Surgical Instrument for Hernia Repair and Method

A method for deploying and securing a surgical mesh at a site of a hernia, the method comprising:

• advancing a surgical instrument in a loaded configuration to a location adjacent the hernia, the surgical instrument including an elongate member defining an interior channel extending therethrough to an interior distal chamber with an open distal end, a drive member extending through the channel of the elongate member, the drive member having proximal and distal ends, a proximal fixation member detachably coupled to the distal end of the drive member, and a distal fixation member detachably coupled to the proximal fixation member, wherein the mesh and proximal and distal fixation members are disposed inside the distal chamber of the elongate member in the loaded configuration, and a first section of the surgical mesh is attached to the distal fixation member in the loaded configuration;
• first deploying at least a portion of the distal fixation member through the open distal end to a location outside of the elongate member;
• first attaching the distal fixation member and the first section of the surgical mesh to first tissue at the site of hernia;
• second deploying the surgical mesh through the open distal end to a position adjacent the surgical site and positioning the proximal fixation member to a location outside of the elongate member;
• and
• second attaching the proximal fixation member to a second section of surgical mesh and to second tissue at the site of the hernia.