Threadable knot soft tissue defect repair system

A soft tissue defect repair system comprising:

• a longitudinally extending guide tube having a channel extending therethrough;
• a boom arm extending from the guide tube, the boom arm having a boom arm housing that is spaced from the guide tube, wherein a tissue-receiving gap is disposed between the boom arm housing and the guide tube;
• a needle reciprocally translatable within the channel of the guide tube between an advanced position in which a distal end of the needle extends into the boom arm housing, and a retracted position in which the distal end of the needle is retracted from the boom arm housing;
• a shuttling element configured to detachably couple to the needle, and to the boom arm housing;
• and
• a strand of suture having a free end and a pre-tied knot, wherein the pre-tied knot is tied about a target knot location defined by the guide tube, and the free end is attached to the shuttling element.

A method for repairing soft tissue, the method comprising:

• advancing a needle having a shuttling element detachably coupled thereto from a guide tube, through soft tissue, and toward a boom arm housing, wherein the shuttling element has a free end of a suture strand attached thereto, and the suture stand has a pre-tied knot that is tied about a target knot location of the guide tube;
• detachably coupling the shuttling element to the boom arm housing;
• retracting the needle from the boom arm housing while the shuttling element remains attached to the boom arm housing;
• advancing the needle back towards the boom arm housing;
• re-coupling the shuttling element to the needle;
• retracting the needle back toward the guide tube while the shuttling element is coupled to the needle;
• and
• sliding the pre-tied knot of the suture strand off a distal end of the guide tube.

A method for repairing soft tissue, the method comprising:

• advancing a rod through a piece of tissue by puncturing the tissue with a distal end of the rod, the rod defining a target knot location about which a knot of a suture strand is tied, the rod having a channel extending therethrough;
• capturing a free end of the suture strand with the distal end of a suture capturing device, the suture capturing device being disposed within the channel of the rod;
• pulling the suture capturing device along with the captured free end of the suture strand proximally through the channel of the rod;
• and
• pushing the knot distally off of the rod.

A method for repairing soft tissue, the method comprising:

• forming a trans-osseous tunnel through a bony element proximate to a defect;
• passing a free end of a suture strand through the tunnel;
• passing the free end of the suture stand through soft tissue;
• passing the free end of the suture strand through a pre-tied knot of the suture strand;
• and
• sliding the pre-tied knot adjacent the defect.

A soft tissue defect repair system comprising:

• a rod having a channel extending therethrough;
• a strand of suture having a pre-tied knot tied about a target knot location of the rod;
• and
• a plug having a bore, wherein (i) the rod extends at least partially through the bore of the plug such that the plug is positioned proximate to the target knot location of the rod, and (ii) both the pre-tied knot and the plug are configured to slide off a distal end of the rod.

A kit comprising:

• a suture finishing device including:
• a rod defining opposing proximal and distal ends, the rod defining a target knot location about which a knot of a suture is tied, the rod having a channel extending therethrough;
• a suture retrieving device housed interior to and translatable within the channel of the rod, wherein (i) the suture retrieving device includes a distal end configured to capture a free end of the suture, and (ii) the suture retrieving device is configured to pass the free end of the suture through the channel of the rod from a distal end of the rod and out through a proximal end of the rod subsequent to the free end being passed through soft tissue adjacent the defect;
• and
• a knot pusher coupleable to the rod, the knot pusher configured to slide the knot distally off of the rod toward the defect, and
• a suture passing device including:
• a body member defining a needle receiving channel;
• a boom arm extending from the body member, the boom arm having a boom arm housing that is spaced from the body member, wherein a tissue-receiving gap is disposed between the boom arm housing and the body member;
• a needle reciprocally translatable within the channel of the body member between an advanced position in which a distal end of the needle extends into the boom arm housing, and a retracted position in which the distal end of the needle is retracted from the boom arm housing;
• and
• a shuttling element configured to detachably couple to the needle, and to the boom arm housing, wherein the free end of the suture strand capable of being attached to the shuttling element.