Tissue Protector Suture Construct With Foam Cushion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical sutures often lead to suture tear through due to insufficient contact area with tissue, hindering the healing process and increasing the likelihood of suture slippage.
Innovation Solution
A flexible suture construct with an integrated suture cushion that amplifies the body's healing response, providing a cushioned interface between the suture and tissue, reducing suture slippage and tear by expanding the contact footprint and incorporating materials with therapeutic properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional suture is used for tissue fixation, then the suture can perform basic stitching function, but the contact area with tissue is insufficient leading to suture tear through and slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The suture construct transitions from a linear one-dimensional structure to a three-dimensional configuration by incorporating a foam cushion component. This dimensional expansion creates a broader contact footprint with the tissue, distributing forces over a larger area and preventing suture tear through while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines two distinct materials with complementary properties: a high-strength suture material for anchoring and a foam cushion material for tissue protection and force distribution. This composite construction allows the suture to maintain its primary fixation function while the foam component addresses the contact area deficiency, eliminating suture slippage and tear.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the suture contact area with tissue is increased to prevent tear through, then tissue protection improves, but the suture construct complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suture and foam cushion are integrated into a single unified construct where the foam is attached directly to the suture. This merging eliminates the need for separate application steps and simplifies the surgical procedure, while the foam's geometric design provides the necessary contact area expansion to prevent tissue tear through.
3Reliability
If a cushion is added to expand the footprint, then suture slippage is reduced, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foam cushion is designed with a flexible, conformable structure that can adapt to various tissue surfaces. This flexibility allows the cushion to maintain intimate contact with the tissue, maximizing friction and resistance to suture slippage, while the simple geometric forms facilitate straightforward manufacturing processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
A suture construct for fixation of soft tissue to bone (or of soft tissue to soft tissue) formed of a flexible material (for example, a suture strand, a braid, a suture tape, a stuffed suture, or a combination thereof) with a portion having an expanded footprint to provide a cushion or tissue protector between the flexible strand (suture) and the tissue to be attached. The suture and cushion may be manufactured from materials that have properties to amplify the body's healing response. The cushion may have any shape and geometry that provides cushioning action between the suture and the tissue to be fixated. The cushion may be provided along the length of the flexible strand (i.e., the flexible strand may be provided with a cushion) or the flexible strand may extend from the cushion.