CONSTRUCTS AND METHODS FOR TISSUE REPAIR
A tissue repair construct, having a repair strand, defining a lumen and having a first end defining an opening of the lumen and a second end opposed to the first end. Further, a shuttle having a loop at a first end and a pull end, opposed to the first end, is engaged through the lumen of the repair strand, entering at the opening and exiting at a broach point through the repair strand, the loop extending out of the opening and the pull end being coincident to the second end of the repair strand. The tissue repair construct forming a tight loop to approximate the tissue extents and repairing the tissue tear.
1 . A method of repairing a tissue tear in a tissue, comprising:
providing a tissue repair construct, comprising:
a repair strand including a continuous repair strand body having a lumen extending through at least a portion of the continuous repair strand body, a first end, and a second end, the continuous repair strand body extending between the first end and the second end, the first end including a repair loop and a lumen, the lumen including a first lumen opening and a second lumen opening, the repair loop positioned immediately adjacent to the first lumen opening along a longitudinal axis of the repair strand at the first end of the repair strand and the second end opposed to the first end; and
a shuttle strand having including a continuous shuttle strand body, a pull end and a shuttle loop, the continuous shuttle strand body extending between the shuttle loop and the pull end, the pull end is opposed to the shuttle loop, the pull end extends into the second lumen opening to exit out the first lumen opening, the pull end immediately adjacent to the repair loop and the shuttle loop positioned proximate to the second end of the repair strand,
piercing at least a portion of the tissue at a first side and a second side;
extending the second end of the repair strand and the shuttle loop through the first side of the tissue tear and through the second side of the tissue tear;
engaging the second end of the repair strand through the repair loop and through the shuttle loop; and
pulling on the pull end of said shuttle strand to form a tight loop around the tissue tear.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulling step comprises pulling the shuttle strand completely free.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first lumen opening and the second lumen opening of the lumen is hardened relative to other portions of the repair strand.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the repair strand includes a first suture portion having a first transverse extent, and a second suture portion having a lesser transverse extent than the first suture portion and which is spliced onto the first suture portion.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the repair loop comprises a fixed loop.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lumen is stiffened.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the shuttle loop is joined to the second end of the repair strand.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein joining comprises stitching or splicing.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the repair strand includes a transitioned end.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the transitioned end is reduced in transverse dimension relative to other portions of the repair strand.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the piercing step comprises using a needle.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulling step comprises pulling the pull end of the shuttle strand to extend the shuttle loop through a first side of the tissue tear and the second side of the tissue tear.
13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the pulling step comprises pulling the pull end of the shuttle strand to extend the shuttle loop through a first side of the tissue tear and the second side of the tissue tear to be completely free.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulling step comprises pulling the repair loop through the second side of the tissue tear.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the tight loop around the tissue tear comprises the repairing the tissue tear.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tissue tear is positioned between the first side of the tissue and the second side of the tissue.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the repairing of the tissue tear comprises the first side of the tissue and the second side of the tissue to move relative to each other to close a gap of the tissue tear.