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EP-4076217-B1 - SYNDESMOSIS TREATMENT CONSTRUCT

EP4076217B1EP 4076217 B1EP4076217 B1EP 4076217B1EP-4076217-B1

Inventors

  • TAYLOR, ALAN, G.
  • WAHL, REBECCA, HAWKINS

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20201215

Claims (6)

  1. A syndesmosis treatment construct for cinching a first bone and a second bone together, the syndesmosis treatment construct comprising: a distal fixator (108) configured to be passed through a bone hole across the first bone and the second bone and contacting the second bone; a proximal fixator (104) configured to contact the first bone; a first suture (112) and a second suture (116) parallelly looped through the proximal fixator and the distal fixator such that a proximal end (120) of the first suture and a proximal end (124) of the second suture extend from the proximal fixator; one or more free splices (140, 141) that slidably ride on adjacent portions of the first suture and the second suture; and characterised by : one or more stitch splices (144, 145) that fixedly receive distal ends of the first suture and the second suture.
  2. The syndesmosis treatment construct of claim 1, wherein the proximal fixator includes a bar (160) that separates a first aperture (156) and a second aperture (164).
  3. The syndesmosis treatment construct of claim 2, wherein the distal end of the first suture (112) and the distal end of the second suture (116) loop around the bar before being fixedly received by the one or more stitch splices (144, 145).
  4. The syndesmosis treatment construct of claim 2, wherein the proximal end (120) of the first suture passes through the first aperture (156) and the proximal end (124) of the second suture passes through the second aperture (164).
  5. The syndesmosis treatment construct of claim 1, wherein the proximal end (120) of the first suture and the proximal end (124) of the second suture exit the one or more free splices (140, 141) and extend adjacently to the one or more stitch splices (144, 145) toward the proximal fixator.
  6. The syndesmosis treatment construct of claim 5, wherein the distal end of the first suture (112) and the distal end of the second suture (116) exit the one or more stitch splices (144, 145), loop around a bar (160) comprising the proximal fixator (104) and are fixedly received into the one or more stitch splices, or wherein the one or more free splices (140, 141) are configured to compress the portions of the proximal ends within the one or more free splices during tensioning of the first suture and the second suture so as to maintain a cinched configuration of the first bone and the second bone.

Description

PRIORITY This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application, entitled "Syndesmosis Treatment Construct," filed on December 17, 2019 and having application serial number 16/717,981. FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of securing bones together. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to systems for a syndesmosis treatment construct configured to be placed into a cinched configuration that secures a first bone against a second bone. BACKGROUND A syndesmosis is a slightly movable fibrous joint in which bones such as the tibia and fibula are joined together by connective tissue. The distal tibia fibular joint and the radioulnar joint are examples of syndesmoses. Injuries to the ankle syndesmosis are common and frequently occur in patients having ankle fractures. Due to the complex biomechanics of ankle syndesmosis injuries and the relatively increased healing time associated with them, there has been widespread debate on both the strongest and most appropriate methods of fixation when treated operatively. Conventional treatments for ankle syndesmosis injuries include metallic or bioabsorbable screw fixation, as well as various methods of suture button fixation. A benefit of suture button fixation treatments is that they generally do not require additional procedures for removal of implants as do screw fixation treatments. Suture fixation systems are disclosed in US 2019/038276 A1, US 2019/274681 A1 and US 2019/099258 A1. There is an ongoing need for the development of bone fusion capabilities such as that related to, for example, treating injuries to the ankle syndesmosis. Provided herein are embodiments and methods for a syndesmosis treatment construct configured to be placed into a cinched configuration that presses a first bone against a second bone. SUMMARY An apparatus and method are provided for syndesmosis treatment constructs to be passed through a bone hole across a first bone and a second bone and placed into a cinched configuration whereby the first bone and the second bone are pressed together. In one embodiment, the syndesmosis treatment construct comprises a proximal fixator configured to contact the first bone, a distal fixator configured to contact the second bone, and a suture comprising a first segment and a second segment that share an intervening splice. The first segment loops through the distal fixator before passing through the splice and extending from the proximal fixator. The second segment loops through the proximal fixator and passes through the splice before looping through the distal fixator and extending from the proximal fixator. The splice compresses and seizes the first and second segments during pulling ends of the suture by a practitioner, thereby establishing the cinched configuration. In one embodiment, a first suture and a second suture are parallelly looped through the distal fixator. A free splice slidably rides on proximal ends and distal ends of both of the first and second sutures. The distal ends are looped through the proximal fixator and bound within a stitch splice. The proximal ends are passed outside of the stitch splice and through the proximal fixator. The free splices compress and seize the proximal ends during pulling of the proximal ends by a practitioner so as to maintain the cinched configuration. According to the invention, a syndesmosis treatment construct for cinching a first bone and a second bone together is provided as defined by claim 1. In an exemplary embodiment, the proximal fixator includes a bar that separates a first aperture and a second aperture. In another exemplary embodiment, the distal end of the first suture and the distal end of the second suture loop around the bar before being fixedly received by the one or more stitch splices. In another exemplary embodiment, the proximal end of the first suture passes through the first aperture and the proximal end of the second suture passes through the second aperture. In another exemplary embodiment, the proximal end of the first suture and the proximal end of the second suture exit the one or more free splices and extend adjacently to the one or more stitch splices toward the proximal fixator. In another exemplary embodiment, the distal end of the first suture and the distal end of the second suture exit the one or more stitch splices, loop around a bar comprising the proximal fixator and are fixedly received into the one or more stitch splices. In another exemplary embodiment, the one or more free splices are configured to compress the portions of the proximal ends within the one or more free splices during tensioning of the first suture and the second suture so as to maintain a cinched configuration of the first bone and the second bone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which: Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a s