Soft tissue repair assembly and associated method

• US 10,702,259 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biomet Sports Medicine LLC (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biomet Sports Medicine LLC (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stone, Kevin T., Walters, Troy M., Holst, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Dornbusch, Dianne
• Application Number:
  US15/361,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20170071595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 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 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0482 Needle or suture guides guides for drills, pins or wire A61B17/17; for puncturing needles A61B17/3403
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0404 Buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0475 using sutures having a slip knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06052 Needle-suture combinations in which a suture is extending inside a hollow tubular needle, e.g. over the entire length of the needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0646 for insertion into cartillege, e.g. meniscus

Abstract

A soft tissue repair assembly. The assembly includes a flexible member having first and second ends, and a strand passing through the flexible member. The strand has first and second strand ends extending through the flexible member, such that pulling at least one of the first and second strand ends changes the flexible member from a first shape suitable for insertion through soft tissue to a second shape suitable for securely lodging the soft tissue repair assembly relative to soft tissue.

Claims

1. A method for repairing soft tissue, comprising:

inserting a flexible elongated member through a tissue opening in a first shape, wherein a flexible strand coupled to the flexible elongated member extends back through the tissue opening to position a first free end of the flexible strand outside the tissue opening with a repair-promoting conduit coupled to the flexible strand situated between the flexible elongated member and the first free end of the flexible strand, wherein the repair-promoting conduit includes a first end, a second end, and an elongated exterior side wall that extends between the first end and the second end, and wherein the repair-promoting conduit being coupled to the flexible strand includes the flexible strand passing through a first opening in the first end of the repair-promoting conduit and additionally passing through an exterior side wall opening that is formed in the elongated exterior side wall of the repair-promoting conduit; and

pulling on the first free end of the flexible strand to convert the flexible elongated member from the first shape to a second shape that is bulkier than the first shape for opposing back-out of the flexible elongated member from the tissue opening for securely lodging the flexible elongated member relative to a soft tissue adjacent the tissue opening.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible elongated member is tubular.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible elongated member retains the second shape after said pulling.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the repair-promoting conduit is left in contact with the soft tissue for promoting biological flow through the repair-promoting conduit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the soft tissue is muscle.

6. A method for repairing soft tissue, comprising:

inserting a flexible elongated member through a tissue opening in a first shape, wherein a flexible strand coupled to the flexible elongated member extends back through the tissue opening to position a first free end of the flexible strand outside the tissue opening;

moving a repair-promoting conduit along the flexible strand, wherein the flexible strand passes through an exterior side wall opening that is formed in an exterior side wall of the repair-promoting conduit, the exterior side wall opening located between a first end and a second end of the repair-promoting conduit;

pulling on the first free end of the flexible strand to convert the flexible elongated member from the first shape to a second shape that is bulkier than the first shape for opposing back-out of the flexible elongated member from the tissue opening; and

leaving the repair-promoting conduit in contact with a soft tissue adjacent the tissue opening for promoting biological flow through the repair-promoting conduit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the flexible elongated member is tubular.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the flexible strand extends longitudinally through a longitudinal bore of the tubular flexible elongated member.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the flexible elongated member retains the second shape after said pulling.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the soft tissue is muscle.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the flexible strand additionally passes through an opening in a first end of the repair-promoting conduit.

12. A method for repairing soft tissue, comprising:

inserting a flexible elongated member through a tissue opening in a first shape;

pulling on a first free end of a flexible strand that is coupled to the flexible elongated member, following said inserting, so as to convert the flexible elongated member from the first shape to a second shape that is bulkier than the first shape for opposing back-out of the flexible elongated member from the tissue opening for securely lodging the flexible elongated member relative to a soft tissue adjacent the tissue opening; and

coupling a repair-promoting conduit to the flexible strand between the flexible elongated member and the first free end of the flexible strand, the repair-promoting conduit having a first end and a second end, wherein the repair-promoting conduit is left in contact with the soft tissue for promoting biological flow through the repair-promoting conduit, wherein said coupling includes passing the flexible strand;

(i) through a first opening in the first end of the repair-promoting conduit;

(ii) longitudinally within the repair-promoting conduit from the first opening toward the second end of the repair-promoting conduit; and

(iii) through a first exterior side wall opening that is formed in an exterior side wall of the repair-promoting conduit, the first exterior side wall opening located between the first end and the second end of the repair-promoting conduit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible strand is a suture.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible elongated member is tubular.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said coupling further includes passing the flexible strand through a second opening in the second end of the repair-promoting conduit.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible elongated member includes a braided material.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible elongated member includes a woven material.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible elongated member is perforated.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible elongated member retains the second shape after said pulling.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the repair-promoting conduit is perforated.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the soft tissue is muscle.

22. The method of claim 12 conducted arthroscopically.