DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FIXATING A SUTURE ANCHOR WITH A SUTURE OR A HEADED ANCHOR IN HARD TISSUE

摘要

Apparatus and methods as disclosed are suitable for securing a soft tissue to a hard tissue with the aid of a suture anchor 2 and a suture 4 or with the aid of a head anchor where the anchor 2 is pressed into the hard tissue, Step) and then fixed therein by means of on-site liquefaction of the material with thermoplastic properties (fixing step). Such an apparatus includes a vibration tool 1 and an anchor 2 and possibly a support element 80 wherein the anchor 2 includes an anchor foot 22 and a thermoplastic sleeve 23. The thermoplastic sleeve 23 comprises a material having thermoplastic properties. The anchor foot 22 has a distal end adapted to be pressed into the hard tissue, which is connected to the distal end of the vibrating tool 1 and the thermoplastic sleeve 23 is seated on the proximal surface of the anchor foot 22, Wherein the proximal portion of the vibrating tool and / or anchor foot extends into or through the thermoplastic sleeve. The connection between the tool 1 and the anchor foot 22 is provided not only to transmit vibration from the tool to the anchor foot but also to transmit compressive and tensile forces. By this means, by applying a compressive force and a vibration to the tool 1, the anchor 2 can be pressed into the hard tissue and can be fixed in the hard tissue by liquefaction of the sleeve material by applying a tensile force and a vibration to the tool 1. [ That is, two steps of the fixation process are performed using the same tool and without displacing the tool between the two steps.