Method and apparatus for soft tissue fixation

• US 20050277961A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biomet Manufacturing, LLC (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arthrotek Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walters, Troy M., Stone, Kevin T., Kaiser, Ryan A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,819,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/151
• 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 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0414 having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0435 the barbs being separate elements mechanically linked to the anchor, e.g. by pivots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0445 cannulated, e.g. with a longitudinal through-hole for passage of an instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• 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: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0811 Fixation devices for tendons or ligaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0829 without deformation of anchor parts, e.g. fixation screws on bone surface, extending barbs, cams, butterflies, spring-loaded pins
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0852 Fixation of a loop or U-turn, e.g. eyelets, anchor having multiple holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0882 Anchor in or on top of a bone tunnel, i.e. a hole running through the entire bone

Abstract

A positioning member may be released to move an anchor member to a holding position. The positioning member being operable to be held in a selected orientation until the anchor member is in a selected position.

Claims

1. A soft tissue connection assembly operable to hold a soft tissue graft near a select portion of an anatomy, comprising:

an anchor member to selectively engage the selected portion of the anatomy, including;

a lever arm;

an engaging portion extending from said lever arm; and

a positioning member operable to interact with said anchor member to move said anchor member to a deployed orientation;

wherein the soft tissue interconnects with said engaging portion to be substantially held in a selected position relative to the selected portion of the anatomy.

2. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 1, wherein said positioning member is removable from said anchor member.

3. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a positioning tube movable relative to the selected portion of the anatomy;

wherein said anchor member and said positioning member are sized to allow movement of said anchor member relative to said positioning tube.

4. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 1, wherein said positioning member is formed of a resiliently flexible member operable to be compressed at a selected time relative to said anchor member.

5. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 4, wherein said positioning member is formed of a shape memory metal or metal alloy.

6. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 4, wherein said positioning member is formed of a polymer material.

7. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 1, wherein said anchor member defines a passage through which said positioning member is operable to be positioned.

8. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 7, wherein said positioning member is positioned through said passage in said anchor member and said positioning member is operable to be passed through a positioning tube relative to a selected portion of the anatomy;

wherein said positioning member is resiliently deformed relative to said anchor member and said positioning tube.

9. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 7, wherein said positioning member is positioned through said passage defined by said anchor member;

wherein said positioning member is resiliently deformed by at least one of said anchor member and said selected portion of the anatomy.

10. The soft tissue connection assembly of claim 1, wherein said anchor further defines a moving bore operable with a second member to assist in moving said anchor member relative to the selected portion of the anatomy with said positioning member.

11. An anchor member to selectively anchor a graft relative to a selected portion of an anatomy, comprising:

a lever arm extending along a first axis between a first end and a second end;

an activation region defined by said lever arm; and

a resiliently flexible member operable to assist in moving said lower arm;

wherein said lever arm is selectable between an activated position and a non-activated position with said activation region.

12. The anchor member of claim 11, wherein said activation region includes a passage defined through said lever arm;

wherein said resiliently flexible member is operable to pass through said passage.

13. The anchor member of claim 12, wherein said resiliently flexible member is operable to be resiliently flexed after being passed through said passage to assist in moving said lever arm.

14. The anchor member of claim 11, wherein said resiliently flexible member is formed of at least one of a metal, an alloy, a polymer, or combinations thereof.

15. The anchor member of claim 11, wherein said resiliently flexible member is resiliently flexed to a selected orientation after said flexible member is moved relative to said activation region and said lever arm is positioned relative to a selected portion of the anatomy.

16. The anchor member of claim 15, wherein said resiliently flexible member is resiliently flexible from a substantially straight orientation to a flexed orientation when a stress is applied to said resiliently flexible member and may return to a substantially straight orientation when the stress is removed.

17. The anchor member of claim 11, wherein said resiliently flexible member is flexed when said lever arm is positioned in a substantially unactivated orientation relative to the selected portion of the anatomy;

wherein said resiliently flexible member is operable to assist in moving said lever arm to the activated position when said lever arm is moved to a selected position relative to the anatomy.

18. The anchor member of claim 11, further comprising:

a positioning tube operable to allow said lever arm with said resiliently flexible member positioned through said activation region to pass through said positioning tube;

wherein said lever arm with said resiliently flexible member positioned in said activation region substantially flexes said resiliently flexible member.

19. The anchor member of claim 11, further comprising a connection region extending from said lever arm.

20. A method of fixing a graft in a selected region of an anatomy with an anchor member, comprising:

forming a bore in the selected region of the anatomy thereby defining an interior surface within the bore and an exterior surface outside of the bore;

associating the graft with the flexible member;

passing the anchor member through a selected portion of the bore to a first position in a first orientation;

holding a positioning member in a first position when the anchor is in the first orientation;

moving the anchor member at least in part with the positioning member to a second position thereby selectively engaging the exterior surface; and

holding the graft in a selected position with the anchor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein forming a bore in a selected region of the anatomy includes forming a bore in at least one of a femur, a tibia, a humerus, a radius, or combinations thereof operable to receive the graft to replace a selected tissue portion.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said the exterior surface outside of the bore is defined by an exterior surface of the selected region of the anatomy.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

associating the positioning member with the anchor member through a passage defined by said anchor member.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein associating the positioning member with the anchor member includes flexing the positioning member to a selected orientation;

wherein the positioning member is substantially held in the flexed orientation by said anchor member associated with said bore.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein moving the anchor member includes allowing the positioning member to decompress once said anchor member is moved to a selected position relative to said bore and the exterior surface.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

passing a positioning tube through at least a portion of the bore.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

compressing said positioning member via an interaction of the anchor member and the positioning tube.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein moving the anchor includes withdrawing the positioning tube to a position where the positioning tube does not hold the anchor member relative to a selected position such that the positioning member may decompress and move the anchor member relative to the exterior surface.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

interconnecting a flexible member with a connection region associated with the anchor member.

30. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

compressing the positioning member with the anchor member in a first position;

wherein moving the anchor member includes decompressing the positioning member to move the anchor member to a selected orientation relative to the exterior surface.