone, the cutting tip rotates to drill a precise bone hole, and the anchor is then gently inserted into the pre-drilled hole, eliminating harmful impact forces while maintaining insertion simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary drilling action before anchor insertion. The cutting tip first creates a precisely sized bone hole, and then the anchor is inserted into this pre-prepared hole without requiring hammering or impact forces, thereby protecting the bone from trauma
3Strength
If conventional drilling and anchor insertion methods are used, then the anchor can be secured in the bone, but hole enlargement occurs and surrounding tissue trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the cutting parameters to create a bone hole that precisely matches the anchor diameter. The cutting tip geometry and rotation speed are optimized to remove minimal bone material, creating a hole that provides sufficient anchor fixation strength while minimizing bone removal and surrounding tissue trauma
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 inserter effectively inserts suture anchors with minimal hole enlargement and without impacting the bone, reducing surgical time and trauma to surrounding tissues.
Implementation Method 1
The inserter tip has a proximal tip end and a distal tip end with a suture anchor retention slot extending through the distal tip end. The inserter has one or more cutting edges extending at least a partially along an outer perimeter edge of the distal tip end.
Data Source
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AI summary
An anchor inserter including an inserter tube extending along a longitudinal axis having a proximal inserter end and a distal inserter end. The inserter also includes an inserter tip attached to and extending distally from the distal inserter end. The inserter tip has a proximal tip end and a distal tip end with a suture anchor retention slot extending through the distal tip end. The inserter has one or more cutting edges extending at least a partially along an outer perimeter edge of the distal tip end. The distal tip end has a first arm and a second arm. The first arm is substantially straight and the second arm is curved.