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US 8,465,522 B2Granted
Self-reinforcing tissue fixation
AssigneeArthrex, Inc.
InventorStephen S. Burkhart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Self-reinforcing mechanical systems with application to biological fixation of a first tissue (for example, soft tissue) to a second tissue (for example, bone). As a repair construct is stressed, there is a feedback mechanism (self-reinforcing) against failure that is initially triggered by early failure. The construct “detects” its early/impending failure and utilizes the potentially destructive force to reinforce itself.
Claims9
A method of reinforcing soft tissue fixation to bone, comprising the steps of:
- forming a soft tissue fixation construct comprising a flexible strand passing over a soft tissue to be fixated by threading one end of a flexible strand through an eyelet of a first fixation device located at a distal end of the first fixation device, subsequently attaching the one end of the flexible strand in a bone and not under the soft tissue using at least the first fixation device, subsequently passing the flexible strand over the soft tissue and the bone, and then attaching the other end of the flexible strand in the bone and under the soft tissue using at least a second fixation device, resulting in three rectilinear fixation forces, from the distal end of the first fixation device, vertically up to the soft tissue, laterally across the soft tissue, and vertically down to the second fixation device;
- and
- loading the fixation construct under a lateral tensile force along three linear portions of the flexible strand by pulling the soft tissue laterally, the lateral tensile force being translated by the fixation construct into a force normal to the soft tissue, resulting in a wedge effect of fixation forces, on the tissue from the distal end of the first fixation device, up at an angle to vertical to the tissue, laterally across the tissue with a force normal to the tissue in a downward direction, and down at an angle to the second fixation device, thereby self-reinforcing the fixation construct by increasing the normal force to the soft tissue and increasing, therefore, the frictional resistance to failure.
A method of reinforcing soft tissue fixation to bone, comprising the steps of:
- providing a suture chain comprising a plurality of suture loops formed of interlaced or knotted suture;
- providing a first fixation device pre-loaded with the suture chain by threading one end of the suture chain through an eyelet of the first fixation device, the eyelet being located at a distal end of the first fixation device;
- securing the first fixation device pre-loaded with the suture chain in bone and not under soft tissue to be fixated;
- subsequently, passing the suture chain over the soft tissue to be fixated to form a suture construct, and then attaching the other end of the suture chain in the bone and under the soft tissue using at least a second fixation device, resulting in three rectilinear fixation forces, from the distal end of the first fixation device, vertically up to the soft tissue, laterally across the soft tissue, and vertically down to the second fixation device;
- and
- loading the suture construct under a lateral tensile force along three linear portions of the flexible strand by pulling the soft tissue laterally, the lateral tensile force being translated by the suture construct into a force normal to the soft tissue, resulting in a wedge effect of fixation forces, on the tissue from the distal end of the first fixation device, up at an angle to vertical to the tissue, laterally across the tissue with a force normal to the tissue in a downward direction, and down at an angle to the second fixation device, thereby self-reinforcing the suture construct by increasing the normal force to the soft tissue and increasing, therefore, the frictional resistance to failure.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.