Suture Fixation Button for Low-Trauma Wound Closure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixation devices for linear elements, such as surgical sutures, often cause tissue trauma and scarring due to their design, and are cumbersome to use, leading to inefficient workflow and discomfort during removal.
Innovation Solution
A bi-directional fixation device with a first and second contact component and fixation component, allowing for secure attachment of linear elements to a workpiece with a flat surface, facilitating easy deployment and removal without increasing tension, and featuring deformable materials and adhesives for securement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional suture methods are used to close skin wounds, then the wound can be closed, but the tissues are not ideally everted for optimal healing and the suture strand causes trauma and scarring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a button-like intermediary device that interfaces between the suture and the skin tissue. This button distributes the suture tension across a broader skin surface area rather than concentrating it at a single puncture point, thereby reducing tissue trauma and scarring while maintaining effective wound closure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional linear suture penetration through tissue to a dimensional approach where the button sits on the skin surface and distributes forces across a two-dimensional area. This dimensional change allows the suture to secure the wound without directly traumatizing the tissue along its path
2Object-affected harmful factors
If surgical buttons are used to eliminate the suture loop and prevent scarring, then horizontal scarring is eliminated, but the devices are cumbersome to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the suture attachment function and the tissue securing function into a single integrated button device. The button combines the features of a suture anchor and a tissue approximator, allowing both functions to be achieved through one simple placement action rather than multiple separate steps
Solution Approach 2:
The button device is designed to be self-securing through its geometric features that allow it to lock onto the suture and engage the tissue simultaneously upon placement. The device performs its own fixation function without requiring additional tools or complex manipulation by the operator
3Strength
If fixation devices provide strong fixation to the linear element, then the linear element is securely held, but the device becomes difficult to remove without increasing tension on the linear element
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device employs dynamic geometric features that allow it to transition between a locked state during use and an unlocked state during removal. The deformation features enable the device to adapt its configuration, providing strong fixation when engaged but allowing easy release when needed, without increasing tension on the linear element
Data Source
AI summary
A fixation device for securing a linear element to a workpiece includes a contact component and a fixation component. The contact component typically includes (i) a first contact surface for application to a workpiece and (ii) a first opening for receiving a linear element. The fixation component typically secures a portion of the linear element on a side of the first contact component opposite the first contact surface. The fixation component engages the contact component to prevent passage of the linear element's secured portion through the workpiece when a tension is applied to the linear element in a direction opposite the contact surface.