Soft tissue anchor delivery apparatus
First Claim
1. A soft tissue anchor delivery apparatus for inserting a soft tissue anchor that includes an elongated shank and an enlarged head, comprising:
- a) an outer tube having an elongated bore and proximal and distal end portions;
b) an inner tube that fits the bore of the outer tube, said inner tube having a proximal end, a distal end, a handle and a longitudinal inner tube bore;
c) said inner tube having a plurality of fingers at the distal end portion thereof, said fingers being shaped to grip the soft tissue anchor member at the enlarged head portion thereof;
d) said plurality of fingers being biased to expand radially when moving from a position inside the bore of the larger tube to a position outside the bore of the larger tube;
e) a pushrod slidably disposed within the bore of the inner tube, said pushrod having proximal and distal end portions, said distal end portion having means for engaging said head of said soft tissue anchor, the pushrod being operable to drive the soft tissue anchor free of the fingers when the fingers exit the distal end of the outer tube; and
f) wherein the inner tube handle comprises a pair of interlocking members.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A soft tissue anchor delivery apparatus includes a gripping device having fingers at the distal end and configured such that they can hold a soft tissue anchor about the head portion of the anchor. An actuating tube slides over the gripper and the fingers, thus holding the fingers and the contained soft tissue anchor within the bore of the actuating tube. A pushrod is placed within the bore of the gripper. The pushrod has a countersunk head that is shaped such that it is a close fit for the head of the soft tissue anchor. The pushrod is connected to a tube having a bore so that the actuating pin of the soft tissue anchor can be pushed down into the head of the anchor. The pushrod is spring loaded so as to allow the pushrod to be driven distally upon retraction of the actuating tube, thus driving the anchor free of the deployed fingers and hence of the entire delivery system.
767 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A soft tissue anchor delivery apparatus for inserting a soft tissue anchor that includes an elongated shank and an enlarged head, comprising:
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a) an outer tube having an elongated bore and proximal and distal end portions; b) an inner tube that fits the bore of the outer tube, said inner tube having a proximal end, a distal end, a handle and a longitudinal inner tube bore; c) said inner tube having a plurality of fingers at the distal end portion thereof, said fingers being shaped to grip the soft tissue anchor member at the enlarged head portion thereof; d) said plurality of fingers being biased to expand radially when moving from a position inside the bore of the larger tube to a position outside the bore of the larger tube; e) a pushrod slidably disposed within the bore of the inner tube, said pushrod having proximal and distal end portions, said distal end portion having means for engaging said head of said soft tissue anchor, the pushrod being operable to drive the soft tissue anchor free of the fingers when the fingers exit the distal end of the outer tube; and f) wherein the inner tube handle comprises a pair of interlocking members. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A soft tissue anchor delivery apparatus for inserting a soft tissue anchor that includes an elongated shank and an enlarged head, comprising:
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a) an outer tube having an elongated bore and proximal and distal end portions; b) an inner tube that fits the bore of the outer tube, said inner tube having a proximal end, a distal end, a handle and a longitudinal inner tube bore; c) said inner tube having a plurality of fingers at the distal end portion thereof, said fingers being shaped to grip the soft tissue anchor member at the enlarged head portion thereof; d) said plurality of fingers being biased to expand radially when moving from a position inside the bore of the larger tube to a position outside the bore of the larger tube; e) a pushrod slidably disposed within the bore of the inner tube, said pushrod having proximal and distal end portions, said distal end portion having means for engaging said head of said soft tissue anchor; f) a spring positioned within the inner tube bore, said spring driving the pushrod distally upon retraction of the outer tube relative to the inner tube, so that the pushrod drives the soft tissue anchor free of the fingers when the fingers exit the distal end of the outer tube; g) wherein the inner tube handle comprises a pair of interlocking members.
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16. A soft tissue anchor apparatus comprising:
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a) a soft tissue anchor for joining a section of soft tissue to a section of hard tissue, said anchor including an anchor member with a shank, an enlarged head, and a central longitudinal open ended bore; b) an actuating pin that fits the bore of the anchor member, said pin and the bore of the anchor member being sized and shaped so that the anchor member expands when the actuating pin is driven into the bore; c) an outer tube having an elongated bore and proximal and distal end portions; d) an inner tube that fits the bore of the outer tube, said inner tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal inner tube bore; e) said inner tube having a plurality of fingers at the distal end portion thereof, said fingers being shaped to grip the soft tissue anchor member at the enlarged head portion thereof; f) said plurality of fingers being expandable after moving from a position inside the bore of the larger tube to a position outside the bore of the larger tube; g) a pushrod slidably disposed within the bore of the inner tube, said pushrod having proximal and distal end portions, said distal end portion having means for engaging said head of said soft tissue anchor; h) a spring for driving the pushrod distally upon retraction of the outer tube relative to the inner tube, so that the pushrod drives the soft tissue anchor free of the fingers when the fingers exit the distal end of the outer tube; and i) a spring loading member interlocking with the inner tube to spring load the pushrod by compressing the spring in between the pushrod and the spring loading member. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification