Soft tissue anchors and systems for implantation

• US 5,380,334 A
• Filed: 05/06/1993
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smith & Nephew Holdings Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Smith & Nephew Holdings Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: Torrie, Paul A., Tallent, Gary P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellegrino, Stephen C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/058,631
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 606/72-75, 606/104, 411/49 S, 24/297
• US Class Current: 606/104
• 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 17/68 Internal fixation devices , including fasteners and spinal fixators, even if a part thereof projects from the skin bone staples A61B17/0642
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00004 (bio)absorbable, (bio)resorbable, resorptive for implantable prostheses A61F2210/0004
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0403 Dowels other bone dowels A61B17/68; dowels for connecting prosthetic parts A61F2002/30433
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0412 having anchoring barbs or pins extending outwardly from suture anchor body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0438 slotted, i.e. having a longitudinal slot for enhancing their elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0445 cannulated, e.g. with a longitudinal through-hole for passage of an instrument
• 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 2/30749 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0841 Longitudinal channel for insertion tool running through the whole tendon anchor, e.g. for accommodating bone drill, guidewire
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0852 Fixation of a loop or U-turn, e.g. eyelets, anchor having multiple holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0858 Fixation of tendon or ligament between anchor and bone, e.g. interference screws, wedges
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0888 Anchor in or on a blind hole or on the bone surface without formation of a tunnel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30062 (bio)absorbable, biodegradable, bioerodable, (bio)resorbable, resorptive
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30579 with mechanically expandable devices, e.g. fixation devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30594 slotted, e.g. radial or meridian slot ending in a polar aperture, non-polar slots, horizontal or arcuate slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30841 Sharp anchoring protrusions for impaction into the bone, e.g. sharp pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0004 bioabsorbable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 : Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body

Abstract

Surgical kits for the implantation of soft tissue-to-bone anchors and expandable, preferably bioabsorbable, soft tissue anchors. The surgical kits include an embodiment with an outer tube with an expandable anchor releasably attached to its distal end, for guiding the anchor into a predrilled hole; an inner tube with an anchor expanding pin sized for expanding the anchor releasably held in its bore; and a pushrod for pushing the anchor pin into the anchor to expand it and wedge it in a hole. In an alternative embodiment, the anchor pin is attached to the distal end of a pushrod inserted into an outer tube. In one embodiment, the anchor is equipped with downward extending spikes on the underside of an enlarged head for gripping soft tissue and bending barbs to resist withdrawal of the anchor from bone. In another embodiment, the anchor'"'"'s proximal end has no enlarged head but is equipped with sutures. In a further embodiment, the anchor'"'"'s enlarged head is tilted at an angle to allow better engagement of spikes with soft tissue.

Claims

1. A surgical kit for implanting a soft tissue anchor, the kit comprising:

(i) an outer tube having an elongate body with distal and proximal ends, and a longitudinal bore along the length of the body for receiving an inner tube;

(ii) an anchor stud having a longitudinal axis, the anchor stud releasably affixed to the distal end of the outer tube, the anchor stud comprising a bore along the anchor stud longitudinal axis, said bore in communication with the bore in the outer tube, the anchor stud having at least two radially-outward expandable legs;

(iii) an inner tube having an elongate body with distal and proximal ends, the inner tube body sized for insertion into the longitudinal bore in the outer tube;

(iv) an anchor stud-expanding pin held in the bore of the inner tube, the pin sized for expanding the legs of the anchor stud radially outward to grip walls of a hole in bone; and

(v) a pushrod sized for insertion into the inner tube and equipped with means for leveraging the pushrod to force the anchor stud-expanding pin into the bore of the anchor stud for expanding the legs outwardly to grip bone.

2. The surgical kit of claim 1, wherein the anchor stud and anchor stud expanding pin comprise a bioabsorbable polymeric composition.

3. The surgical kit of claim 2, wherein the anchor stud and expanding pin are of a bioabsorbable polymeric composition selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, and copolymers thereof.

