Sutureless Anchor With Expandable Legs For Soft Tissue Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for fixing soft tissue to bone in orthopedic surgery are time-consuming and require complex suture patterns, leading to potential degradation of the repair with subsequent loading and mobilization.
Innovation Solution
A repair device system comprising an anchor member with moveable legs that curl around a capture member, coupled with flexible members to secure soft tissue to a bone anchor, facilitating a more efficient and stable fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional suture methods are used to fix soft tissue to bone, then the repair can provide good initial fixation, but the strength and quality of the repair degrades quickly with subsequent loading and mobilization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the suture material from the fixation system and replaces it with a sutureless anchor member that directly secures soft tissue to bone. The anchor member features legs that expand within a bone hole to provide fixation without requiring sutures, thereby eliminating the degradation issues associated with suture material under loading.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor member serves as an intermediary between the soft tissue and the bone. It includes an body with legs that expand within a bone hole, creating a stable fixation point that directly connects the soft tissue to the bone without the need for sutures, thereby maintaining repair strength over time.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex suture patterns are used for effective soft tissue fixation, then the initial repair quality improves, but the surgical procedure becomes time-consuming and requires specialized surgeons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex suture patterning step from the surgical procedure by using a sutureless anchor member. The anchor member is inserted into a bone hole and its legs expand to secure the soft tissue directly, eliminating the need for time-consuming suture techniques while maintaining effective fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor member is designed to be self-fixating within the bone hole. When inserted, its legs automatically expand and secure themselves without requiring complex manual suture manipulation, thereby simplifying the surgical procedure and reducing the time required while maintaining repair quality.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional bone anchor and suture coupling is used, then soft tissue can be fixed to bone, but the procedure requires specialized surgeons and complex suture patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the suture coupling step from the traditional bone anchor system and replaces it with a sutureless anchor member that directly secures soft tissue to bone. This simplifies the surgical procedure and reduces the need for specialized surgical skills while maintaining effective fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor member is designed to perform the fixation function independently without requiring complex suture manipulation by the surgeon. The legs expand within the bone hole to secure the anchor in place, making the procedure easier to perform and reducing the need for specialized surgical training.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems and/or methods for repairing soft tissue adjacent a soft tissue repair site. In one embodiment, a repair device includes an anchor member, a capture member and one or more flexible members. The anchor member includes a base with at least four legs extending integrally from the base, the at least four legs configured to be moveable from a straight first position to a formed second position. The capture member is configured to be coupled to the anchor member such that the at least four legs of the anchor member move around structural portions of the capture member with the at least four legs of the anchor member in the formed second position. The one or more flexible members are coupled to the base of the anchor member, the one or more flexible members extending at least partially along the base of the anchor member.