Barbed Bodily tissue connector

A barbed bodily tissue connector for connecting bodily tissue to permit healing or reconfiguration in vivo, comprising:

• an elongated body having a first end and a second end, an end adapted to penetrate the tissue for facilitating insertion of the connector into the tissue, the body being formed of a material sufficiently hard for the penetrating end to pierce the tissue and enable the connector to be inserted into the tissue when a substantially axial force is applied to the body;
• and
• a plurality of barbs projecting from the periphery of the body, a portion of the barbs facing the first end and the remaining barbs facing the second end, the barbs being generally rigid in an opposite direction from which the barbs are facing for resisting movement of the connector in an axial direction relative to the body, and the connector insertable into adjacent tissue portions so that a barb facing the first end of the connector penetrates a first adjacent tissue portion and a barb facing the second end of the connector penetrates a second adjacent tissue portion so as to inhibit relative movement of the connector, the barbs defining means for engaging the tissue such that the retention force on the tissue in the engaging area is broadly and uniformly distributed for preventing distortion of the tissue and preserving blood flow in the engaging area minimizing scarring and necrosis of the tissue.