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US 5,948,002 AGranted
Apparatus and method for use in positioning a suture anchor
OwnerPeter M. Bonuttiinventor
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OwnerPeter M. Bonuttiinventor
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor includes a tubular outer member and an inner or pusher member. During assembly of the apparatus, a suture is positioned in a slot in the outer member. During use of the apparatus, the slot facilitates visualization of the position of the suture anchor relative to body tissue. In addition, the slot facilitates separation of the apparatus from the suture after the suture anchor has been positioned in the body tissue. A suture anchor retainer may be provided at one end of the tubular outer member to grip the suture anchor and hold the suture anchor in place during assembly. The suture anchor retainer also holds the suture anchor during movement of the apparatus from an assembly location to an operating room or other location where the apparatus is to be used. Indicia may be provided on the inner member to indicate the position of the suture anchor relative to body tissue. The tubular outer member may be utilized to guide a drill during formation of an opening in body tissue and may be subsequently utilized to guide movement of a suture anchor into the opening in the body tissue.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor relative to body tissue with an elongated flexible portion of the suture connected to the suture anchor, said apparatus comprising a tubular member having a passage which extends between a first opening at a first end portion of said tubular member and a second opening at a second end portion of said tubular member, and a second member at least partially disposed in the passage in said tubular member, said tubular member and said second member being movable relative to each other to separate the suture anchor from said tubular and second members, at least one of said tubular and second members having a leading end portion which is engageable with a trailing end portion of the suture anchor to apply force to the trailing end portion of the suture anchor during relative movement between said tubular member and said second member and separation of the trailing end portion of the suture anchor from said tubular and second members, said tubular member having a slot which extends between the first opening in the first end portion of said tubular member and the second opening in the second end portion of said tubular member and which receives the elongated flexible portion of the suture with the elongated flexible portion of the suture extending along the slot and through the opposite ends of the slot during at least a portion of the relative movement between the tubular and inner members.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor relative to body tissue with a suture extending from a passage in the suture anchor, said apparatus comprising a tubular member, an inner member at least partially disposed in a passage in said tubular member, said tubular member and said inner member being movable relative to each other to separate at least a trailing end portion of the suture anchor from at least one of said tubular and inner members, and positioner means connected with said one of said inner and tubular members for engaging an end of the passage in the suture anchor to position the suture anchor relative to said one of said inner and tubular members while the suture is disposed in the passage in the suture anchor to hold the suture anchor against movement relative to said one of said inner and tubular members under the influence of force applied to the end of the passage in the suture anchor by said positioner means.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular outer member having a passage which extends between first and second end portions of said tubular outer member, said passage having an entrance in the first end portion of said tubular outer member and an exit in the second end portion of said tubular outer member, said tubular outer member having a slot which extends between an outer side surface on said tubular outer member and an inner side surface which at least partially defines the passage in said tubular outer member, said slot extends between the entrance to the passage in the first end portion of said tubular outer member and the exit from the passage in the second end portion of said tubular outer member, said slot receives a portion of the suture which extends from the slot at an end of the slot adjacent to the entrance to the passage in the first end portion of said tubular outer member, and an inner member at least partially disposed in the passage in said tubular outer member, said tubular outer member and said inner member being axially movable relative to each other while a portion of the suture is disposed in the slot, one of said tubular outer member and said inner member having a pusher surface which is engageable with a trailing end portion of the suture anchor to apply force against the trailing end portion of the suture anchor upon relative movement between said tubular outer member and said inner member with a portion of the suture disposed in the slot and extending from the end of the slot adjacent to the entrance to the passage in the first end portion of said tubular outer member.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a manually engageable handle, a shaft connected with and extending outward from said handle, said shaft includes a tubular outer member having a central passage, said tubular outer member having a slot which extends between axially opposite end portions of said tubular outer member and is axially aligned with a passage in said handle to enable the suture to extend from the suture anchor through the slot in said tubular outer member and through the passage in said handle during positioning of the suture anchor relative to body tissue, and an inner member at least partially disposed in the passage in said tubular outer member, one of said tubular outer member and said inner member being movable relative to the other of said tubular outer member and said inner member to move the suture anchor and suture relative to the handle with the suture extending through the slot in said tubular outer member and through the passage in said handle.