4. The surgical kit of claim 1, wherein the anchor stud is releasably attached to the outer tube by screw threads.

5. The surgical kit of claim 1, wherein the anchor comprises:

a radially-outward expandable anchor stud, the stud having proximal and distal ends and an elongate body with an outer surface and a longitudinal axis;

the stud further comprising;

(a) a longitudinal bore extending along the stud'"'"'s longitudinal axis for receiving a stud-expanding pin;

(b) at least two radially-outward expandable legs on the distal end of the stud for gripping the sides of a bone hole;

(c) a plurality of bending barbs on a proximal half of the outer surface of the elongate stud body for gripping bone and resisting forces, at an angle to the stud'"'"'s longitudinal axis, withdrawing the stud from a bone hole; and

(d) gripping barbs on a distal half of the outer surface of the elongate stud body for holding the stud in a bone hole.

6. The surgical kit of claim 5, wherein the anchor stud and stud-expanding pin comprise a bioabsorbable polymeric composition.

7. The surgical kit of claim 5, wherein the anchor stud further comprises an enlarged head at the proximal end thereof, the enlarged head comprising an undersurface at an angle (90°

+β

), measured as the angle between the undersurface of the head and the longitudinal axis of the anchor stud, said undersurface comprising spikes downwardly extending therefrom for engaging soft tissue.

8. The surgical kit of claim 5, wherein the anchor stud further comprises sutures at the proximal end.

9. The surgical kit of claim 5, wherein the anchor stud further comprises an enlarged head tilted at an angle γ

to the horizontal at the proximal end thereof, the enlarged head comprising an undersurface with spikes downwardly extending therefrom for engaging soft tissue.

20. The surgical kit of claim 1, wherein the stud further comprises an enlarged head at the proximal end of the stud, the enlarged head being tilted at an angle γ

to the horizontal, the enlarged head comprising an undersurface having downwardly extending spikes for engaging soft tissue.

21. The surgical kit of claim 20 further comprising from about eight to about sixteen bending barbs.

22. The surgical kit of claim 20 further comprising about four gripping barbs.

10. A surgical kit for implanting soft tissue anchors, the kit comprising:

(i) an outer tube having an elongate body with distal and proximal ends, a longitudinal bore along the length of the body for receiving a pushrod;

(ii) an anchor stud having a longitudinal axis, the anchor stud releasably affixed to the distal end of the outer tube, the anchor stud comprising a bore along the longitudinal axis in communication with the bore in the outer tube, the anchor stud having at least two radially-outward expandable legs; and

(iii) a pushrod sized for insertion into the outer tube, the pushrod equipped with (a) an anchor stud-expanding pin releasably attached at its distal end, and (b) means for leveraging the pushrod into the bore of the outer tube at its proximal end, the anchor stud-expanding pin being sized for fitting into the bore of the anchor stud for expanding the legs outwardly.

11. The surgical kit of claim 10, wherein the anchor stud and anchor stud-expanding pin comprise a bioabsorbable polymeric composition.

12. The surgical kit of claim 11, wherein the anchor stud and expanding pin are of a bioabsorbable polymeric composition selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, and copolymers thereof.

13. The surgical kit of claim 10, wherein the anchor stud is releasably attached to the outer tube by screw threads.

14. The surgical kit of claim 10, wherein the anchor stud comprises:

a radially-outward expandable anchor stud, the stud having proximal and distal ends and an elongate body with an outer surface and a longitudinal axis;

the stud further comprising;

(a) a longitudinal bore extending along the longitudinal axis for receiving a stud-expanding pin;

(b) at least two radially-outward expandable legs on the distal end of the stud for gripping the sides of a bone hole;

(c) a plurality of bending barbs on a proximal half of the outer surface of the elongate stud body for gripping bone and resisting forces, at an angle to the stud'"'"'s longitudinal axis, withdrawing the stud from a bone hole; and

(d) gripping barbs on a distal half of the outer surface of the elongate stud body for holding the stud in a bone hole.

15. The surgical kit of claim 14, wherein the anchor stud further comprises an enlarged head, the enlarged head comprising an undersurface at an angle β

to the horizontal and downwardly extending spikes for engaging soft tissue.

16. The surgical kit of claim 15, wherein the anchor stud and expanding pin comprise a bioabsorbable polymeric composition.

17. The surgical kit of claim 14, wherein the anchor stud further comprises sutures inserted at the proximal end of the anchor stud.

18. The surgical kit of claim 17, wherein the anchor stud and expanding pin comprise a bioabsorbable polymeric composition.

19. The surgical kit of claim 14, wherein the anchor stud further comprises an enlarged head tilted at an angle γ

to the horizontal, the enlarged head comprising an undersurface with downwardly extending spikes for engaging soft tissue.