Soft tissue repair and conduit device

• US 8,273,106 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biomet Sports Medicine LLC (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biomet Sports Medicine LLC (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stone, Kevin T., Denham, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dornbusch, Dianne
• Application Number:
  US12/976,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 606/300, 606/213, 606/215, 606/216, 606/232, 606/60, 606/74, 606/151, 623/13.11, 623/14.12
• 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 17/0469 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 2017/0404 Buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0475 using sutures having a slip knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0477 with pre-tied sutures
• 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 hollow suture needles A61B2017/061
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0646 for insertion into cartillege, e.g. meniscus

Abstract

A soft tissue repair device includes a deformable tubular member having a longitudinal bore extending between first and second open ends and a flexible strand passing through the longitudinal bore of the tubular member. The flexible strand has a first end portion extending outside the first open end of the tubular member and a second portion forming a first loop that passes through the second open end of the tubular member and an intermediate opening between the first and second open ends of the tubular member. Pulling the first end portion of the flexible strand away from the tubular member deforms a portion of the tubular member between the second open end and the intermediate opening into a folded shape forming a soft tissue anchor.

Claims

1. A soft tissue repair device comprising:

a deformable tubular member having a longitudinal bore extending between first and second open ends of the tubular member; and

a flexible strand passing through the longitudinal bore of tubular member, the flexible strand having a first end portion extending outside the first open end of the tubular member and a second portion forming a first loop that passes through the second open end of the tubular member and an intermediate opening between the first and second open ends of the tubular member, such that pulling the first end portion of the flexible strand away from the tubular member deforms a second portion of the tubular member between the second open end and the intermediate opening into a folded shape forming a soft tissue anchor and maintains a remaining first portion between the intermediate opening and the first open end in a straight configuration.

2. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the folded shape is U-shape.

3. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the folded shape is a ball like shape.

4. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the flexible strand forms a second loop.

5. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the flexible strand includes a second end coupled the second loop with a slipknot.

6. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the tubular member comprises harvested vascular material.

7. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the tubular member comprises natural or synthetic biocompatible material.

8. The soft tissue repair device of claim 1, wherein the tubular member is a tubular braided suture.

9. A soft tissue repair device comprising:

a single deformable elongated tubular member having a first open end and a second open end and an intermediate point between the first and second open ends, the tubular member having a first portion between the first open end and the intermediate point and a second portion between the intermediate point and the second open end, wherein the first portion forms an elongated soft tissue vascularization conduit for fluidically connecting opposite sides of soft tissue to form a vascularization path, and wherein the second portion forms a deformable soft tissue anchor integral to the vascularization conduit; and

a flexible strand passing through the soft tissue anchor and configured to deform only the soft tissue anchor into a folded shape by tensioning the flexible strand while the first portion is maintained in a straight configuration, wherein the flexible strand forms first and second loops passing through a longitudinal bore extending between the first and second open ends of the tubular member.

10. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the flexible strand passes through the vascularization conduit.

11. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the folded shape is U-shaped.

12. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the folded shape is ball-like.

13. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the flexible strand has first and seconds ends, the first end extending out of the longitudinal bore for tensioning the flexible strand, and the second end forming a slipknot on the second loop.

14. The soft tissue repair device of claim 13, wherein the first loop passes through the longitudinal bore between the second open end and a first opening through a sidewall of the tubular member and intermediate between the first and second open ends.

15. The soft tissue repair device of claim 14, wherein the second loop passes through second and third openings through the sidewall of the tubular member and intermediate between the first and second open ends.

16. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the tubular member comprises harvested vascular material.

17. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the tubular member comprises natural or synthetic biocompatible material.

18. The soft tissue repair device of claim 9, wherein the tubular member is a tubular braided suture.

19. A soft tissue repair device comprising:

a deformable tubular member having a longitudinal bore extending between first and second open ends of the tubular member; and

a flexible strand having first and second ends, the flexible strand forming first and second intersecting loops, the first loop passing through a first portion of the longitudinal bore between the second open end and a first opening through a sidewall of the tubular member and intermediate between the first and second open ends, the second loop passing through a second portion of the longitudinal bore between second and third openings through the sidewall of the tubular member and intermediate between the first and second open ends, the first end of the flexible strand extending through the longitudinal bore from the first opening and out the first open end, the second end of the flexible strand forming a slipknot with the second loop, such that pulling the first end deforms a second portion of the tubular member between the second open end and the first opening into a folded shape forming a soft tissue anchor and maintains a remaining first portion between the first opening and the first open end in a straight configuration.

20. The soft tissue repair device of claim 19 wherein the tubular member comprises harvested vascular material.

21. The soft tissue repair device of claim 19, wherein the tubular member comprises natural or synthetic biocompatible material.

22. The soft tissue repair device of claim 19, wherein the tubular member is a tubular braided suture.