Tissue fastening system and method
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorAnne Nelson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fastening system includes first and second fastening members and a penetrating member. The first fastening member includes a backspan and a set of lobes that extend from the backspan. The second fastening member includes a backspan and a set of lobes that extend from the backspan. The penetrating member includes a first body which is substantially planar, a set of teeth, and a first trailing wall that extends from the first body orthogonal to a plane that is defined by the first body. The set of teeth extend from a leading edge of the first body which is opposite a trailing edge of the first body and are configured to pierce and spread tissue over the set of lobes of the first fastening member. The first trailing wall is configured to support the backspan of the first fastening member.
Claims21
1-7. (canceled)
A method of joining tissue comprising:
- driving a penetrating member through tissue to be joined to drive a first fastening member through the tissue to be joined, the first fastening member including a set of lobes along a first tissue contacting surface;
- contacting the first tissue contacting surface with a second tissue contacting surface of a second fastening member, the second tissue contacting surface shaped to interdigitate with a shape of the first tissue contacting surface;
- and
- securing the first tissue contacting surface to the second tissue contacting surface along a seam defined between the first and second tissue contacting surfaces with the tissue to be joined disposed between portions of the first and second tissue contacting surfaces, the first and second fastening members being flexible along the seam when the first and second fastening members are secured together.
A method of joining tissue comprising:
- driving a first fastening member through tissue to be joined using a penetrating member;
- contacting a first tissue contacting surface of the first fastening member with a second tissue contacting surface of a second fastening member, the second tissue contacting surface shaped to complement a shape of the first tissue contacting surface;
- and
- securing the first tissue contacting surface to the second tissue contacting surface along a seam defined between the first and second tissue contacting surfaces with the tissue to be joined disposed between portions of the first and second tissue contacting surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.