Anchor insertion system and method of use thereof

• US 10,499,904 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: Bourque, Bernard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulsh, George J
• Application Number:
  US15/551,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20180028169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3468 for implanting or removing devices, e.g. prostheses, implants, seeds, wires devices for implanting seeds A61M37/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00367 Details of actuation of instruments, e.g. relations between pushing buttons, or the like, and activation of the tool, working tip, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0464 for soft tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/034 abutting on parts of the device itself

Abstract

An arthroscopic anchor insertion tool and method for inserting consecutive, longitudinally aligned anchors from a common deployment channel of a cannulated needle by employing positive stops to prevent travel of an actuator from simultaneously advancing multiple anchors into a surgical site.

Claims

1. An anchor insertion system comprising:

a needle, the needle having a proximal end, a distal end, and a hollow shaft extending between the proximal and distal ends, the proximal end of the needle comprising a handle, the distal end of the needle comprising a needle tip assembly for housing at least two anchors;

an actuator assembly for deploying at least one of the at least two anchors from the needle tip assembly, at least a portion of the actuator assembly slidably disposed within the needle;

a cylindrical disk rotatably attached to the actuator assembly, a surface of the cylindrical disk comprising a hole for receiving a guide pin;

a sleeve disposed around the cylindrical disk, a portion of a surface of the sleeve defining an angled slot therethrough;

wherein the guide pin is configured to engage the angled slot; and

wherein the angled slot defines first and second stops for preventing the actuator assembly from simultaneously deploying the at least two anchors into a surgical site.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a deployment knob at least partially in contact with the cylindrical disk for advancing the actuator assembly.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two anchors are longitudinally aligned within a channel of the needle tip assembly.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a spring for joining the handle to the cylindrical disk.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein rotation of the handle gives the spring a torsional and/or compressional load sufficient to activate the actuator assembly.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical disk is configured to rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise 360 degrees.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two anchors are in an undeployed position when the guide pin is located at a proximal end of the angled slot.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first stop in the angled slot corresponds to an insertion depth of the actuator assembly for deploying a first one of the at least two anchors.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second stop in the angled slot corresponds to an insertion depth of the actuator assembly for deploying a second one of the at least two anchors.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second stop is distal to the first stop along the surface of the sleeve.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the needle tip assembly comprises a pointed distal end for piercing tissue.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a proximal handle portion and a distal handle portion, an outer diameter of the distal handle portion selected to be larger than an outer diameter of the proximal handle portion.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein an inner diameter of the sleeve is selected to slide over the proximal handle portion.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, when the sleeve is slid over the proximal handle portion, the sleeve and the proximal handle portion are locked into place.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein an outer diameter of the sleeve is selected to match the outer diameter of the distal handle portion.