Whipstitched graft construct and method of making the same

Abstract

A whip stitched graft construct and method of formation. The whip stitched graft construct includes a plurality of tendon strand regions or soft tissue grafts placed together so that at least a portion of the plurality of the tendon strand regions are stitched together by employing multiple suture passes placed according to a whip stitching technique. Preferably, the multiple suture passes start at about the mid length of the plurality of tendon strand regions and are advanced toward one of the free ends of the tendon strands. The whip stitched graft construct is provided with at least two regions, one region formed of at least a plurality of tendon strand regions tied and whip stitched together, and the other region formed of untied segments of the plurality of tendon strands.

1 . A system for preparing a graft construct, comprising:
 a suture loop; and   a straight needle connected to the suture loop,   wherein the suture loop and the straight needle are configurable for establishing a stitched region within a graft strand.   
     
     
         2 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the straight needle is a free floating needle. 
     
     
         3 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the straight needle is a Nitinol needle. 
     
     
         4 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the suture loop includes a working portion having a length sufficient to allow the straight needle to pass through the graft strand multiple times for forming the stitched region. 
     
     
         5 . The system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the length of the working portion is configured to shorten each subsequent time the straight needle is passed through the graft strand when being used for forming the stitched region. 
     
     
         6 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the graft strand includes a tendon strand. 
     
     
         7 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the stitched region includes a plurality of stitching rows. 
     
     
         8 . The system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of stitching rows is configured to include a first stitching thread that establishes an angle relative to a second stitching thread. 
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the first stitching thread is configured to intersect the second stitching thread at about a mid-width of the graft strand, thereby establishing a symmetrical stitching pattern. 
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the angle is between 45 degrees and 150 degrees. 
     
     
         11 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the angle is between 90 degrees and 120 degrees. 
     
     
         12 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the suture loop is configured to be threaded through the graft strand multiple times via the straight needle to establish a plurality of stitching rows of the stitched region. 
     
     
         13 . The system as recited in  claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of stitching rows is configured to include a first stitching thread that establishes an angle relative to a second stitching thread. 
     
     
         14 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the stitched region is a whipstitched region. 
     
     
         15 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the stitched region is configured to include at least seven stitching rows, and each of the at least seven stitching rows is configured to include a first stitching thread and a second stitching thread that together establish a V-shaped pattern. 
     
     
         16 . A system for preparing a graft construct, comprising:
 a suture loop;   a straight needle connected to the suture loop,   wherein the suture loop is comprised of a suture having a length that is sufficient to allow the suture loop to be threaded through a graft strand multiple times via the straight needle for establishing a plurality of stitching rows of a whipstitched region within the graft strand; and   a loop/button construct adapted for securing the graft strand within a bone tunnel.   
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein a working portion of the suture loop is configured to shorten each subsequent time the straight needle is used to thread the suture loop through the graft strand when forming the whipstitched region. 
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the suture loop is a continuous suture loop. 
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the length of the suture is sufficient for configuring the suture loop around and through the graft strand multiple times when forming the whipstitched region. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the straight needle is a free floating needle.