Suture Button Applicator with Asymmetric Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suture/button constructs face difficulties in pushing buttons and attached sutures through drilled holes, especially in small joint surgeries, and require manual tension to secure buttons, leading to challenges in proper positioning and rotation during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
An applicator/inserter system with complementary angled faces and threaded mechanisms allows secure engagement and controlled deployment of buttons through drilled holes, eliminating the need for manual tension and preventing rotation during attachment and detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a needle is used to pull the button and suture through the passage or tunnel, then the button can be inserted through the drilled hole, but it becomes difficult to pull the needle through in certain circumstances such as hallux valgus correction and lisfranc ligament repair
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of pulling the button through the tunnel from the far side using a needle, the invention pushes the button from the near side through the tunnel using a pushing instrument. This inversion of the insertion method eliminates the difficulty of pulling needles through tight or curved passages while maintaining reliable button delivery to the target location.
Solution Approach 2:
The pushing instrument serves as an intermediary device that transfers force from the surgeon's hand to the button, enabling controlled advancement through the tunnel without requiring the needle to be pulled through difficult passages. The instrument acts as a mechanical mediator that overcomes the limitations of direct needle manipulation.
2Ease of operation
If the button is secured to the instrument with suture, then the button can be pushed through the drilled hole, but the button may rotate during attachment and detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The button features an asymmetric recess with a non-circular cross-section that complements the corresponding asymmetric protrusion on the pushing instrument. This asymmetric geometry prevents rotational movement during attachment and detachment, ensuring precise button positioning while maintaining ease of operation. The asymmetric design creates a unique fit that eliminates unwanted rotation.
3Strength
If the shaft diameter is about equal to the button cavity diameter to allow tight fit, then the button can be securely engaged, but the button positioning becomes difficult when pulled through with suture and needle
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the insertion approach by pushing the button from the near side rather than pulling from the far side. This allows the tight-fitting shaft to effectively engage and position the button during pushing, while the pushing motion itself facilitates easy positioning without the complications of needle pulling through tight configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for joint repair employing a suture/button construct and an applicator designed to securely engage a button of the suture/button construct. The button of the suture/button construct securely engages two shafts of the applicator (i.e., an angled, non-vertical flat face of the outer shaft and a threaded region of the inner shaft). Engagement to and disengagement from the applicator is conducted without rotation of the button. The applicator with the secured button is introduced into the tissue (for example, soft tissue or a bone tunnel) and the button is passed through the tissue.