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US 6,635,073 B2Granted
Method of securing body tissue
OwnerPeter M. Bonuttiinventor
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OwnerPeter M. Bonuttiinventor
Estimating the term…
To secure a first body tissue with a second body tissue, a first anchor is moved along a first path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue. A second anchor is moved along a second path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue. A suture extending between the anchors may be tightened by moving the second anchor along a path which extends transverse to the path of the first anchor. The suture which extends between the anchors may have free ends which are connected with a suture retainer. The free ends of the suture may be interconnected either before or after the anchors are moved along the first and second paths. Alternatively, the suture may be a continuous loop which extends between the two anchors. A guide assembly may be provided to guide movement of the anchors along the two paths. The paths along which the anchors move may intersect so that the anchors may be interconnected at the intersection between the two paths.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of anchors with a suture extending between the anchors, moving a first anchor of the plurality of anchors along a first path into the second body tissue, moving a second anchor of the plurality of anchors along a second path into the second body tissue, tensioning at least a portion of the suture extending between the first and second anchors by moving the second anchor along at least a portion of the second path which extends transverse to the first path, and transmitting force through the suture to the first body tissue.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of moving a first anchor along a first path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue with a first suture portion extending from the first anchor, moving a second anchor along a second path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue with a second suture portion extending from the second anchor, tensioning the first and second suture portions with a predetermined force, and gripping the first and second suture portions with a suture retainer while tensioning the first and second suture portions with the predetermined force.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprises the steps of moving a first anchor into first body tissue at a first location, moving the first anchor into the second body tissue, moving a second anchor into the first body tissue at a second location, moving the second anchor into the second body tissue, moving the first anchor in the second body tissue in a direction away from the first location where the first anchor moved into the first body tissue and in a direction toward the second location where the second anchor moved into the first body tissue, pulling a first suture portion into the second body tissue under the influence of force transmitted from the first anchor to the first suture portion as the first anchor moves in the second body tissue in a direction away from the first location where the first anchor moved into the first body tissue and toward the second location where the second anchor moved into the first body tissue, moving the second anchor in the second body tissue in a direction away from the second location where the second anchor moved into the first body tissue and in a direction toward the first location where the first anchor moved into the first body tissue, and pulling a second suture portion into the second body tissue under the influence of force transmitted from the second anchor to the second suture portion as the second anchor moves in the second body tissue in a direction away from the second location where the second anchor moved into the first body tissue and toward the first location where the first anchor moved into the first body tissue.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing first and second anchors with a suture extending between the first and second anchors, moving the first anchor along a first path into the second body tissue, moving the second anchor along a second path into the second body tissue, detecting when a predetermined tension is present in the suture during movement of at least one of the first and second anchors along at least one of the first and second paths, and interrupting movement of at least the one of the first and second anchors along the one of the first and second paths upon detection of the predetermined tension in the suture.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing first and second anchors with a suture extending between the first and second anchors, moving the first anchor along a first path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue, moving the second anchor along a second path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue, and pressing the first body tissue against the second body tissue under the influence of force transmitted to the first body tissue from a portion of the suture extending between a location where the first path enters the first body tissue and a location where the second path enters the first body tissue.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing first and second anchors with a suture extending between the first and second anchors, moving the first anchor along a first path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue, said step of moving the first anchor along the first path includes initiating formation of an opening in the first body tissue with a leading end portion of the first anchor and initiating the formation of an opening in the second body tissue with the leading end portion of the first anchor, moving the second anchor along a second path through the first body tissue into the second body tissue, said step of moving the second anchor along the second path includes initiating formation of an opening in the first body tissue with a leading end portion of the second anchor and initiating formation of an opening in the second body tissue with the leading end portion of the second anchor, and tensioning at least a portion of the suture extending between the first and second paths when the first and second anchors are disposed in engagement with the second body tissue.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing first and second anchors with a suture disposed in a continuous loop extending between the first and second anchors, moving the first anchor along a first path into the second body tissue with the continuous loop extending through a passage in the first anchor, moving the second anchor along a second path into the second body tissue with the continuous loop extending through a passage in the second anchor, and moving a portion of the suture in the continuous loop along the passage in the second anchor, and tensioning suture in the continuous loop as the second anchor moves in to the second body tissue.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing first and second anchors with a suture extending through passages in the first and second anchors, moving the first anchor along a first path into the second body tissue with the suture extending through the passages in the first and second anchors, moving the second anchor along a second path into the second body tissue with the suture extending through the passages in the first and second anchors, moving a portion of the suture along the passage in the second anchor during movement of the second anchor into the second body tissue, said step of moving a portion of the suture along the passage in the second anchor includes increasing the extent of a portion of the suture extending between the first and second anchors during movement of the second anchor into the second body tissue, and transmitting force through the suture to the first body tissue.
A method of securing first body tissue with second body tissue, said method comprising the steps of providing first and second anchors with a suture extending between the first and second anchors, moving the first anchor along a first path into the second body tissue with the suture extending between the first and second anchors, moving the second anchor along a second path into the second body tissue with the suture extending between the first and second anchors, said step of moving the first anchor along the first path into the second body tissue includes decreasing a distance between the first anchor and the second path, said step of moving the second anchor along the second path into the second body tissue includes decreasing a distance between the second anchor and the first path, and transmitting force through the suture to the first body tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.