Slotted suture anchor and method of anchoring a suture

• US 5,041,129 A
• Filed: 07/02/1990
• Issued: 08/20/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Acufex Microsurgical, Inc.
• Inventors: Cerier, Jeffrey C., Hayhurst, John O., Small, Alan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellegrino, Stephen C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/548,383
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 606/139, 606/151, 606/220, 606/232, 606/144, 606/140, 606/72
• US Class Current: 606/232
• 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 17/0487 Suture clamps, clips or locks, e.g. for replacing suture knots; Instruments for applying or removing suture clamps, clips or locks suture anchors A61B17/0401; wound clamps or clips A61B17/08; ligaturing clamps or clips A61B17/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8695 Washers surrounding screw head in plate hole A61B17/8047, between bone plate and bone A61B17/8028
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00004 (bio)absorbable, (bio)resorbable, resorptive for implantable prostheses A61F2210/0004
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0414 having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening lateral eyelet for attaching suture to needle A61B2017/06019
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• 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

Abstract

A suture anchor (10) for securing a suture (20) to body tissue (38) in an athroscopic surgical procedure. The suture anchor is an elongatyed tubular member (12) having first and second ends (14,16). The distal or terminal end (24) of the suture is secured to the first or leading end (14) of the suture anchor (10) with the suture (20) extending through the suture anchor (10). A slot (18) is formed on the suture anchor (10) which extends from the second or trailing end (16) of the suture anchor (10) toward the leading end (14) of the suture anchor (10). The suture anchor (10) is inserted in a first position with the suture (20) extending through the suture anchor (10) from the leading end (14) of the suture anchor (10) to the trailing end (16). The suture (20) shifts from the first position approximately 90 degrees to a second position wherein the suture (20) extends from the leading end (14) of the anchor to the base (26) of the slot (18) with the length of the suture anchor (10) extending transverse to the free end (25) of the suture (20) located outside of the suture anchor (10). The method disclosed includes the steps of inserting the suture anchor (10) with the suture (20) extending longitudinally through the anchor (10) and shifting the orientation of the anchor (10) until the suture (20) extends through a slot (18) in the anchor (10) with the anchor (10) disposed in the body tissue (38) generally transverse to the free end (25) of the suture.

Claims

1. An anchor for securing a strand of suture material in the body comprising a tube having a leading end and a trailing end, a slot extending from said trailing end to a point intermediate said leading and trailing ends said trailing end defining a trailing face disposed at an oblique angle to the central axis of the tube.

2. The anchor of claim 1 wherein said leading end defines a leading face disposed at an oblique angle to the central axis of the tube.

3. The anchor of claim 1 wherein the slot extends linearly to a slot base.

4. The anchor of claim 1 wherein the slot extends from the axially inboard region of the trailing face to a slot base.

5. An anchor and a strand of suture material in combination, said anchor comprising a tube having a leading end and a trailing end, a slot extending from said trailing end toward said leading end, and means for attaching said strand of suture material to the leading end of the tube with the strand extending from the leading end at least partially through the tube.

7. The suture anchor and strand of suture material of claim 5 wherein said strand of suture material is shiftable between an insertion position in which the strand exits said tube at the trailing end and a toggle position in which said strand exits the tube through said slot.

6. The suture anchor and strand of suture material of claim 6 wherein said means for interlocking is a knot tied in the strand at a terminal end of the strand which engages the leading end of the tube when tension is applied to the other end of the strand.

8. A suture anchor and suture in combination comprising:

a suture,

an elongated tubular anchor,

said suture having a knot tied adjacent a terminal end of the suture and engaging a first end of the anchor,

said anchor having a slot extending from a second end to a slot base intermediate the first and second ends, and

said suture being threaded through the anchor from the first end axially through the anchor and through the second end in an insertion position and being shifted through the slot during deployment to a deployed position wherein the suture extends from the anchor at the slot base.

9. The anchor of claim 8 wherein said second end defines a trailing face disposed at an oblique angle to the central axis of the tube.

10. The anchor of claim 9 wherein the slot extends from the axially inboard region of the trailing face.

11. The anchor of claim 8 wherein said first end defines a leading face disposed at an oblique angle to the central axis of the tube.

12. The anchor of claim 8 wherein the slot extends linearly along the tube.

13. A suture anchor for anchoring a suture to cartilage comprising:

an elongated tube having first and second ends,

means for securing the suture to the tube at said first end of the tube with the suture being partially threaded through the tube;

said tube having a slot linearly extending from said second end to a midpoint located intermediate the first and second ends of the tube;

said anchor being shiftable between a first position in which the suture extends completely through said tube and a second position in which the suture extends from the first end of said tube through said tube to the midpoint of the tube and exits said tube at the midpoint.

14. A method of anchoring a suture in the body with a T-bar anchor, said T-bar anchor being an elongated tubular member having first and second ends, said suture being secured to said first end, second end having a slot extending to the approximate midpoint of the tubular member with said suture being threaded through the tubular member, said method comprising the following steps:

inserting a hollow tool having an outer needle and a pusher means, the T-bar anchor being initially disposed in the outer needle with the first end being initially inserted into body tissue to a desired depth, the suture extending from the first end of the tubular member through the second end and being routed through the pusher tube;

pushing the anchor with said pusher means through the end of the tool with a shiftable element in the hollow tool;

applying tension to the suture to cause the suture to shift the tubular member to a toggle position with the suture shifting through the slot from the second end toward the approximate midpoint wherein the suture exits the tubular member at the approximate midpoint; and

removing said tool from the tissue.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said second end of said tubular member is an obliquely angled trailing face which assists in shifting the tubular member to the toggle position.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said pusher means comprises a hollow tube and said suture is threaded therethrough.