Suture Attachment Clip for Bone Plate Soft Tissue Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing orthopedic bone plates provide limited options for reattaching soft tissues like tendons and ligaments, especially in cases of soft bone or severe fragmentation, where traditional bone anchors are inadequate.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of suture attachment clips that can be attached to bone plates in various configurations, allowing for multiple options for soft tissue repair, including snapping, screwing, and bending, to facilitate the reattachment of soft tissues to bone, and can be used with or without a bone plate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional bone anchors are used for soft tissue reattachment, then the procedure is simple, but they fail in soft or fragmented bone conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the attachment mechanism into separate components: a bone plate with multiple orifices and multiple individual clips that can be independently attached. This segmentation allows the use of different attachment methods (snap-fit, screw, bend-through) for different bone conditions, improving adaptability while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone plate is designed with multiple types of orifices that can accommodate different clip attachment methods (snap-fit, screw, bend-through). This multi-functionality allows the same bone plate structure to adapt to various bone qualities and soft tissue repair needs, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing bone plates with small orifices are used, then the plate structure is simple, but they provide limited options for soft tissue repair
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the bone plate from the soft tissue attachment mechanism by introducing individual clips. The bone plate maintains its simple structure with multiple orifices, while the clips provide the versatile attachment options. This segmentation increases soft tissue repair options without significantly complicating the plate design.
Solution Approach 2:
The clips serve as intermediary elements between the bone plate and soft tissue. They attach to the simple bone plate structure through various orifice types and provide multiple attachment methods, thereby increasing versatility without requiring complex plate design modifications.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple attachment methods are provided for clips, then versatility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate incorporates multiple types of orifices (snap-fit orifices, threaded orifices, and through orifices) that can accommodate different clip attachment methods. This universal design allows the same plate-clip system to provide multiple attachment options without requiring entirely separate systems for each method, thereby improving versatility while controlling complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A suture attachment clip and method for assisting in the attachment or re-attachment of soft tissue to bone. The clip generally comprises a head having a shape suitable for allowing the passage of a suture during attachment of soft tissue to bone. One or more clips can be secured to a bone plate through a variety of means, including a snap configuration, a screw configuration, and a bendable prong configuration. The clip can also be continuous with an adjacent clip, thus forming a multi-clip assembly that can either be secured to a bone plate or secured directly to a bone without a bone plate.