3D printing and testing of rose thorns or limpet teeth inspired anchor device for tendon tissue repair

Advancements in medical technology have enabled medical specialists to resolve significant problems concerning tendon injuries. However, despite the latest improvements, surgical tendon repair remains challenging. This study aimed to explore the capabilities of the current state-of-the-art technologies for implantable devices.

After performing extensive patent landscaping and literature review, an anchored tissue fixation device was deemed the most suitable candidate. This design was firstly investigated numerically, realizing a Finite Element Model of the device anchored to two swine tendons stumps, to simulate its application on a severed tendon. Two different hook designs, both bio-inspired, were tested while retaining the same device geometry and anchoring strategy. Then, the applicability of a 3D-printed prototype was tested on swine tendons. Finally, the device-tendon stumps ensemble was subjected to uniaxial tensile tests.

The results show that the investigated device enables a better load distribution during the immobilized limb period in comparison to standard suture-based approaches, yet it still presents several design flaws.

The current implantable solutions do not ensure an optimal result in terms of strength recovery. This and other weak points of the currently available proposals will serve as a starting point for future works on bio-inspired implantable devices for tendon repair.