Suture anchor materials, eyelets, and designs: update 2008

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic biomechanics
• Biomaterials science
• Surgical device engineering

Background:

• Suture anchors are critical for soft tissue reattachment in orthopedic surgery.
• Evaluating the mechanical properties of novel suture anchors is essential for clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the single pull load to failure strength and failure modes of recently introduced suture anchors.
• To compare the biomechanical performance of various suture anchor designs.

Main Methods:

• Tested suture anchors in porcine bone models (cortical and cancellous).
• Utilized an Instron machine to apply tensile loads at a controlled rate until failure.
• Recorded mean failure loads and identified failure modes (pullout, eyelet cutout, suture failure).

Main Results:

• Significant variation in load to failure strengths among tested anchors.
• The SwiveLock C anchor exhibited the highest mean failure load (712 N).
• Pullout and eyelet failure were predominant failure modes for several anchor types.

Conclusions:

• Modern suture anchors offer substantially enhanced load to failure strengths.
• Innovations include high-strength sutures, advanced materials (PEEK, Biocryl Rapide), improved eyelet designs, and knotless constructs.
• Anchors failing by pullout at low loads pose a risk for intra-articular loose body formation.