The present disclosure relates to apparatus and methods for securing a flexible member.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
During certain surgical procedures, the surgeon must manage several pieces of suture or flexible strands. Common suture management techniques include placing a grasper around the suture to crimp the suture and then letting the graspers hang or otherwise rest at the surgical site. The sutures often become tangled and additional surgical time is used to organize and verify the location of particular sutures. For example, with rotator cuff repair, it is not uncommon to use six or more sutures at the surgical site. These six or more sutures are often coming from a cannula, thereby reducing the organization of the sutures, or the sutures can come from an open surgical site. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a suture management system that is efficient and allows for quick identification and separation of sutures.
The present teachings provide methods of managing a plurality of flexible members at a surgical site. At least one flexible member is aligned in at least one of a plurality of flexible slots defined by a flexible member managing device to organize the plurality of flexible members. The flexible member managing device is then arranged remote from the surgical site.
The present teachings also provide methods of managing a plurality of flexible members at a surgical site. At least one of the plurality of flexible members is attached to a rotator cuff. The flexible members are then aligned with at least one of the plurality of flexible member receiving slots defined by the flexible member managing device to organize the flexible members. The flexible member managing device is then arranged remote from the rotator cuff thereby tensioning the flexible member and effecting tissue closure of the rotator cuff.
The present teachings also provide a flexible member managing device. The flexible member managing device comprises a biocompatible body having a base and an extension from the base. At least a portion of the extension defines a plurality of flexible member receiving slots to organize a plurality of flexible members. An attachment region on the flexible member managing device provides repeated, removable fixation of the flexible member managing device.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.
Referring to
While rotator cuff repair is described, it is understood that the devices and surgical techniques can easily be adapted for other orthopedic and non-orthopedic uses. The surgical procedures can be used to fix soft tissue, bone, cartilage, and the like. The surgical procedures can be used to fix or join similar tissue types (cartilage to cartilage) or dissimilar tissue types (bone to soft tissue). The surgical techniques can include minimally invasive and open surgical procedures.
The flexible member 12 can be made from any biocompatible material that is flexible and can pass through and secure a tissue. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, non-resorbable polymers, such as polyethylene or polyester, resorbable polymers, metals, and various combinations thereof. The materials can include those formed into a monofilament, multiple filaments, cables, wires, braids, and the like. In various embodiments, the flexible member 12 can be a hollow material. In various embodiments, the flexible member 12 can be a suture 14.
The flexible member managing device 10 includes a body 18 having a base 18 and an extension 20 projecting from the base 18. The extension 20 defines a plurality of flexible member receiving slots 22 to organize a plurality of flexible members 12.
The flexible member managing device 10 can be made of any biocompatible material. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to silicone, rubber, and other biocompatible polymers; metals, such as titanium, stainless steel, cobalt, the like; and combinations thereof. The flexible member managing device 10 materials can be disposable materials or multiple-use materials. The flexible member managing device 10 can include resilient areas (such as silicone or rubber areas) that allow the flexible member 12 to be squeezed in the flexible member receiving slots 22 without damage to the flexible member 12. The resilient areas can provide both tight securing of the flexible member 12 and easy removal thereof. The flexible member managing device 10 can also be made of rigid and non-resilient materials or combinations of resilient and non-resilient materials.
The base 18 includes a lower surface 24 and an upper surface 26. The lower surface 24 can be planar surface, as shown in
As shown in
In various embodiments, the adhesive region 30 covers a region of the lower surface 24 using strips (shown in
The adhesive region 30 can utilize a mechanical adhesion, such as that from a suction cup, a frictional force between the adhesive region and the underlying surface, such as the frictional force provided when using a silicone pad, or a chemical adhesion, such as the temporary adhesion provided by a temporary surgical tape, biocompatible glue, or fixative. A fabric such as Velcro can also be used to secure the flexible member managing device 10. It is understood that various adhesive materials or techniques not listed herein are also contemplated as useful with the present teachings. The type of adhesive region 30 and the materials used are selected based on for example, the area to which the adhesive region will adhere. For example, the materials used will be different based on whether the adhesive region is going to contact the patient's skin, a covering on the patient, a surgical table under the patient, or a surface adjacent to the patient, such as a tray. The type of adhesive used will also be selected based on whether the particular surgical procedure requires that the flexible member managing device 10 be moved frequently.
Referring to
The flexible member receiving slots 22 extend partially through the extension 20. As shown in
In various embodiments, the flexible member receiving slots 22 can be sized to grippingly engage the flexible members 12 to prevent unintentional dislodging of the flexible members 12, yet still allow for uncomplicated removal of the flexible members 12 by the user. The flexible member receiving slots 22 can include a smooth interior to protect the flexible member 12. The flexible member receiving slots 22 can also be sized to allow the flexible member 12 to rest in the flexible member receiving slot 22 without grippingly engaging the flexible member. For example, the flexible member 12 can loosely rest in the flexible member receiving slot 22.
