Surgery – Instruments – Suture – ligature – elastic band or clip applier
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-05-08
Jackson, Gary (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Suture, ligature, elastic band or clip applier
C606S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228096
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an instrument and method for manipulating an operating member that is attached to suture material while maintaining tension on the suture material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many anatomical structures, soft tissue, such as tendons and ligaments, are inserted into bone tissue through small collagenous fibers. Such structures are very strong thus permitting muscles to affect force on the bone through the tendons or permitting the ligaments to stabilize the bone. Notwithstanding the strength of such structures, various injuries and degeneration often occur in which the soft tissue is torn away from the bone. Various procedures have been developed for reattaching soft tissue to bone tissue.
For example, it is known to utilize screws, staples, cement, or suture material to attach soft tissue to bone tissue. It is also known to insert a suture anchor into a cavity formed in bone tissue. Typically, a suture anchor has sharp burrs, threads, or the like which engage with or bite into surfaces defining the cavity in the bone tissue, and a portion to which a length of suture material is attached. The other end of the suture material is coupled to soft tissue by suturing, tying, or another procedure before or after insertion of the suture anchor into the cavity. Accordingly, soft tissue or the like can be attached to bone tissue to repair damage. However, often density of bone tissue is very low thus rendering it difficult to securely fix an anchor in a bone cavity.
For example, it often is desirable to reattach tendons or other soft tissue to the humerus. However, in most people over the age of 30, the cancellous bone in the humerus has absorbed to the point where the density of the bone is very low and, in some cases, only the cortical bone remains. Of course, when bone density is very low, the strength of the bone tissue is also relatively low and thus it is difficult to reliably fix an anchor to the bone tissue by embedding the anchor in a cavity formed in the bone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to conduct a surgical procedure with an operating member that is coupled to suture material while maintaining tension on the suture material.
It is another object of the invention to reliably attach soft tissue to bone tissue having low density.
It is another object of the invention to place a suture anchor across an opening formed in a bone while maintaining tension on suture attached to the suture anchor to permit the suture anchor to be pulled against the outer surface of the bone.
It is another object of the invention to insert a suture anchor having suture material coupled thereto through a hole formed in bone tissue in a first longitudinal orientation and subsequently turn the suture anchor, while maintaining tension on the suture material, to a transverse orientation to thereby bridge the hole.
It is another object of the invention to reliably insert a suture anchor in minimally invasive and open surgical procedures.
To achieve these objects, the invention is an instrument for conducting a procedure with an operating member that is coupled to suture material. The instrument includes a shaft, means for manipulating the operating member, a handle and a suture tension mechanism configured to grasp a free end of the suture material and retain tension on the suture material that is attached to the operating member when the operating member is received in the guide and pushed out of the distal end of the guide by the pusher.
In one aspect of the invention, the operating member is a suture anchor having a longitudinal axis and the instrument includes a tubular guide having a distal end and a proximal end that is configured to receive the suture anchor and a tubular pusher extending substantially through the guide and having a proximal end and a distal end that is configured to abut the suture anchor received in the distal end of the guide. A handle mechanism is coupled to the guide and the pusher and is operative to cause relative movement between the guide and the pusher to thereby push the suture anchor out of the distal end of the guide. The suture anchor is loaded in the guide with the longitudinal axis of the suture anchor extending substantially along the length of the guide, i.e. in a “longitudinal orientation”, while inner surfaces of the guide retain the longitudinal orientation. While the suture is maintained under tension by the suture tension mechanism, the distal end of the guide can be placed adjacent or in a hole formed in bone tissue or other tissue and the handle mechanism can be operated to cause the pusher to move relative to the guide to thereby push the suture anchor out of the guide. When the suture anchor moves out of the confines of the guide and through the hole to the opposite side of the tissue, the tension on the suture material causes the suture anchor to assume a transverse orientation in which the longitudinal axis of the suture anchor is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide. In the transverse orientation, the suture anchor bridges or spans the hole in the bone or other tissue to prevent the suture anchor from being pulled back through the hole. The suture tension mechanism can be disposed on the pusher to be movable with the pusher or otherwise configured to maintain a constant tension on the suture material regardless of the position of the pusher relative to the guide.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for manipulating an operating member during a surgical procedure while maintaining tension on suture material attached to the operating member.
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Ho (Jackie ) Tan-Uyen T.
Jackson Gary
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