Method and apparatus for coupling soft tissue to bone

• US 8,932,331 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• 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: Kaiser, Ryan A., Denham, Gregory J., Stone, Kevin T., Bonnarens, Frank O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dornbusch, Dianne
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORKIN, ALEXANDER J
• Application Number:
  US13/412,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 606/228, 606/232, 606/139, 606/142, 606/144, 606/148, 623/13.14
• 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 2017/0404 Buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors
• 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 2017/044 with a threaded shaft, e.g. screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0441 the shaft being a rigid coil or spiral
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0445 cannulated, e.g. with a longitudinal through-hole for passage of an instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0448 Additional elements on or within the anchor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0464 for soft tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0475 using sutures having a slip knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06185 hollow or tubular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0811 Fixation devices for tendons or ligaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0835 with deformation of anchor parts, e.g. expansion of dowel by set screw
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0852 Fixation of a loop or U-turn, e.g. eyelets, anchor having multiple holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0864 Fixation of tendon or ligament between anchor elements, e.g. by additional screws in the anchor, anchor crimped around tendon
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/087 Anchor integrated into tendons, e.g. bone blocks, integrated rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0882 : Anchor in or on top of a bone tunnel, i.e. a hole running through the entire bone

Abstract

A method and apparatus for coupling a soft tissue implant into a locking cavity formed within a bone. The method includes the following: implanting in bone a first anchor including a first suture construct connected to the first anchor; passing a first adjustable loop of the first suture construct at least one of over or through the soft tissue; coupling the first adjustable loop to one of a first locking feature of the first anchor or a second locking feature of a second anchor; adjusting the first adjustable loop by pulling a first end of the first suture construct; and securing the soft tissue against bone by pulling the first end of the first suture construct.

Claims

1. A bone anchor for coupling soft tissue to bone comprising:

a bone coupling portion including a plurality of bone locking features;

a tissue coupling portion adjacent to the bone coupling portion, the tissue coupling portion defining an aperture and a suture coupling feature; and

a suture construct seated within the aperture, the suture construct extending from a first end to a second end and including a first adjustable loop and a second adjustable loop, wherein the first end of the suture construct extends through a first passage portion defined by the suture construct and the second end of the suture construct extends through a second passage portion defined by the suture construct,

wherein pulling the first end of the suture construct decreases a length of the first adjustable loop,

wherein the first and second passage portions positioned at the aperture in the tissue coupling portion to substantially fix the passage portion at the aperture.

2. The bone anchor of claim 1, wherein the first passage portion further includes a first portion having a first aperture and a second aperture and the second passage portion further includes a second portion having a third aperture and a fourth aperture, the first end of the suture construct passing through the first portion and the second end of the suture construct passing through the second portion.

3. The bone anchor of claim 1, wherein the first aperture is the same as the third aperture, and the second aperture is the same as the fourth aperture.

4. The bone anchor of claim 1, wherein the suture coupling feature includes a hook.

5. The bone anchor of claim 1, wherein the first end passes through a first aperture defined by a body portion of the suture construct and into a longitudinal internal bore defined by the first passage portion and out the second aperture defined by the body portion to form the first adjustable loop;

and

wherein the second end of the suture construct passes through a third aperture defined by the body portion and into the longitudinal internal bore defined by the second passage portion and out a fourth aperture defined by the body portion to form a second adjustable loop.

6. The bone anchor of claim 5, wherein the first aperture and the fourth aperture are the same, and the second aperture and the third aperture are the same.

7. A bone anchor comprising:

a bone coupling portion including a bone locking feature;

a suture coupling feature for coupling a first portion of a suture and defining an aperture; and

a suture construct configured to be disposed within the aperture,

wherein the suture construct includes a continuous braided body defining a longitudinally extending first passage portion and a longitudinally extending second passage portion, and a first suture portion extending from the continuous braided body and passing into the first passage portion and out of the first passage portion so as to place the first suture portion outside of the first passage portion, and define an adjustable first loop, and a second suture portion extending from the continuous braided body and passing into the second passage portion and out the second passage portion, so as to place the second suture portion outside of the second passage portion, and define an adjustable second loop,

wherein the first passage portion and the second passage portion are positioned at the aperture in the suture coupling feature to couple the suture construct to the aperture.

8. The bone anchor of claim 7, wherein the bone locking feature is selected from the group consisting of threading and a plurality of annular ribbed rings.

9. The bone anchor of claim 7, wherein the suture coupling feature is configured to accept an adjustable loop from a suture construct.

10. The bone anchor of claim 7, wherein the first suture portion passes through a first aperture into the first passage portion and through a second aperture out of the first passage portion, and the second suture portion passes through a third aperture into the second passage portion and through a fourth aperture and out of the second passage portion.

11. The bone anchor of claim 10, wherein the first aperture is the same as the fourth aperture, and the second aperture is the same as the third aperture.

12. The bone anchor of claim 7, wherein the first and second adjustable loops are self-locking, and the size of the first and second adjustable loops can be adjusted by pulling on the first and second ends of the suture construct, respectively.

13. An anchor for coupling soft tissue to bone comprising:

a bone coupling portion at a first end of the anchor;

a suture coupling hook at a second end of the anchor; and

a suture construct disposed within an aperture at the second end of the anchor,

wherein the suture construct includes;

(i) a continuous braided body defining a longitudinally extending passage;

(ii) a first end extending from the continuous braided body and passing through a first aperture in the continuous braided body, through a first portion of the passage in a first direction, and out a second aperture in the continuous braided body so as to place the first end outside of the passage, and define a first loop; and

(iii) a second end extending from the continuous braided body and passing through a third aperture in the continuous braided body, through a second portion of the passage in a second direction, the second direction being opposite of the first direction, and out a fourth aperture in the continuous braided body so as to place the second end outside of the passage, and define a second loop,

wherein the longitudinally extending passage is positioned within the aperture at the second end of the anchor to couple the suture construct to the anchor.

14. The anchor of claim 13, wherein the bone coupling portion comprises a bone locking feature.

15. The anchor of claim 14, wherein the bone locking feature is threading or a plurality of raised ridges.

16. The anchor of claim 13, wherein the first loop and the second loop are adjustable and self-locking.

17. The anchor of claim 13, wherein the first and second loops can couple soft tissue to bone when the anchor is locked into a bone with the bone coupling portion of the anchor.

18. The anchor of claim 13, wherein the hook is configured to receive either a loop from the suture construct disposed within the aperture or a different loop from a suture construct coupled to another anchor.

19. The bone anchor of claim 13, wherein the first aperture is the same as the fourth aperture, and the second aperture is the same as the third aperture.

20. The bone anchor of claim 13, wherein the passage further includes a first portion having the first aperture and the second aperture and a second portion having the third aperture and the fourth aperture, the first end of the continuous braided body passing through the first portion and the second end of the continuous braided body passing through the second portion.