Soft tissue securing anchor

• US 20040230196A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vite Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Jeannette Martello
• Inventors: Martello, Jeannette
• Granted Patent: US 7,163,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/73
• 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 2017/0414 having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/044 with a threaded shaft, e.g. screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0459 Multiple holes in the anchor through which the suture extends and locking the suture when tension is applied
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 606/907 Composed of particular material or coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 606/908 Bioabsorbable material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 606/91 Polymer

Abstract

A surgical anchor is provided with one or more anchor holes distributed around the head of the anchor. Each anchor hole is inclined to allow attachment of one or more sutures to the anchor either before, during or after the anchor is seated in a bone. The upper and lower apertures of each anchor hole are chamfered, and the chamfered areas from the anchor hole to the outside edge shall be polished or somehow smoothed to remove sharp edges and rough areas which may cause friction and abrasion to soft tissue or suture material. The lower surface of the anchor head may be angled to further simplify the task of feeding a surgical needle through the anchor hole after the anchor is seated into the bone.

Claims

1. An anchor for securing soft tissue to bone or to soft tissue comprising:

an attachment means having a long axis and a head at a first end of the long axis;

means to accommodate a securing or drive tool; and

an anchor hole through the head, the anchor hole having an upper aperture and a lower aperture, the anchor hole oriented to cause a line through the center of the anchor hole to intersect an extension of the long axis beyond the head.

2. The anchor or claim 1 further comprising:

a shoulder displaced about the attachment means near the head to provide a visual and tactile reference for maintaining proper head height above the bone.

3. The anchor or claim 1 wherein the upper aperture and lower aperture are chamfered.

4. The anchor or claim 3 wherein the chamfer extends from 5 to 50 percent of the total length of an anchor hole.

5. The anchor or claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of anchor holes disposed about the circumference of the head.

6. The anchor or claim 1 wherein the anchor comprises an inert material.

7. The anchor or claim 1 wherein the anchor comprises plastic, stainless steel, titanium alloy or absorbable material or a combination thereof.

8. The anchor or claim 1 wherein the attachment means comprises a screw.

9. The anchor or claim 8 wherein the means to accommodate a securing or drive tool comprises a drive aperture on the head to accept a tool for imparting torque to the anchor.

10. The anchor or claim 1 wherein the head is generally conical having a vertex, an upper surface and a lower surface, the vertex of the cone attached to the attachment means with the primary axis of the cone collinear with the long axis of the attachment means.

11. The anchor or claim 10 wherein the angle between the lower surface and the long axis is between 90 and 150 degrees.

12. The anchor or claim 10 wherein the angle between the anchor holes and the long axis is between 0 and 75 degrees.

13. The anchor or claim 10 wherein the angle between the anchor holes and the long axis is between 35 and 50 degrees, and the chamfers are 45 degrees from a centerline through each anchor hole.

14. A surgical anchor for reapproximating soft tissue to bone or to soft tissue comprising:

a screw having a head, a shank and a threaded end;

a shoulder between the body and the shank to provide a visual and tactile reference for proper head height above the bone;

means to accommodate a securing or drive tool; and

a plurality of generally radial anchor holes disposed about the circumference of the head and extending through the head, each anchor hole describing an angle between 0 and 75 degrees from the shank to the anchor hole.

15. The anchor or claim 14 wherein the anchor comprises inert material.

16. The anchor or claim 14 wherein the anchor comprises plastic, stainless steel, titanium allow or absorbable material or a combination thereof.

17. The anchor or claim 14 wherein the anchor holes are skewed about the long axis of the body.

18. The anchor or claim 14 wherein the plurality of anchor holes further comprise apertures that are chamfered with a chamfer extending from 5 to 50 percent of the total length of an anchor hole.

19. The anchor or claim 14 wherein the head is an inverted cone having a generally flat upper surface and a sloping lower surface describing an angle between 90 and 150 degrees from the surface of the shank.

20. The anchor or claim 14 wherein the means to accommodate a securing or drive tool comprises a drive aperture on the head to accept a tool for imparting torque to the anchor.

21. An anchor for securing soft tissue to bone or to soft tissue comprising:

an attachment means having a long axis and a head at a first end of the long axis;

means to accommodate a securing or drive tool; and

an anchor hole through the head, the anchor hole having an upper aperture and a lower aperture, the anchor hole oriented to cause a line through the center of the anchor hole to be skew to the long axis.

22. The anchor of claim 21 further comprising:

a shoulder displaced about the attachment means near the head to provide a visual and tactile reference for maintaining proper head height above the bone.

23. The anchor of claim 21 wherein the upper aperture and the lower aperture are chamfered.

24. The anchor of claim 23 wherein the chamfer extends from 5 to 50 percent of the total length of an anchor hole.

25. The anchor of claim 21 further comprising:

a plurality of anchor holes disposed about the circumference of the head.

26. The anchor of claim 21 wherein the anchor holes are in a plane perpendicular to the long axis.

27. The anchor of claim 21 wherein the attachment means comprises a screw.

28. The anchor of claim 27 wherein the means to accommodate a securing or drive tool comprises a drive aperture on the head to accept a tool for imparting a torque to the anchor.