Referring to
As shown in
Referring to
To align the flexible member 12 in the flexible member receiving slot 22, at least one flexible member 12 is placed in an opening 32 on the flexible member receiving slot 22. As detailed above, multiple flexible members 12 can be placed in the flexible member receiving slots 22 and can be correlated to an indicator 38. The flexible member 12 can be folded over or singly placed in the flexible member receiving slot 22. Multiple flexible members 12 can also be placed in the receiving slots 22, such as shown in
After the flexible member 12 is placed in the appropriate flexible member receiving slot 22, the flexible member managing device 10 can be moved a distance from the surgical site 39 to pull the flexible member 12 taut, as illustrated in
In still other embodiments, the flexible members 12 can also be tensioned by leaning the extension 20 away from the surgical site 28. Leaning the extension 20 can provide the refined tightening of the tissue 40 without significantly displacing the flexible member managing device 10. Leaning the extension 20 can be achieved by rotating or angling the base 18 with respect to the longitudinal axis L as depicted in
The flexible members 12 remain in the respective flexible member receiving slot 22 throughout the movement or angling. The organized flexible members 12 on the flexible member managing device 10 provide even tension on the tissue 40 and can be used to simultaneously pull and tighten all of the flexible members 12.
The user can maintain tension on the flexible members 12 by keeping the flexible members 12 taut while they are in the flexible member receiving slots 22. The tension can be maintained and the tissue 40 can be secured by placing the flexible member managing device 10 at rest on the patient's body, a covering on the patient, a surgical table under the patient, or a surface adjacent to the patient. In embodiments where an adhesive region 30 is employed or where the body 16 is made of a tacky medical grade silicone material, the flexible member managing device 10 can be adhered to the surgical site as detailed above. Moreover, the flexible member managing device 10 can easily be positioned and repositioned throughout the surgical procedure.
Next, the flexible members 12 can be removed from the flexible member receiving slots 22 as needed and the respective flexible members 12 are secured to the tissue 40. The user can switch between flexible members 12 to secure the tissue 40. After the respective flexible member 12 has been secured, the flexible member 12 can be placed back into its marked region on the extension by way of using the indicator 38.
Turning to
The tissue engaging paddle 102 defines a ledge to hook onto tissue at the surgical site. The ledge of the tissue engaging paddle 102 can be angled (90, 70, or 30 degrees as non-limiting examples), or it can be curved with respect to the handle 104.
The handle 104 defines a plurality of bores 110 which extend from near the paddle 102 to the proximal or second end of the tissue retractor 100. The bores 110 can be threaded, smooth, tapered, or have a uniform cross-section. The shape and characteristics of the bores 110 can be selected to match the corresponding fasteners 112. The bores 110 and the fasteners 112 facilitate the temporary securing of the sled 106 to the handle 104 for easy movement of the flexible member managing device 10 from a first location to a second location. The bores 110 provide a plurality of flexible member managing device stations along which the flexible member managing device 10 can be removably attached. The bores 110 can also provide an attachment point for the cross-bar 108.
The sled 106 includes a lower surface 114, an upper surface 116, an opening 118 defined by the upper surface, and at least one bore 120. The lower surface 114 can be placed adjacent to the handle 104. The at least one bore 120 can be aligned to directly communicate with at least one handle bore 110 such that the fastener 112 passes through the handle 104 and engages the sled 106. Although the sled 106 is depicted as being at a 90 degree angle with respect to the handle 104, it is understood that the sled 106 can be placed at any angle with respect to the handle 104 and can be rotated with respect to a position on the handle 104 intraoperatively. For example, where a single fastener 112 is used to secure the sled 106, the fastener 112 serves as a pivot point around which the sled 106 can be rotated to different angles.
The upper surface 116 defines the opening 118 to accommodate the flexible member managing device 10. The opening 118 is sized to receive the flexible member managing device 10 by sliding, snapping, pressing, as non-limiting examples, the flexible member managing device 10 into the opening 118. In various embodiments and as shown in
Although the sled 106 is depicted as separate pieces in
As best shown in
To assemble the tissue retractor 100 and the flexible member managing device 10 combination, the flexible member managing device 10 is disposed in the cuff 122 and/or in the opening 118 on the sled 106. The sled lower surface 114 is then placed at a selected region on the handle 104 such that at least one handle bore 110 is in communication with at least one sled bore 120. At least one fastener 112 is then placed through the handle 104 and into the corresponding sled bore 120. The fastener 112 can be smooth or can be threaded or include another surface feature. The fastener 112 can also be tapered, wedge shaped, or have a uniform cross-section which is the same as or different from the cross-section of the at least one handle bore 110 and the at least one sled bore 120. The fastener 112 is engaged into the handle bore 110 to removably fix the tissue retractor 100. Exemplary engagement of the fastener 112 with the handle bore 110 and the sled bore 120 include press fit, interference fit, screw fit, and the like. It is understood that the various assembly stages can be rearranged or omitted (such as where the cuff 122 is or is not employed).
The present teachings also provide surgical procedures for use in orthopedic defect repair. The surgical procedures can be performed using one or a plurality of the flexible member managing devices 10 or the combination of tissue refractors 100 and flexible member managing devices 10 disclosed herein.
As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
The description of the teachings is merely exemplar in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the teachings are intended to be within the scope of the teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the teachings.
What is claimed is: