Suture Anchor With Stop Members For Controlled Sliding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical devices for repairing soft tissue to bone lack the ability to achieve optimal suture tension and precise adjustment of tissue location relative to the bone, as they do not effectively limit suture sliding and allow for balanced tensioning.
Innovation Solution
A suture anchor with a post and flexible strand that includes stop members, such as knots or protrusions, to prevent excessive sliding, allowing for controlled tensioning and adjustment of tissue positioning by sliding only a limited distance, enabling balanced tension between suture limbs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a suture anchor allows free sliding of the suture strand around the post, then the suture can be easily tensioned and adjusted, but the suture tension cannot be optimally controlled and tissue location cannot be precisely adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the sliding parameter of the suture strand by introducing stop members that limit the sliding distance. The suture strand can slide freely within a controlled range defined by the stop members, allowing easy tensioning while preventing excessive sliding that would compromise precision. This parameter control enables both ease of operation and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop members act as intermediary elements between the suture strand and the post. These intermediaries allow the suture to slide for tensioning purposes while simultaneously limiting the sliding distance to maintain precise tissue location control. The stop members mediate between the conflicting requirements of ease of tensioning and precision of positioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a suture anchor allows unlimited sliding of the suture strand, then the suture can be tensioned in any direction, but the tissue location relative to the bone cannot be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the sliding parameter by introducing stop members that define a specific sliding range. This allows the suture to be tensioned flexibly within the controlled range while maintaining precise tissue positioning. The parameter change from unlimited to limited sliding resolves the contradiction between adaptability and precision.
3Measurement precision
If stop members are added to limit suture sliding, then optimal suture tension and precise tissue location control are achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the suture strand into multiple sections by introducing stop members at specific locations. This segmentation allows different portions of the suture to perform different functions: some portions allow sliding for tensioning while other portions are limited by stop members for precise positioning. The segmentation enables precise control without requiring a completely complex device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop members serve multiple functions simultaneously: they limit sliding distance for precision control, maintain suture tension, and define the operational range of the suture strand. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby minimizing device complexity while achieving precise tissue location control.
Data Source
AI summary
Tensionable systems, devices, and methods for tissue repairs. A fixation device has a post and a flexible strand which passes around the post and is provided with one stop member on one side of the post, or with two stop members, one on each side of the post. Stop members allow a flexible strand to slide around the post and become fixed for approximation of tissue to tissue and tensioning.