29. The anchor of claim 21 wherein the anchor comprises an inert material.

30. The anchor of claim 21 wherein the anchor comprises plastic, stainless steel, titanium allow or absorbable material or a combination thereof.

31. The anchor of claim 21 wherein the head is generally conical having a vertex, an upper surface and a lower surface, the vertex of the cone attached to the attachment means with the primary axis of the cone collinear with the long axis of the attachment means.

32. The anchor of claim 31 wherein the angle between the lower surface and the long axis is between 90 and 150 degrees.

33. The anchor of claim 31 wherein the angle between the anchor holes and the long axis is between 0 and 75 degrees.

34. The anchor of claim 31 wherein the angle between the anchor holes and the long axis is between 35 and 50 degrees, and the chamfers are 45 degrees from a centerline through each anchor hole.

35. A surgical screw anchor comprising:

threaded anchor body having a long axis and an outer dimension;

a head at a first end of the anchor body adapted to accommodate a tool for securing or driving the anchor body into bone, the head having an outer dimension that is larger than the outer dimension of said anchor body;

so said head is adapted to rest on the surface of a patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the bone and said head is adapted to be located above the surface of the patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the patient'"'"'s bone; and

a plurality of passages through the head, each passage having a longitudinal axis that is oriented at an angle with respect to the long axis of the anchor body and at least one of said passages having a chamfer at one end thereof, the passages being adapted to be located above the surface of the patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the patient'"'"'s bone.

36. The surgical anchor defined in claim 35, wherein the head has an upper surface, at least a portion of each passage extending to the upper surface of the head.

37. A surgical anchor having a long axis for securing soft tissue to bone or to soft tissue comprising:

a threaded screw having a head, a shank and a threaded end, the head having an outer dimension, the shank having an outer dimension, with the outer dimension of the head being greater than the outer dimension of the shank so said head is adapted to rest on the surface of a patient'"'"'s bone when the threaded end is engaged in the bone and is adapted to be located above the surface of the patient'"'"'s bone when the threaded end is engaged in the patient'"'"'s bone;

the head including a driving element to accommodate a drive tool and a plurality of anchor holes extending through the head at about zero to 90 degree angles with respect to the long axis of the anchor for receiving sutures, the anchor holes being chamfered at at least one end thereof to minimize abrading of the sutures, said anchor holes being located near one end of the outer dimension and being adapted to be located above the surface of the patient'"'"'s bone when said threaded end is engaged in the patient'"'"'s bone.

38. The surgical anchor defined in claim 37, wherein the head has an outermost circumference and the anchor holes each have longitudinal axes disposed with the outermost circumference of the head.

39. A surgical anchor comprising:

a threaded anchor body having a long axis and an outer dimension;

a head at a first end of the anchor body adapted to accommodate a tool for securing or driving the anchor body into body tissue of a patient, the head having an outer dimension that is greater than the outer dimension of the anchor body so said head is adapted to rest on the surface of a patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the bone and is located above the patient'"'"'s bone when the anchor body is engaged in the bone; and

at least two suture passages extending through the head for receiving sutures, each passage having a longitudinal axis that is oriented at about a 90 degree angle with respect to the long axis of the anchor body, said suture passages having a portion thereof located near one end of the outer dimension and being adapted to be located above the surface of the patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the patient'"'"'s bone.

40. The surgical anchor defined in claim 39, wherein the head has an upper surface, at least a portion of each suture passage extending to the upper surface of the head.

41. A surgical anchor comprising:

a threaded anchor body having a long axis, the anchor body having an outer dimension;

a first end of said anchor body adapted to accommodate a tool for attaching said anchor body to bone of a patient, said first end having an outer dimension, the outer dimension of said first end being greater than the outer dimension of said anchor body so said first end is adapted to rest on the surface of a patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the bone; and

at least one suture-accommodating passage defined in said first end to be located spaced from the bone and any tissue associated with the bone to accept a suture thereinto and therethrough after said anchor body has been attached to the bone, said suture-accommodating passage having a portion thereof located near the end of the outer dimension and being adapted to be located above the patient'"'"'s bone when said anchor body is engaged in the patient'"'"'s bone.

42. The surgical anchor defined in claim 41 further including means on said anchor body for signaling when said anchor body is suitably fixed to the bone.

43. A method of securing soft tissue of a patient to bone of the patient comprising:

securing an anchor body to bone of a patient; and

after securing the anchor body to the bone of the patient, attaching a suture to the anchor body.

44. The method defined in claim 43 wherein the anchor body includes a head and a suture-securing passage in the head, and the step of attaching a suture to the anchor body includes passing the suture through the suture-securing passage.

45. The method defined in claim 43 wherein the anchor body includes a plurality of suture-securing passages and each suture-securing passage has a first end and a second end, and the step of attaching a suture to the body includes passing the suture through one suture-securing passage of the plurality of suture-securing passages from the first end of the one suture-securing passage toward the second end of the one suture-securing passage and passing another suture through a second suture-securing passage of the plurality of suture-securing passages from the second end of the second suture-securing passage toward the first end of the second suture-securing passage.

46. The method defined in claim 44 further including passing a rethreading suture through the suture-securing passage after a suture initially placed in the suture-securing passage becomes inoperative.