Suture Passer System for Tissue Suspension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating obstructive sleep apnea, such as suture-based tongue suspension, face challenges including high infection risk, difficulty in precise suture placement, and the need for knot-tying, which complicates suture tensioning and control.
Innovation Solution
A suture passer system with a proximal handle and an elongate shaft featuring a suture passing element that can swivel up to 90 degrees, allowing for precise suture placement and tensioning without the need for knot-tying, using a second stage element to extend and retract through tissue, and a suspension line with an overmolded segment for improved flexibility and bearing functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If suture-based tongue suspension is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea, then tissue suspension is achieved, but infection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the suture from the oral cavity environment by anchoring it to the hyoid bone and mandible through extra-oral pathways. The suture is passed through tissue planes that avoid the oral cavity, thereby removing the source of infection risk while maintaining the tissue suspension function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary anchoring system consisting of bone anchors or direct bone fixation to the hyoid bone and mandible. This intermediary structure provides stable suspension without requiring long-term foreign body presence in the oral cavity, reducing infection risk while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.
2Ease of operation
If traditional suture placement methods are used, then suture can be passed through tissue, but precise suture placement is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by first identifying and exposing the precise anatomical landmarks (hyoid bone, mandible, specific tissue planes) before passing the suture. The surgical approach is planned and executed in a sequence that ensures precise placement: incision, dissection to landmark, suture passage, then closure, thereby achieving precision that would be impossible with blind suture placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical knot-tying system with an anchoring system that uses bone anchors or direct bone fixation. This substitution eliminates the need for complex knot-tying maneuvers and provides more predictable, precise anchoring through the rigid bone structure, improving placement precision while simplifying the operation.
3Strength
If knot-tying is required for suture tensioning, then suture can be secured, but suture tensioning and control becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the knot-tying operation from the procedure by using bone anchors or direct bone fixation to secure the suture. The anchoring mechanism is embedded in the bone structure, eliminating the need for external knot-tying and simplifying the tensioning process while maintaining secure anchoring strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone anchor system provides self-service anchoring where the anchor itself secures the suture to the bone through its design (screw threads, expansion mechanisms, or interference fit). This self-securing mechanism eliminates the need for additional knot-tying steps and provides consistent, reliable anchoring strength without increasing procedural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Suture passer systems for tissue suspension and tissue compression are described. The system can include a shaft and a needle, wherein the needle is freely rotatable with respect to the shaft. The suture may include an overmolded segment. Methods of placing one or more implants, sutures, fastener, bone anchors and other devices are also described. The methods include moving tissue, including the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle, palatopharyngeal arch, and palatoglossal arch. The methods include hyoid bone suspension.