Bearing area: a new indication for suture anchor pullout strength?

Studies performed to quantify the pullout strength of suture anchors have not adequately defined the basic device parameters that control monotonic pullout. The bearing area of a suture anchor can be used to understand and predict anchor pullout strength in a soft-bone model. First, conical-shaped test samples were varied in size and shape and tested for pullout in 5, 8, and 10 pcf sawbone models. Next, bearing area and pullout strength relationships developed from the test samples were validated against nine commercially available suture anchors, including the Mitek QuickAnchor and SpiraLok, Opus Magnum(2), ArthroCare ParaSorb, and Arthrex BioCorkscrew. The samples showed a direct correlation between bearing area and pullout strength. Increased insertion depth was a secondary condition that also increased pullout strength. The pullout strength for the suture anchors followed the predicted trends of conical devices based on their individual bearing areas. For the 5 and 8 pcf models, only two and three devices, respectively, fell outside the predicted pullout strength range by more than a standard deviation. The use of a synthetic sawbone model was validated against the pullout strength of an Arthrex Corkscrew in five fresh-frozen cadaver humeral heads. The bearing area of a suture anchor can be used to predict the pullout strength independent of design in a soft-bone model. This work helps provide a foundation to understand the principles that affect the pullout strength of suture anchors.