Adjustable repair chords and spool mechanism therefor

Apparatus, comprising:

• a delivery tool comprising:
• a handle portion defining a handle lumen;
• and
• a shaft (a) being slidable with respect to the handle portion, and (b) having a proximal portion thereof being slidable into the handle lumen during proximal sliding of the shaft;
• a spool reversibly couplable to a distal end of the delivery tool and configured to be positioned in an intraventricular site of a ventricle of a patient, wherein:
• the spool has a first end shaped to define a first opening, and a second end shaped to define a second opening, the spool being shaped to define a channel extending from the first opening to the second opening, the channel being configured for passage therethrough of an elongate rotation tool, and
• the second end of the spool has a lower surface thereof shaped to define one or more recesses at locations along a circumference;
• and
• at least one longitudinal member having opposite first and second end portions, the first end portion being coupled to the spool and the second end portion configured to be coupled to a first portion of heart tissue that surrounds a ventricular space of the ventricle of the patient, the longitudinal member:
• configured to be wound around the spool in response to rotation of the spool in a first direction thereof, and, responsively, to draw the second end portion of the longitudinal member and the first portion of heart tissue toward the first end portion of the longitudinal member.