Suture passer devices and uses thereof

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods for securing tissue to bone using a bone anchoring system are described. Methods and apparatuses may allow transformation between locked and unlocked states, thereby allowing adjustment of the tension in the suture. The apparatus and / or methods may allow unidirectional movement of a suture, while preventing slippage or movement of the suture and tissue in the opposite direction. Ends of a suture may be individually tensioned to adjust positioning of a tissue with respect to a bone.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application claims the right of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 784,679, filed Mar. 22, 2006. The prior application is commonly owned with the present application and the entire contents thereof are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to systems, methods and apparatus for securing tissue to bone. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and methods for facilitating the attachment of tissue to bone using a bone anchoring system. The present invention further relates to a suture passer instruments for retrieving a suture loop. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Many attempts have been made to provide devices that allow the arthroscopic securing of torn tissue to a human bone. For example, numerous devices have been designed to al...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a suture passer that can be used to securely pass sutures through tissue. The suture passer has a handle, an elongated central portion, and a distal end with an upper jaw and a lower jaw. The lower jaw has a suture passage through it, and the upper jaw has a suture capture element that can engage a suture loop. The suture passer also has a reversible suture engaging element that can be moved between a first position and a second position to engage or disengage the suture loop. Additionally, the suture passer has a reversible extendable suture threader that can be extended to pass a loop of suture through the upper or lower jaw. The technical effects of this invention include improved precision and ease of use for suture passing in surgical procedures."

Problems solved by technology

This procedure is often tedious and time-consuming.

Most devices require the use of a separate tool to grab onto and retrieve the suture, thereby further reducing the working space and adding risk of contamination, or leading to a tendency for the suture to deform or collapse suture is manually retrieved.

In addition, tying the knot in this manner is particularly difficult during endoscopic surgeries, where the visual field for the surgeon is severely limited by the narrow surgical area.

Images