Soft tissue conduit device

• US 20060282085A1
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biomet Sports Medicine LLC (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arthrotek Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leach, Michael D., Stone, Kevin T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,998,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/500
• 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 17/0642 for bones, e.g. for osteosynthesis or connecting tendon to bone
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3472 for bones, e.g. intraosseus injections
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8875 Screwdrivers, spanners or wrenches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0404 Buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/044 with a threaded shaft, e.g. screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0445 cannulated, e.g. with a longitudinal through-hole for passage of an instrument
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0647 having one single leg, e.g. tacks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0648 threaded, e.g. tacks with a screw thread
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0805 Implements for inserting tendons or ligaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0811 Fixation devices for tendons or ligaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0858 Fixation of tendon or ligament between anchor and bone, e.g. interference screws, wedges
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0882 Anchor in or on top of a bone tunnel, i.e. a hole running through the entire bone
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2839 : Bone plugs or bone graft dowels

Abstract

A method of conducting biological materials to soft tissue. The method includes loading a conduit device onto a delivery shaft of an inserter, inserting at least a portion of the delivery shaft into soft tissue, expelling the conduit device from the delivery shaft into the tissue, and delivering biological material through an access port of the inserter into at least one outer longitudinal channel of the conduit device.

Claims

1. A method of conducting biological material to soft tissue, the method comprising:

loading a conduit device onto a delivery shaft of an inserter;

inserting at least a portion of the delivery shaft into soft tissue;

expelling the conduit device from the delivery shaft into the tissue; and

delivering biological material through an access port of the inserter into at least one outer longitudinal channel of the conduit device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein expelling the conduit device comprises actuating a deployment mechanism of the inserter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering biological material comprises delivering biological material through a delivery device connectable to the access port of the inserter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting into soft tissue comprises inserting into meniscal tissue.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the conduit device across a defect in soft tissue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering biological material comprises delivering biological material through the delivery shaft of the inserter while the delivery shaft is still connected to tissue and after expelling the conduit device.

7. A method of conducting biological material to soft tissue, the method comprising:

loading at least first and second conduit devices onto a delivery shaft of an inserter;

inserting at least a portion of the delivery shaft into a first location in soft tissue;

expelling the first conduit device from the delivery shaft into the tissue;

delivering biological material through an access port of the inserter into an outer longitudinal channel of the first conduit device; and

removing the delivery shaft from the tissue.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

inserting at least a portion of the delivery shaft into a second location of the soft tissue;

expelling the second conduit device from the delivery shaft into the tissue;

delivering biological material through an access port of the inserter into an outer longitudinal channel of the second conduit device; and

removing the delivery shaft from the tissue.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising selectively inserting at least one of the first and second conduit devices across an interface in the tissue, across a defect, across a healing site or between two areas of different vascularities of the tissue.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the soft tissue is meniscal tissue, and further comprising inserting the first and second conduit devices through a defect in the meniscal tissue.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising delivering biological material into the access port of the inserter through a delivery device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein expelling the first conduit device comprises actuating a deployment mechanism of the inserter.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein actuating a deployment mechanism comprises moving a slider of the inserter.

14. A method of conducting biological material to meniscal tissue, the method comprising:

making an arthroscopic incision in a knee;

exposing meniscal tissue;

loading a first conduit device onto a delivery shaft of an inserter;

optionally loading a second conduit device onto the delivery shaft of the inserter;

inserting at least a portion of the delivery shaft into a first location in the meniscal tissue;

expelling the first conduit device from the delivery shaft into the meniscal tissue between two areas of different vascularity;

delivering biological material through an access port of the inserter into at least one outer longitudinal channel of the first conduit device;

removing the delivery shaft from the meniscal tissue;

optionally inserting the delivery shaft of the inserter into a second location in the meniscal tissue;

optionally expelling the second conduit device from the delivery shaft into the meniscal tissue;

optionally delivering biological material from the inserter into at least one outer longitudinal channel of the second conduit device;

removing the delivery shaft of the inserter from the meniscal tissue; and

closing the incision.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising inserting the conduit device through a defect in the meniscal tissue.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising delivering biological material into the access port through a delivery device.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising delivering biological material into at least one outer longitudinal channel of the second conduit device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein expelling the first conduit device comprises actuating a deployment mechanism of the inserter.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein actuating a deployment mechanism comprises moving a slider of the inserter.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein loading the first and second conduit devices in the inserter comprises serially loading first and second conduit devices in the inserter.