Suture anchor system for joining pieces of tissue and instrument for inserting an anchor implant

US6818010B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Aesculap AG & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Juergen Eichhorn · Lappersdorf, DE
• Nicola Giordano · Villingen-Schwenningen, DE
• Karl-Ernst Kienzle · Immendingen, DE
• Gerhard Kirmse · Tuttlingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 25, 2002
• Grant date: Nov 16, 2004
• Expiry date: Jun 12, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S606/916
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In a suture anchor system for joining pieces of tissue, in particular, for repairing meniscal tears, comprising at least two arrow-shaped or pin-shaped anchor implants joined to one another by a flexible suture fastened to the anchor implants, in order to facilitate installation of the anchor implants, it is proposed that at least one of the anchor implants have a continuous longitudinal passageway for receiving a longitudinally displaceable core, that a suture guide for receiving a suture common to all anchor implants for longitudinal displacement in the suture guide be disposed on this anchor implant, that a clamping device for securing the suture in the suture guide be associated with the suture guide, and that the clamping device be inactive so long as the core is located inside the longitudinal passageway and only become active when the core is pulled out of the longitudinal passageway. An instrument for inserting such anchor implants is also described.