Controlled suture tensioning
Inventors
Rao, Jyoti B. • Carpenter, John Richard • Janish, Bryan A.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12419631-B2
Publication Date
2025-09-23
Expiration Date
Abstract
A tensioning device includes an elongate plunger, a plunger track housing configured to receive the plunger therein at least in part, an elongate tube configured to be coupled to the plunger track housing, and an actuator configured to cause axial translation of at least a portion of the plunger within the plunger track housing.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a controlled suture-tensioning device that includes an elongate plunger received in a plunger track housing and an actuator configured to cause axial translation of the plunger within the housing. The plunger track housing includes an axial opening configured to fit the plunger, and the plunger includes first radially-projecting screw threading that is radially flattened over at least one circumferential segment. An elongate tube is configured to be coupled to the plunger track housing, providing a fixed-distance tensioning interface via coupling to a distal tube coupled to a pledget.
The actuator includes second screw threading configured to be made with the first screw threading of the plunger, such that rotating the actuator adjusts the axial position between the plunger component and the plunger track component to thereby adjust a tension of a portion of the suture. The plunger component and plunger track component further cooperate to restrain rotational movement of the plunger relative to the plunger track using an axial inner channel with at least one flat edge configured to contact at least one flat side of the plunger shaft. This mechanical arrangement supports axially controlled, rotation-restrained tension adjustment.
Suture fixation is provided on the plunger, including a Luer assembly and a radially-projecting suture-wind form. The disclosure additionally includes multi-suture and multi-channel configurations and cassette-style arrangements for separately or simultaneously tensioning multiple suture pairs.
Claims Coverage
The document provides two independent claims: one directed to a suture-tensioning device and one directed to a method for tensioning sutures in a patient. Across these claims, the inventive coverage emphasizes an axially translating plunger driven by mated screw threads, non-rotational restraint achieved through truncated or flat-edge contact, and a tube-coupled tension interface, along with rotation-based tension adjustment in the method claim.
Axially translating plunger with flattened radially-projecting screw threading in a truncated-circle housing opening
An elongate plunger includes first radially-projecting screw threading that is radially flattened over at least one circumferential segment of the plunger, and the plunger track housing includes an axial opening having a truncated circle shape and configured to fit the plunger therein.
Actuator with second screw threading mating with first screw threading to cause axial translation
An actuator configured to cause axial translation of at least a portion of the plunger within the plunger track housing, the actuator including second screw threading configured to made with the first screw threading of the plunger.
Elongate tube coupled to the plunger track housing
An elongate tube configured to be coupled to the plunger track housing.
Method drawing sutures through channels, fixing to a plunger shaft with at least one flat side, and rotating actuator to adjust tension
Drawing a suture through one or more channels of a suture-tensioning device; fixing the suture to a plunger component of the suture-tensioning device, the plunger component including an elongate shaft with radially-oriented outer threading, the elongate shaft having a cross-sectional shape of a circle with at least one flat side; adjusting a relative axial position between the plunger component and a plunger track component by rotating an actuator about an axis of the plunger track component to thereby adjust a tension of a portion of the suture, the actuator including radially-oriented inner threading configured to engage with the outer threading.
Non-rotational restraint via axial inner channel flat edge contacting flat side of the plunger shaft
The plunger track component includes an axial inner channel dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the elongate shaft of the plunger component, the axial inner channel having at least one flat edge configured to contact the at least one flat side of the elongate shaft to restrain rotational movement of the plunger component relative to the plunger track component.
The claim set centers on a device and method where tension is adjusted by rotation-driven axial translation of a plunger through mated screw threads, while rotational movement is mechanically restrained by flattened shaft geometry cooperating with a truncated or non-circular housing opening and an axial inner channel flat edge contact. The method claim grounds the tensioning workflow around drawing sutures through channels, fixing to the plunger shaft with flat-side geometry, and rotating the actuator to set tension with the non-rotational restraint provided by the plunger track inner channel.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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