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US 6,475,230 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for securing a suture
AssigneePeter M. Bonutti
InventorsPeter M. Bonutti, Matthew J. Cremens, Ping Liu
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AssigneePeter M. Bonutti
InventorsPeter M. Bonutti, Matthew J. Cremens, Ping Liu
Estimating the term…
An improved method and apparatus is provided to secure a suture relative to body tissue. When a predetermined minimum force is being transmitted between a suture retainer and the body tissue, the suture is gripped with the suture retainer by plastically deforming material of the suture retainer. One or more bends may be formed in suture by the suture retainer to increase the holding action between the suture retainer and the suture. The bends in the suture may be formed by wrapping the suture around a portion of the suture retainer. During movement of the suture retainer toward the body tissue, the bends may be moved along the suture. One or more bends may be formed in the suture by bending a tubular member through which the suture extends. The tubular member may be maintained in a bent condition by a C-shaped holder member. Alternatively, the tubular member may be maintained in a bent condition by members which are latched together.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of positioning the suture in a linear passage in first member, moving the first member along the suture toward the body tissue, applying force to opposite ends of the first member to grip the suture with the first member by changing the configuration of the passage in the first member from a linear configuration to a nonlinear configuration, and retaining the passage in the first member in a nonlinear configuration by applying force against the first member.
A method of securing a suture relative to 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 tubular member along the suture toward the body tissue with the suture extending through the passage in the tubular member, and, thereafter, gripping the suture with the tubular member by bending the tubular member at a location disposed between the opposite end portions of the tubular member, said step of gripping the suture with the tubular member by bending the tubular member includes forming a bend between a first outer surface area disposed on the outside of the tubular member and a second outer surface area disposed on the outside of the tubular member and moving the first and second outer surface areas on the tubular member into engagement with each other.
A method of securing a suture relative to 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 tubular member along the suture toward the body tissue with the suture extending through the passage in the tubular member, and, thereafter, gripping the suture with the tubular member by bending the tubular member at a location disposed between the opposite end portions of the tubular member, said step of gripping the suture with the tubular member includes moving the opposite end portions of the tubular member into engagement with each other.
An apparatus for use in securing a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular member having a passage through which the suture extends, said tubular member having a bend along which the suture extends, said passage in said tubular member having a reduced cross sectional size at said bend to enable said tubular member to retain the suture against movement along said passage in said tubular member, and a holder which engages a first portion of said tubular member and a second portion of said tubular member, said bend in said tubular member being disposed between said first and second portions of said tubular member, said holder has a generally C-shaped configuration, said tubular member being at least partially disposed in an opening which is formed by said holder, said holder being effective to apply force to said first and second portions of said tubular member to maintain said bend in said tubular member.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of enclosing a portion of the suture with a tubular member having a longitudinal central axis, deforming the tubular member to grip a portion of the suture which is enclosed by the tubular member, said step of deforming the tubular member includes changing the configuration of the longitudinal central axis of the tubular member from a first configuration to a second configuration, and retaining the longitudinal central axis of the tubular member in the second configuration by applying force against the tubular member with at least a second member.
A method of securing a suture relative to 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 tubular member along the suture toward the body tissue with the suture extending through the passage in the tubular member, and, thereafter, bending the tubular member and gripping the suture at a location in the tubular member where a bend is formed in the tubular member, said step of bending the tubular member includes changing a configuration of the passage from a linear configuration to a nonlinear configuration.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member formed of a polymeric material and having a passage which extends between opposite end portions of the tubular member, moving the tubular member along the suture toward the body tissue with the suture extending through the passage in the tubular member, and, thereafter, gripping the suture by decreasing a cross sectional size of a portion of the passage disposed between opposite end portions of the passage while maintaining cross sectional sizes of the opposite end portions of the passage constant.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member formed of a polymeric material and having a passage which extends between opposite end portions of the tubular member, moving the tubular member along the suture toward the body tissue with the suture extending through the passage in the tubular member, and, thereafter, gripping the suture by deforming at least a portion of the polymeric material of the tubular member at a location disposed between opposite end portions of the tubular member without deforming the opposite end portions of the tubular member.
An apparatus for use in securing a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular member having a passage through which the suture extends, said tubular member having a bend along which the suture extends, said passage in said tubular member having a first surface area which presses the suture against a second surface area of said passage at said bend to retain the suture against movement along said passage in said tubular member.
An apparatus for use in securing a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular member having a first linear end portion, a second linear end portion, and bend portion extending between said first and second linear end portions, said first linear end portion of said tubular member having a longitudinal central axis which extends transverse to a longitudinal central axis of said second linear end portion of said tubular member, said tubular member having a passage through which the suture extends, said bend portion of said tubular member being effective to grip the suture to hold the suture against movement relative to said tubular member.
An apparatus for use in securing a suture relative to body tissue, said apparatus comprising a tubular member having a passage which extends through said tubular member which extends between first and second end portions of said tubular member, said passage having a first end portion disposed in said first end portion of said tubular member, said passage having a second end portion disposed in said second end portion of said tubular member, said passage having a gripping portion which is disposed between said first and second end portions of said passage and is disposed in an intermediate portion of said tubular member located between said first and second end portions of said tubular member, said first and second end portions of said passage having the same cross sectional areas, said gripping portion of said passage having a cross sectional area which is less than the cross sectional areas of said first and second end portions of said passage.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a member having a linear passage with linear longitudinal central axis which extends between opposite end portions of the member, bending the member to change the configuration of the passage to a nonlinear configuration and to change the configuration of the longitudinal central axis of the passage to a nonlinear configuration, collapsing at least a portion of the passage by deforming at least a portion of the member, and gripping the suture with surface areas disposed on opposite sides of the passage to retain the suture and member against relative movement.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a tubular member having a passage with a longitudinal central axis, moving the tubular member along the suture with the suture extending through the passage, bending the tubular member to change the configuration of the longitudinal central axis of the tubular member from a first configuration to a second configuration, and gripping the suture with the tubular member at a location in the tubular member where a bend is formed in the tubular member during performance of said step of bending the tubular member.
A method of securing a suture relative to body tissue, said method comprising the steps of enclosing a portion of the suture with a tubular member, forming a bend in the portion of the suture enclosed by the tubular member by deforming the tubular member, and gripping the suture with the tubular member at the location where the bend is formed in the suture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.