Method and apparatus for coupling soft tissue to a bone
AssigneeBiomet Sports Medicine, LLC
InventorsRyan A. Kaiser, Gregory J. Denham, Kevin T. Stone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for coupling a soft tissue implant into a locking cavity formed within a bone is disclosed. The apparatus includes a member to pull the soft tissue implant into a femoral tunnel. The member includes a suture having first and second ends which are passed through first and second openings associated with the longitudinal passage to form a pair of loops. Portions of the suture lay parallel to each other within the suture. Application of tension onto the suture construction causes retraction of the soft tissue implant into the femoral tunnel.
Claims19
A method of securing soft tissue to bone, comprising:
- locating an adjustable suture construct in a first bone hole, the adjustable suture construct including a first suture with a first free end that extends longitudinally through a first longitudinal passage in the first suture to form a first self-locking adjustable loop, wherein said locating leaves at least a first part of the first longitudinal passage inside the first bone hole and at least a first segment of the first self-locking adjustable loop outside the first bone hole and extending through soft tissue adjacent the first bone hole, the first segment of the first self-locking adjustable loop including an outside anchor coupled thereto so that the soft tissue is left positioned between the outside anchor and the first bone hole, wherein the outside anchor comprises a deformable tube anchor, and wherein the outside anchor being coupled to the first segment of the first self-locking adjustable loop includes suture material of the first segment extending longitudinally through at least part of a longitudinal bore in the deformable tube anchor;
- moving the outside anchor into a second bone hole after said locating, the second bone hole spaced apart from the first bone hole;
- and
- pulling on the first free end of the first suture from outside the first bone hole so as to reduce a size of the first self-locking adjustable loop.
A method of securing soft tissue to bone, comprising:
- locating an adjustable suture construct in a first bone hole, the adjustable suture construct including a first suture with a first free end that extends longitudinally through a first longitudinal passage in the first suture to form a first self-locking adjustable loop, wherein said locating leaves at least a first part of the first longitudinal passage inside the first bone hole coupled to a first anchor in the first bone hole, and wherein said locating also leaves at least a first segment of the first self-locking adjustable loop outside the first bone hole and extending through soft tissue adjacent the first bone hole;
- and
- coupling the first segment of the first self-locking adjustable loop to an outside anchor outside the first bone hole, wherein said coupling occurs after said locating and leaves the soft tissue positioned between the outside anchor and the first bone hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.