Self-Penetrating Tissue Anchor with Balanced Surface Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suture anchors require larger tissue openings for insertion due to the need for outer guides or needles, causing unnecessary trauma and instability in the tissue.
Innovation Solution
A self-penetrating tissue anchor with a tapered distal end and balanced proximal portion, allowing for smaller tissue penetration and enhanced stabilization through equal projected surface areas, which reduces the need for larger tissue openings and minimizes trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional suture anchor is inserted using a hollow outer needle or tubular guide member, then the anchor can be introduced into tissue, but the tissue opening must be larger than the outer dimensions of the anchor, causing unnecessary trauma and instability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the outer needle or tubular guide member from the insertion system, allowing the anchor to be self-contained and penetrate tissue directly without requiring a larger external guide structure. This extraction eliminates the need for oversized tissue openings while maintaining insertion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a large outer guide to deliver a smaller anchor (conventional approach), the invention inverts the approach by making the anchor itself the penetrating element with a tapered distal end that creates its own pathway. The anchor's outer dimensions become the defining factor for the tissue opening rather than an outer guide's dimensions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the anchor body has unequal projected surface areas on either side of the center point, then the anchor can be inserted, but the anchor lacks stability and may be accidentally pulled out due to unbalanced force distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry in a controlled manner by creating unequal lengths of the anchor body segments (first portion distal of center point and second portion proximal of center point) while maintaining equal projected surface areas. This asymmetric length configuration with symmetric area distribution optimizes both insertion mechanics and stability, preventing accidental pull-out through balanced force distribution.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a tapered portion with a tissue penetrating tip is provided on the anchor, then the anchor can penetrate tissue with minimal trauma, but the anchor requires a specific geometric configuration that complicates manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing the tapered portion with a tissue-penetrating tip only at the distal end of the anchor, while the rest of the anchor body maintains a simpler cylindrical or polygonal cross-section. This localized geometric modification enables minimal-trauma insertion without requiring complex geometry throughout the entire anchor structure, thus balancing manufacturing ease with tissue protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A tissue anchor comprising a body having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end with one set of dimensions and a projected surface area, a distal end with a second set of dimensions and a projected surface area where the respective dimensions of the first and second ends are not identical and the projected areas are substantially the same. The tissue anchor may further have a fixing member to attach the anchor and one or more tissues together or to attach the other structures to tissue.