Linvatec Corporation

Robert C Hackett

Joseph Fucci

Mark A Bellafiore

T Dan Moore

Robert C Peters

David G Phillips

Sam R Marchand

A Frank Trott

Anne F Booth

A system for inserting a cannulated tissue anchor during endoscopic surgical procedures. The system incorporates an elongated generally cylindrical tissue anchor having a plurality of barbs outwardly extending from its body and a transverse head situated at its proximal end. The head is elongated along a major axis which is misaligned relative to the rows of barbs on the body of the tissue anchor in order to enhance retention of the anchor within selected tissue. The anchor may be inserted during an endoscopic surgical procedure by a single-handed operation utilizing an instrument having a longitudinally slidable needle for guiding the anchor into place and a longitudinally slidable push rod for pushing the anchor along the needle. The system incorporates a package/loading device to facilitate the assembly of a cannulated tissue anchor with the inserter, the package/loading device being provided with a means for guiding the inserter needle through the axial bore of the tissue anchor.

Cannulated tissue anchor system

A package consists of a plastic 'card' made up of a flat, rectangular piece of material having a centrally located scoring allowing the piece of material to be folded upon itself to provide an inner enclosure. The card includes two halves to either side of the scoring, a first half including cut-outs forming two tabs that enmesh with two slots formed in the second half so that when the card is folded about the scoring, the tabs may be inserted into the slots to hold the card in the folded configuration. The second half has a series of slots of various configurations and located in desired locations to allow retention of a guide wire, suture and suture anchor in a desired configuration. Adjacent slots provided for receipt of the guide wire are laterally misaligned to cause the guide wire to be slightly bowed when inserted through these adjacent slots, thereby facilitating a creation of frictional forces that act to retain the guide wire in its mounted position on the second half of the card, absent application of a removing force. Slots are provided permitting the suture to be easily removed from the card by pulling it in one direction. At the end of the suture, the suture anchor is retained by a loop of the suture extending through an opening in the proximal end of the suture anchor. Slots are formed on a top edge of the second half of the card and the suture is wound across this third pair of slots between the guide wire and the second pair of slots. Between the two slots forming a third pair of slots, the user may easily grasp the suture and, with a pulling motion, may remove the guide wire, the suture and the suture anchor.

Package for retaining a suture and a suture anchor

A universal dispenser for implants or other items includes a lightweight, thin housing made up of two clamshell halves pivoted together at a hinge. One of the halves has two laterally spaced recesses and the other of the halves has two laterally spaced projections configured to be frictionally retained within respective ones of the recesses when the halves are pivoted to a closed position. At least one of the clamshell halves has an elongated recess to form a chamber when the clamshell halves are pivoted to the closed position. The ends of the clamshell halves most remote from one another may include halves of an opening which is formed when the halves are pivoted to the closed position. This opening may be provided, if necessary or desired, so that an item such as an implant stored within the chamber formed by one or both elongated recesses may be removed therefrom when the clamshell halves are in the closed position merely by squeezing their edges together to expand the size of the opening and allow the item or implant to fall out of the opening. The size of the chamber formed by one or both of the elongated recesses is slightly smaller in its dimensions than the dimensions of the item or implant that is to be stored therein so that, when the item or implant is placed in the chamber and the clamshell halves are closed together to enclose the item or implant, a slight bowing of the clamshell halves occurs to frictionally retain it within the chamber.

Universal implant dispenser

A single size, universal-type container capable of receiving any one of a variety of elongated medical devices such as rotatable arthroscopic shaver blades, drills, pins, wires and the like. The container has a generally trapezoidal transverse cross-section tapering inwardly from an open end at which a cover or lid may be heat-sealed. The trapezoidal shape enables the container to receive elongated cylindrical devices having different diameters. The container is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced locking stations, each provided with a plurality of opposed arcuate wall sections for engaging opposite sides of the elongated medical device. The arcuate wall sections of each locking station vary in size from the bottom opening of the container such that the smallest diameter elongated medical devices are retained deep within the container while the largest diameter medical devices are retained closer to the opening of the container. A pair of laterally spaced trigger tabs are molded on the outside of the top wall of the container. The peripheral container wall interconnects the arcuate wall sections to the trigger tab associated with that section such that squeezing the tabs opens the gap between the arcuate wall sections to release the device.

Growing community of inventors

Tampa, FL, United States of America

Robert C Hackett