# US 11,432,813 B2 · Surgical fixation systems and methods

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,432,813 B2
- Document ID: US11432813B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/655,298
- Filed: 2019-10-17
- Published: 2020-02-13
- Granted: 2022-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-25
- Assignees: Arthrex, Inc.
- Applicants: Arthrex, Inc.
- Inventors: Samuel Bachmaier; Coen Wijdicks; Stefan Krupp; Adrian Wilson; Patrick Smith; Jacob Jolly
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432813B2

## CPC

- A61B 17/0401: {Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors (A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811)}
- A61B 17/8645: {Headless screws, e.g. ligament interference screws}
- A61F 2/0811: {Fixation devices for tendons or ligaments}
- A61B 17/06109: {Big needles, either gripped by hand or connectable to a handle}
- A61B 2017/0404: {Buttons}
- A61F 2002/0852: {Fixation of a loop or U-turn, e.g. eyelets, anchor having multiple holes}
- A61F 2002/0882: {Anchor in or on top of a bone tunnel, i.e. a hole running through the entire bone}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)

## Abstract

A surgical fixation system can include a fixation device, a loop connected to the fixation device, a graft carried by the loop, and a reinforcement material. Surgical fixation systems can be used in various tissue reconstruction procedures, including but not limited to, ACL and PCL reconstructions. The graft and the reinforcement material may be tensioned independently of one another to avoid stress shielding the graft.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A surgical fixation system, comprising:
a button;
a loop passed through a first aperture and a second aperture of the button; and
a reinforcement material passed through the first and second apertures of the button,
wherein the reinforcement material is unattached to the loop and is tensionable separately from the loop,
wherein a first portion of the reinforcement material is received within the first aperture and a second portion of the reinforcement material is received within the second aperture of the button.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, comprising a graft received over a portion of the loop.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the reinforcement material is unattached to the graft and is tensionable separately from the graft.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the graft is looped over a cradle of the loop.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the loop is an adjustable loop that includes at least one adjustable eyesplice.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the adjustable loop includes a first adjustable eyesplice and a second adjustable eyesplice interconnected with the first adjustable eyesplice.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement material includes a suture tape, a biological construct, or a superelastic material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the loop includes a free braid strand that is configured to reduce a size of the loop.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the free braid strand extends through at least one of the first aperture and the second aperture.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, comprising a second button and a second loop passed through a first aperture and a second aperture of the second button, wherein the reinforcement material is passed through the first and second apertures of the second button.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, comprising a passing suture passed through at least one of the first aperture and the second aperture of the button.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement material includes a suture tape and the loop includes a suture strand that is spliced through itself.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, comprising a graft connected to the loop, wherein the graft includes tissue, tendon, ligament, synthetic material, biologic material, bone, or any combination of tissue, tendon, ligament, synthetic material, biologic material and bone.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement material is tensionable separately from the loop when the surgical fixation system is implanted within a bone.

### Claim 15

A surgical fixation system, comprising:
a button;
a loop passed through a first aperture and a second aperture of the button;
a reinforcement material passed through the first and second apertures of the button,
wherein the reinforcement material is unattached to the loop and is tensionable separately from the loop; and
a screw or a suture anchor configured for attaching an end portion of the reinforcement material that is opposite from the portion of the reinforcement material that is passed through the first and second apertures of the button.

### Claim 16

A surgical fixation system, comprising:
a button;
a loop passed through a first aperture and a second aperture of the button;
a reinforcement material passed through the first and second apertures of the button,
wherein the reinforcement material is unattached to the loop and is tensionable separately from the loop;
a passing suture passed through at least one of the first aperture and the second aperture of the button; and
a flipping suture passed through a third aperture of the button.