An apparatus comprising a suture anchor having a recess, a tubular outer member having a passage in which at least a trailing end portion of said suture anchor is received, an anchor positioner connected with said tubular outer member, said anchor positioner being engageable with the recess in said suture anchor to position said suture anchor relative to said tubular outer member with the trailing end portion of said suture anchor in the passage in said tubular outer member, and an inner member disposed in the passage in said tubular outer member, said inner member and said tubular outer member being movable relative to each other to disengage said anchor positioner from the recess in said suture anchor and to separate the trailing end portion of said suture anchor from the passage in said tubular outer member during positioning of said suture anchor in body tissue.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular outer member having a passage in which at least a trailing end portion of the suture anchor is received, said passage extends from an opening at one end portion of said tubular outer member toward another end portion of said tubular outer member, and an inner member at least partially disposed in the passage in said tubular outer member, said tubular outer member and said inner member being movable relative to each other to separate the trailing end portion of the suture anchor from the passage in said tubular outer member, at least a portion of said one end portion of said tubular outer member being resiliently deflectable from a first condition to a second condition under the influence of force applied against said one end portion of said tubular outer member by the suture anchor, said one end portion of said tubular outer member being effective to apply force against the suture anchor to retain the trailing end portion of the suture anchor in the passage in said tubular outer member when said tubular outer member is in the second condition, said inner member and said tubular outer member being movable relative to each other to separate the trailing end portion of the suture anchor from the passage in said tubular outer member.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a handle, a shaft connected with and extending outward from said handle, said shaft includes an outer member having a passage which extends between opposite end portions of said outer member and an inner member which is at least partially disposed in the passage in said outer member, and retainer means connected with a first one of said inner and outer members for engaging the suture anchor to hold the suture anchor against movement relative to the first one of said inner and outer members, said retainer means being ineffective to hold the suture anchor against movement relative to the first one of said inner and outer members under the influence of force applied against the suture anchor by a second one of said inner and outer members.
An apparatus for use in positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular member having first and second end portions and a passage which extends between a first opening in the first end portion of said tubular member and a second opening in the second end portion of said tubular member, said tubular member including a slot which extends between the first and second openings in the first and second end portions of said tubular member to provide access to the passage in said tubular member throughout the length of said tubular member so that the suture anchor can move through the first opening in the first end portion of said tubular member, along the passage through the tubular member, and through the second opening in the second end portion of said tubular member with the suture extending into the slot in said tubular member, a handle having a first end portion connected with said tubular member at a location between the first and second openings in the first and second end portions of said tubular member, said handle having a second end portion which is offset to one side of said tubular member, said handle having a longitudinal central axis which extends through said first and second end portions of said handle in a direction transverse to a longitudinal central axis of said tubular member and to a longitudinal central axis of the slot in said tubular member, and pusher means for pushing the suture anchor along at least a portion of the passage in said tubular member with the suture extending into the slot in said tubular member, said pusher means includes a pusher member which is movable along the passage in said tubular member and has a leading end portion which applies force against a trailing end portion of the suture anchor to move the trailing end portion of the suture anchor through the second opening in the second end portion of said tubular member.
A method of positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of guiding movement of a drill relative to the body tissue by moving the drill along a passage in a tubular member during formation of an opening in the body tissue with the drill, removing the drill from the body tissue and the tubular member, inserting the suture anchor into the passage in the tubular member with the suture connected with the suture anchor, and moving the suture anchor along the passage in the tubular member into the opening in the body tissue.
A method of positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprises the steps of moving the suture anchor through an opening in a first end portion of a tubular member into a passage in the tubular member with the suture extending from the suture anchor into a slot in the tubular member at a location adjacent to the suture anchor, moving the suture anchor and the location where the suture extends from the suture anchor into the slot in the tubular member along the tubular member toward the second end portion of the tubular member, and moving the suture anchor from the passage in the tubular member into body tissue with the suture extending through opposite ends of the slot as the suture anchor moves into the body tissue.
