Knotless suture lock and bone anchor implant method

• US 7,682,374 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ArthroCare Corporation (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: ArthroCare Corporation (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: Tran, Minh, Gordon, Norman, Vijay, Francis, Foerster, Seth
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene; Pedro
• Application Number:
  US11/375,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20060293710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 606/232, 606/60, 606/139, 606/228, 606/74, 606/75, 606/233, 606/148
• 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 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0412 having anchoring barbs or pins extending outwardly from suture anchor body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0414 having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/042 plastically deformed during insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0422 by insertion of a separate member into the body of the anchor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0427 having anchoring barbs or pins extending outwardly from the anchor body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures

Abstract

A knotless suture lock and bone anchor wherein a suture, looped through a tissue, is threaded through a plurality of body holes in the anchor to cinch the suture and tissue to the anchor without tying a suture knot on the tissue, and wherein the anchor is adapted for embedding in a bone. The tissue is secured to the anchor by suturing the tissue without a suture knot, fastening the standing leg portion of the suture on a suture leg-anchoring structure, and threading the working leg portion of the suture through the body holes. Pulling on the working leg portion of the suture tightens the suture on the body structure and cinches the loop without a suture knot on the tissue. The bone-embedding structure comprises a plurality of barbs adapted to resist pullout of the anchor from the bone.

Claims

1. A suture lock and bone anchoring system, comprising:

an embeddable anchor body structure comprising a plurality of body holes adapted for threading a suture therethrough;

a suture leg-anchoring structure disposed distally of the body structure; and

a suture having a standing leg portion and a working leg portion threaded through the body holes,

wherein the standing leg portion of the suture is attached to the suture leg-anchoring structure, and, wherein the body holes are disposed such that the working leg portion threads through a third body hole, a second body hole, a first body hole and a through a space under the suture between the second and third body holes so as to cinch the working leg portion between the suture and a flattened surface on the body structure.

2. The bone anchoring system of claim 1, wherein pulling on the suture working leg portion tightens the suture on the body structure.

3. The bone anchoring system of claim 1, where the suture is selected from the group consisting of a braded suture and a monofilament suture.

4. The bone anchoring system of claim 1, wherein the standing leg portion comprises a single strand of suture.

5. The bone anchoring system of claim 1, wherein the body structure comprises a plurality of barbed structures adapted for embedding the anchor in the bone.

6. A suture lock and bone anchoring system for attaching tissue to a bone, comprising:

an embeddable body structure comprising a plurality of body holes;

a bone-embedding structure adapted for retaining the body structure in a bone; and

a length of suture loop threaded through the body holes,

wherein the body holes are disposed such that the suture loop threads through a third body hole, a second body hole, a first body hole and a through a space under the suture between the second and third body holes, so as to cinch the suture between the suture and a flattened surface on the body structure.

7. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the bone-embedding structure is disposed proximally of the body structure.

8. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the suture leg-anchoring structure comprises a suture leg-anchoring hole adapted to fasten the standing leg.

9. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the suture leg-anchoring hole defines a shoulder for fastening the standing leg portion of the suture.

10. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the shoulder comprises a flat surface, a hook and a bar structure for fastening the standing leg.

11. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the shoulder is sized to prevent a knot on the standing leg from passing through the suture leg-anchoring hole.

12. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the body structure comprises a first body hole, a second body hole and a third body hole.

13. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the bone-embedding structure comprises a plurality of barbed structures disposed on the body structure.

14. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the body structure comprises a biocompatible material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a polymer, a ceramic or combinations thereof.

15. The bone anchoring system of claim 6, wherein the standing leg portion comprises a single strand of suture.

16. A method of anchoring tissue to bone, comprising:

passing a length of suture through the tissue to obtain a standing leg portion and a working leg portion of suture;

attaching the standing leg portion of the suture to a suture leg-anchoring structure on a bone anchor, the bone anchor comprised of a distal section and a proximal section;

threading the working leg portion of the suture through a plurality of body holes in a body structure of the anchor to form a cinchable suture loop on the anchor proximally of the suture leg-anchoring structure, wherein the cinchable loop is formed by anchoring the standing leg portion in the suture leg-anchoring structure, and threading the working leg portion through a third body hole, a second body hole, a first body hole and a space under the suture between the second and third body holes, whereby pulling on the working leg portion tightens the suture on the body structure; and

embedding the bone anchor in a bone such that the standing leg portion is oriented distally of the anchor body.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the standing leg portion comprises a single strand of suture.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein attaching the standing suture leg to the suture leg-anchoring structure comprises forming a knot on the standing leg portion, and threading the working leg portion of the suture through a plurality of body holes in the suture leg-anchoring structure, whereby on pulling on the working leg portion, the suture tightens on the anchor.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the tissue comprises tissue of the labrum.