Helical anchor driving system

Inventors

Azar, Toufic • Cecere, Renzo • Nammour, Elia • Yared, Bechara • Farhat, Daniel • Hijazi, Ahmad

Assignees

Meacor Inc

Abstract

A system for driving an helical anchor into biological tissue including concentric inner and outer drivers defining a driver passageway therebetween for mounting the helical anchor thereinto, the inner and outer drivers being axially rotatable and longitudinally fixed relative to each other. The inner driver includes a protrusion protruding in the driver passageway and configured for engaging the helical anchor to prevent pure translation of the anchor along the inner driver while allowing helical movements of the helical anchor relative to the inner driver. The outer driver is includes a slot extending therealong from an outer driver distal end towards an outer driver proximal end, the slot receiving the anchor protrusion thereinto and allowing movements of the anchor protrusion therealong. An actuator selectively rotates the inner and outer driver relatively to each other.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a helical anchor driving system for driving a helical anchor into biological tissue. The helical anchor includes a substantially helical anchor body defining anchor body proximal and distal ends and an anchor body passageway extending therethrough, and has an anchor protrusion extending radially from the anchor body at the anchor body proximal end.

The system includes substantially elongated inner and outer drivers that are concentric relative to each other and define a driver passageway therebetween. The helical anchor is mountable between the inner and outer drivers in the driver passageway, where the inner and outer drivers are axially rotatable relative to each other and longitudinally substantially fixed relative to each other.

A first driver surface facing the driver passageway includes at least one protrusion that engages the helical anchor to prevent pure translation of the helical anchor along the first driver while allowing helical movement relative to the first driver. A second driver includes a driving section extending from a second driver distal end towards a second driver proximal end, with a slot extending therealong and configured and sized for receiving the anchor protrusion and allowing movement of the anchor protrusion along the slot.

An actuator is operatively coupled to the inner and outer drivers at the proximal ends and selectively rotates the inner and outer drivers relative to each other to drive helical movement of the anchor.

Claims Coverage

The partial content provides two independent claims. Across both independent claims, the coverage centers on concentric inner and outer axially rotatable drivers with a driver-engaging protrusion that prevents pure translation, combined with a second driver slot guiding movement of the anchor protrusion and an actuator that selectively rotates the drivers relative to each other.

Together, the independent claims define a helical anchor driving system that mounts the anchor between concentric inner and outer drivers which are axially rotatable relative to each other, uses a first driver surface protrusion that prevents pure translation while allowing helical motion, and uses a second driver having a slot that receives and guides the anchor protrusion. An actuator selectively rotates the inner and outer drivers to produce the helical drive.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found