Surgical fastener system

Abstract

A fastener system for utilizing an H-shaped fastener which is composed of a pair of shaft members having a diameter of approximately 1 mm that are interconnected by a bridge shaft resiliently joined to the shaft members to form the H-shape. The shaft members have sufficient columnar resistence to bending to permit a shaft member to be compressively inserted into body tissue. A fixation tool carries the fastener for injection into body tissue and has a housing with a needle tip of approximately 5 mm in length. The needle tip has a longitudinally extending slot into which the bridge shaft of the H-shaped fastener member is captively held by interference fit. A setting rod is extendible through the needle tip and bears against a shaft of the H-shaped fastener such that an external force applied to the setting rod will be transmitted to the fastener to drive it into the body tissue.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.