Suture anchor and method
First Claim
1. A suture anchor for approximating tissue and bone, the suture anchor comprising:
- an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone; and
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery and disposed along the length of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A suture anchor for approximating tissue to bone comprises an anchor member for securing the suture anchor to the bone and a plurality of sutures mounted to the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member. Each suture has a sharp pointed end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs which permit movement of the sutures through the tissue in one direction of movement of the pointed end and prevent movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in the opposite direction. The ends of the sutures are inserted and pushed through the tissue along a curvilinear path in a direction away from the bone. The sutures are drawn from exit points longitudinally spaced from the points of insertion and reinserted and advanced along a curvilinear path in the direction away from the bone. The sutures are drawn through the tissue while approximating the tissue adjacent the bone along the suture and leaving a length of the sutures in the tissue. The exit and entry points of two of the sutures are adjacent and the paths of the sutures substantially mirror one another.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A suture anchor for approximating tissue and bone, the suture anchor comprising:
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an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone; and
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery and disposed along the length of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9)
an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone;
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end; and
a needle at the distal end of each suture.
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8. A suture anchor for approximating tissue and bone, the suture anchor comprising:
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an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone;
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end; and
means for mounting the sutures to the proximal end of the anchor member, wherein the suture mounting means includes a portion of the body of the anchor member, which defines an opening in the proximal end of the anchor member for accepting the sutures.
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10. A suture anchor for approximating tissue and bone, the suture anchor comprising:
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an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone; and
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end, wherein the suture anchor is formed from a material that is not absorbed by the body.
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11. A suture anchor for approximating tissue and bone, the suture anchor comprising:
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an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone; and
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end, wherein the anchor member is formed from a material that is not absorbed by the body.
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12. A suture anchor for approximating tissue and bone, the suture anchor comprising:
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an anchor member having a distal end and a proximal end, the anchor member adapted to fixedly engage the bone to secure the anchor member relative to the bone; and
a plurality of sutures mounted to the proximal end of the anchor member so that the sutures extend outwardly from the anchor member, each suture having a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery of the body of the suture, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end, wherein the sutures are formed from a material that is not absorbed by the body.
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13. A method for approximating tissue to a bone to allow regrowth and healing of the tissue and bone in vivo using a suture anchor, the suture anchor including an anchor member adapted to be fixedly mounted to the bone and a plurality of sutures extending from the anchor member, the tissue approximating method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing on the sutures a sharp pointed distal end for penetrating the tissue and a plurality of barbs extending from the periphery of the body, the barbs permitting movement of the sutures through the tissue in a direction of movement of the pointed end and preventing movement of the sutures relative to the tissue in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the pointed end;
(b) securing the anchor member in the bone such that the sutures extend from the bone surface;
(c) inserting the pointed end of a first suture into the tissue;
(d) pushing the end of the first suture through the tissue along a curvilinear path in a direction away from the bone until the point at the end of the first suture extends out of the tissue at an exit point in the periphery of the tissue longitudinally spaced from the point of insertion into the tissue;
(e) gripping the pointed end of the first suture and pulling the pointed end out of the tissue for drawing the first suture through the tissue while approximating the tissue adjacent the bone along the first suture in the tissue and leaving a length of the first suture in the tissue;
(f) inserting the pointed end of the first suture into the periphery of the tissue adjacent the exit point;
(g) pushing the first suture through the tissue along a curvilinear path in the direction away from the bone until the pointed end of the first suture extends out of the tissue at an exit point in the periphery of the tissue and longitudinally spaced from the previous insertion point in the tissue;
(h) gripping the pointed end of the first suture and pulling the end out of the tissue for drawing the first suture through the tissue leaving a length of the first portion of the suture in the tissue;
(i) repeating steps (f) through (h) for advancing longitudinally along the tissue in the direction away from the bone; and
(j) repeating steps (c) through (i) with the pointed end of a second suture so that the exit and entry points of the second suture in the tissue are adjacent to the corresponding exit and entry points of the first suture and the path of the second suture substantially mirrors the path of the first suture. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification