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AssigneeArthroCare Corporation
InventorsTreg Brown, Nathaniel Cohen, Robert Fernandez, Richard D'Elia, Christopher D'Elia, Annette Branger, Steve Golden, Marnette Atkinson, Stewart Kume
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A tissue repair assembly for attachment of tissue to bone or tissue to tissue having a soft anchoring implant 100 with a length of suture 120 there through for tensioning the implant and facilitating attachment of other tissue. The implant 100 is a soft, flexible, three-dimensional structure that has a resident volume 200. An inserter tube 310 facilitates the placement of the implant 100 into bone or adjacent soft tissue where it may be deployed. Upon deployment, the soft anchoring implant 100 shortens axially and expands radially, achieving a larger diameter than the hole through which it was placed, thus resisting pull out.
1-19. (canceled)
A soft anchor system for tissue repair comprising:
The soft anchor system of claim 1 wherein the insertion instrument comprises a tensioning actuator operatively coupled to the suture, the tensioning actuator configured to tension the suture to a predetermined distance or predetermined force.
The soft anchor system of claim 2 wherein the insertion instrument includes a back stop member engaged with the soft anchor, configured to provide counter traction while actuating the tensioning actuator.
The soft anchor system of claim 1 wherein the insertion instrument includes an outer tube and an inner body disposed within the outer tube, the outer tube and inner body axially slideable relative to each other, the outer tube having a distal open end configured to house the soft anchor therein.
The soft anchor system of claim 4 wherein the suture extends from the soft anchor and through the insertion instrument and couples to a tensioning actuator of the insertion instrument, the tensioning actuator configured to tension the suture to a predetermined distance or predetermined force.
The soft anchor system of claim 5 wherein the inner body is configured to engage a proximal end of the soft anchor and limit proximal movement of the soft anchor during deployment.
The soft anchor system of claim 1 wherein the suture is woven through the soft anchor and around the resident inner space.
The soft anchor system of claim 4 wherein the outer tube includes a sharp distal edge configured to penetrate tissue.
The soft anchor system of claim 1 wherein the soft anchor forms an oval shaped bundle upon deployment.
The soft anchor system of claim 9 wherein the oval shaped bundle bunches up against an instrument body distal end during deployment.
A soft anchor system for installing within a tissue:
The soft anchor system of claim 11 wherein the soft anchor includes braided walls that define a resident inner space and wherein tension on the suture eliminates the resident inner space.
The soft anchor system of claim 11 wherein the inner body is a tube.
The soft anchor system of claim 11 wherein the suture is woven through the soft anchor and around a distal end of the soft anchor.
The soft anchor system of claim 11 wherein the outer tube includes a sharp distal edge configured to penetrate tissue.
The soft anchor system of claim 11 wherein the soft anchor forms an oval shaped bundle when installed within the tissue.
A method of deploying a soft anchor into a tissue;
The method of claim 17 wherein positioning a distal end of the outer tube comprises positioning a distal edge surface of the outer tube adjacent a bottom of a preformed cavity within the tissue.
The method of claim 17 wherein positioning a distal end of the outer tube comprises piercing the tissue with a distal edge surface of the outer tube to form a cavity to receive the soft anchor therein.
The method of claim 17 further comprising operatively coupling a repair tissue to the soft anchor.
The method of claim 17 wherein tensioning the suture gathers the soft anchor, longitudinally shortening and radially expanding the soft anchor to form an ovoid shaped bundle.
The method of claim 17 wherein tensioning comprises actuating a tensioning actuator of the insertion instrument, the actuator comprising tension limiting means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.