A method of positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage which extends between openings in first and second end portions of the tubular member, moving the suture anchor through the opening in the first end portion of the tubular member into the passage in the tubular member, moving at least a leading end portion of a first pusher member through the opening in the first end portion of the tubular member into the passage in the tubular member, moving the suture anchor along the passage in the tubular member to a predetermined position relative to the tubular member by applying force against a trailing end portion of the suture anchor with the leading end portion of the first pusher member, moving the first pusher member out of the passage in the tubular member, moving at least a leading end portion of a second pusher member through the opening in the first end portion of the tubular member while the suture anchor is in the predetermined position relative to the tubular member, and moving at least the trailing end portion of the suture anchor from the passage in the tubular member into body tissue by applying force against the trailing end portion of the suture anchor with the leading end portion of the second pusher member.
A method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage which extends between first and second end portions of the tubular member, moving a suture anchor and at least a portion of a suture along the passage in the tubular member in a direction away from the first end portion of the tubular member, resiliently deflecting at least a portion of the second end portion of the tubular member under the influence of force transmitted from the suture anchor to the second end portion of the tubular member, and retaining the suture anchor against movement relative to the second end portion of the tubular member under the influence of force transmitted from the resiliently deflected portion of the second end portion of the tubular member to the suture anchor.
A method of positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture for engagement with body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage which extends between opposite end portions of the tubular member, moving the suture anchor to a predetermined position in which a first end portion of the suture anchor is disposed in the passage in the tubular member and a second end portion of the suture anchor extends outward from one end portion of the tubular member, and gripping the suture anchor with the one end portion of the tubular member to retain the suture anchor in the predetermined position.
A method of positioning a suture anchor connected with a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage which extends between openings in first and second end portions of the tubular member, moving the suture anchor into the passage in the tubular member through the opening in the first end portion of the tubular member, moving at least a leading end portion of a pusher member into the passage in the tubular member through the opening in the first end portion of the tubular member, moving the pusher member and the suture anchor along the passage in the tubular member toward the second end portion of the tubular member, interrupting movement of the pusher member along the passage in the tubular member by engaging a surface connected with the tubular member with a stop surface connected with the pusher member, thereafter, rotating the pusher member about a longitudinal central axis of the passage in the tubular member to move the stop surface into alignment with an index opening, moving the pusher member further along the passage in the tubular member in a direction toward the second end portion of the tubular member, moving the stop surface into the index opening as the pusher member moves further along the passage in the tubular member, and moving at least a trailing end portion of the suture anchor out of the passage in the tubular member into body tissue as the stop surface on the pusher member moves into the index opening.
A method of positioning a suture anchor having a passage through which a suture extends, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage, moving at least a portion of the suture anchor into the passage in the tubular member, and retaining the suture anchor against movement relative to the passage in the tubular member by engaging an end portion of the passage in the suture anchor through which the suture extends with a surface connected with the tubular member.
A method of positioning a suture anchor for engagement with body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage, moving the suture anchor into a portion of the passage in an end portion of the tubular member, expanding the end portion of the tubular member under the influence of force transmitted from the suture anchor to the end portion of the tubular member as the suture anchor moves into the portion of the passage disposed in the end portion of the tubular member, and, thereafter, holding the suture anchor against movement relative to the tubular member under the influence of force transmitted from the end portion of the tubular member to the suture anchor.
A method of positioning a suture anchor for engagement with body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a member having a passage which tapers from a first portion having a first cross sectional area in a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the passage to a second portion having a second cross sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the passage, the second cross sectional area being smaller than the first cross sectional area, moving the suture anchor into the second portion of the passage and increasing the cross sectional area of the second portion of the passage from the second cross sectional area to a cross sectional area which is greater than the second cross sectional area during performance of said step of moving the suture anchor into the second portion of the passage.
A method of positioning a suture anchor for engagement with body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage which has a first end portion disposed in a first end portion of the tubular member and a second end portion disposed in a second end portion of the tubular member, moving a suture anchor into the first end portion of the passage in the tubular member through an opening in the first end portion of the tubular member, applying force against a trailing end portion of the suture anchor with a pusher member to move the suture anchor along the passage in the tubular member, and expanding the second end portion of the passage under the influence of force transmitted from the pusher member through a leading end portion of the suture anchor to the second end portion of the tubular member during movement of the suture anchor along the passage in the tubular member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.