Articulated meniscal repair instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11253248-B2
Application number	US-201716328851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2017
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A meniscal repair instrument includes an articulating mechanism configured to move a needle on the tip in a controlled arc. Multiple directions of motion are provided in order to facilitate the deployment of suture anchors. In one aspect, the articulating mechanism includes a series of movable members that are coupled together by two wires that are provided with a push/pull force via a control mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A meniscal repair instrument, comprising:
a flexible shaft having a longitudinal axis;
an articulating mechanism, disposed about the flexible shaft, comprising:
a wire formed in a closed loop having a first looped end and a second looped end; and
a plurality of separately formed, movable members, each of the moveable members having a unitary, annular body disposed about a circumference of the flexible shaft and coupled in series to one another by the wire loop, the annular body defining first and second pairs of through holes, each of two wire strands forming the first looped end extending longitudinally along a first side of the flexible shaft through a different one of the first pair of through holes and each of two wire strands forming the second looped end extending longitudinally along a second side of the flexible shaft through a different one of the second pair of through holes, the articulating mechanism further comprising a terminal movable member; and

a control mechanism, coupled to the articulating mechanism, configured to move the articulating mechanism through a controlled arc of motion, the control mechanism coupled to the wire loop;
wherein the control mechanism comprises a wire cradle coupled to a first side of a thumbwheel, the wire cradle configured to position at least a portion of the wire loop at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis;
wherein each of the first and second looped ends extends across a distal face of the terminal movable member and loops back through the terminal movable member to the control mechanism; and
wherein the two wire strands forming the first looped end are routed through a first opening in the wire cradle and then around the wire cradle, and then through a second opening in the wire cradle to form the second looped end.

2. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 1 , wherein the control mechanism is further configured to push one of the wire strands forming the first looped end and pull another of the wire strands forming the second looped end at a same time.

3. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 1 , further comprising:
a holding mechanism, coupled to the articulating mechanism, configured to prevent the wire loop from moving.

4. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 1 , further comprising:
a movable member support tube, disposed about the flexible shaft, and coupled to the articulating mechanism, the support tube comprising first and second pairs of conduits,
wherein each of the two wire strands forming the first and second looped ends are disposed, respectively, in a different one of the first and second pairs of conduits.

5. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 4 , wherein the first and second pairs of conduits are positioned 180° from one another about a circumference of the flexible shaft.

6. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 1 , wherein a coupling portion of one movable member is coupled to a next movable member in the series.

7. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 6 , wherein the coupling portion defines a plane in which the controlled arc of motion resides.

8. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 1 , wherein the two wire strands forming the first end of the wire loop are further routed from the wire cradle to a second side of the thumbwheel opposite the first side, and back through the thumbwheel to the wire cradle on the first side of the thumbwheel.

9. A meniscal repair instrument, comprising:
a flexible shaft having a longitudinal axis;
a movable member support tube disposed about a portion of the flexible shaft;
an articulating mechanism coupled to the movable member support tube comprising:
a wire formed in a closed loop having a first looped end and a second looped end; and
a plurality of separately formed, movable members, each of the moveable members having a unitary, annular body disposed about a circumference of the flexible shaft and coupled in series to one another by the wire loop, the annular body defining first and second pairs of through holes, each of two wire strands forming the first looped end extending longitudinally along a first side of the flexible shaft through a different one of the first pair of through holes and each of the two wire strands forming the second looped end extending longitudinally along a second side of the flexible shaft through a different one of the second pair of through holes, the articulating mechanism further comprising a terminal movable member;

a control mechanism comprising a wire cradle coupled to the wire loop on a first side of a thumbwheel, the control mechanism configured to push one of the two wire strands forming the first looped end and pull another of the two wire strands forming the second looped end at a same time, the wire cradle configured to position at least a portion of the wire loop at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis;
an actuator disposed at a proximal end of the moveable member support tube;
a push rod disposed in the flexible shaft and coupled to the actuator; and
a needle portion disposed distal to the flexible shaft to define a distal tip of the meniscal repair instrument;
wherein each of the first and second looped ends extends across a distal face of the terminal movable member and loops back through the terminal movable member to the control mechanism; and
wherein the two wire strands forming the first looped end are routed through a first opening in the wire cradle and then around the wire cradle, and then through a second opening in the wire cradle to form the second looped end.

10. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of implants provided within the movable member support tube.

11. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 10 , wherein sutures attached to the implants are confined within the movable member support tube.

12. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 9 , further comprising:
a holding mechanism, coupled to the articulating mechanism, configured to prevent the wire loop from moving.

13. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 9 , wherein the movable member support tube comprises:
first and second pairs of wire conduits,
wherein each of the two wire strands forming the first and second looped ends are disposed, respectively, in a different one of the first and second pairs of wire conduits.

14. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 13 , wherein the first and second pairs of wire conduits are disposed 180° from one another about a circumference of the flexible shaft.

15. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 9 , wherein a coupling portion of one movable member is coupled to a next movable member in the series.

16. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 15 , wherein the coupling portion defines a plane in which the articulating mechanism operates.

17. The meniscal repair instrument of claim 9 , wherein the two wire strands forming the first end of the wire loop are further routed from the wire cradle to a second side of the thumbwheel opposite the first side, and back through the thumbwheel to the wire cradle on the first side of the thumbwheel.

Assignees

• Smith & Nephew Inc

Inventors

• Santangelo Stephen
• O'Leary Anthony
• Cunningham Matthew Dennis

Classifications

• A61B2017/00743

  Type of operation; Specification of treatment sites (A61B2017/00238 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2017/00314

  Separate linked members · CPC title

• A61B2017/00327

  with actuating members moving in opposite directions · CPC title

• A61B2017/0417

  T-fasteners · CPC title

• A61B2017/00309

  Cut-outs or slits · CPC title