Whip-Stitching Soft Tissue Using Inverted Loop Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional whip-stitching techniques for ligament reconstruction, such as ACL and biceps tenodesis procedures, are time-consuming and difficult due to the need to pass the tissue through a suture loop, which complicates the surgical procedure.
Innovation Solution
A method of whip-stitching soft tissue using a needle and looped suture where the tissue does not extend through the suture loop, allowing the needle to be secured without moving relative to the loop, enabling faster and simplified stitching by forming stitches around the graft without passing it through the loop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional whip-stitching is performed by passing tissue through a suture loop, then the suture can be securely affixed to the graft, but the surgical procedure becomes time-consuming and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of passing the tissue through the suture loop as in traditional whip-stitching, the invention inverts the sequence by first passing the needle and suture loop through the tissue, then forming the loop around the tissue. This reversal eliminates the time-consuming step of passing clamped tissue through a loop while maintaining secure suture attachment
2Reliability
If traditional whip-stitching is performed by passing tissue through a suture loop, then the suture can be securely affixed to the graft, but the surgical procedure becomes difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention simplifies the surgical procedure by inverting the traditional approach: rather than attempting to pass clamped tissue through a pre-formed suture loop (which requires coordination and precision), the needle with attached suture loop is simply passed through the tissue and the loop is then formed around it. This inversion dramatically reduces procedural difficulty while maintaining secure attachment
3Ease of manufacture
If the tissue clamp is passed through the suture loop to place tissue through the loop, then the traditional whip-stitch can be completed, but the procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary step of passing the tissue clamp through the suture loop. By inverting the procedure to first pass the needle-suture construct through the tissue and then form the loop around it, the method removes the time-consuming clamp-passing maneuver entirely, thereby improving surgical efficiency without compromising the ability to complete the whip-stitch
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for whip-stitching soft tissue with a needle and a looped suture avoid placing the tissue graft through the suture loop, which also eliminates the need for passing a tissue clamp through the suture loop. The methods described herein can also include combinations of the techniques described.