Suture and soft anchor assembly and method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9486202-B2
Application number	US-201314081112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2013
Priority date	Nov 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A method of anchoring a suture into a pilot hole in bone, utilizing a suture anchor. A lumen-defining circular soft wall, having a first and second end, is slidably engaged to a piece of suture, a first length of which extends from the first end of the wall and is threaded through the lumen from the second end, and a second length of which extends from the second end and is threaded through the lumen from the first end. The suture anchor is introduced into the pilot hole so that the first length and second length of suture material extend out of the pilot hole. The first length and second length are pulled on alternately, thereby permitting the suture anchor structure to slide on the piece of suture material, and to be compacted evenly by the pulling, until the suture anchor is set in the pilot hole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a soft suture assembly, including a soft suture anchor, comprising:
(a) providing a piece of suture material;
(b) constructing a soft structure about said piece of suture material, by:
(i) placing said piece of suture material in a suture braiding machine and braiding it together with a set of fibers so that it forms a warp end of a resultant braided suture extent;
(ii) cutting a length of said resultant braided suture extent, said length being comprised of said piece of suture material and a remainder made of said fibers; and
(iii) cutting away from said remainder on either longitudinal side of a portion of said remainder, thereby creating a soft structure formed by said portion of said remainder, which is slidably engaged to said piece of suture material; (iv) and wherein said soft structure defines a lumen, separate from said slidable engagement of said soft structure to said piece of suture and wherein said soft structure has a first longitudinal end out of which extends a first length of said piece of suture material and has a second longitudinal end opposed to said first longitudinal, out of which extends a second length of said piece of suture material;

(c) threading said first length through said lumen from said second to said first end, thereby forming a first loop, and such that said first length extends out of said lumen at said first end of said soft structure and threading said second length through said lumen, from said first end to said second, thereby forming a second loop, such that said second length extends out of said lumen at said second end of said soft structure, and thereby forming a soft anchor made up of said soft structure and said loops, and with said first and second lengths extending outwardly for attachment to anatomical structures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said fibers of said soft structure are at least 90% UHWMPE.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said piece of suture material is a length number 2 suture.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first length extends at least 10 cm from said lumen at said soft structure first end and said second length extends at least 10 cm from said lumen at said soft structure second end.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said piece of suture material is at least 90% UHWMPE by weight.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein yet another suture piece is threaded through said lumen, thereby providing yet additional possible suture attachment points.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an additional suture piece is threaded through said lumen, thereby providing additional possible suture attachment points.

Assignees

• River Point Llc
• Riverpoint Medical Llc

Inventors

• Ferguson Patrick Edward

Classifications

• A61B2017/0458

  Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot · CPC title

• A61B17/0485

  Devices or means, e.g. loops, for capturing the suture thread and threading it through an opening of a suturing instrument or needle eyelet · CPC title

• A61B17/0401 Primary

  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 title

• A61B2017/0406

  Pledgets · CPC title

• A61B2017/00526

  Methods of manufacturing · CPC title