Low profile tissue anchors, tissue anchor systems, and methods for their delivery and use

• US 8,870,916 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: USGI Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: USGI Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Ewers, Richard C., Maahs, Tracy D., Vong, Shirley
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Julian W
• Application Number:
  US11/773,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: 606151-156, 606213-221, 606/232, 623 2372- 2374
• US Class Current: 606/232
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0487 Suture clamps, clips or locks, e.g. for replacing suture knots; Instruments for applying or removing suture clamps, clips or locks suture anchors A61B17/0401; wound clamps or clips A61B17/08; ligaturing clamps or clips A61B17/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06166 Sutures suture materials A61L17/00; manufacture of artificial threads D01D; treatment of threads D06M
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22031 Gripping instruments, e.g. forceps, for removing or smashing calculi A61B17/221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/282 Jaws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00004 (bio)absorbable, (bio)resorbable or resorptive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00526 Methods of manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00862 elastic or resilient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00986 Malecots, e.g. slotted tubes, of which the distal end is pulled to deflect side struts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0403 Dowels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0451 Cams or wedges holding the suture by friction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/048 for reducing heart wall tension, e.g. sutures with a pad on each extremity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/061 hollow or tubular

Abstract

Tissue anchors include a flat, broad, and large contact surface for engagement with a portion of tissue. Several embodiments of composite tissue anchors include a support element and an overlay element. Tissue anchor assemblies include two or more tissue anchors, a connector, and a cinching mechanism. In some embodiments, the tissue anchors included in the tissue anchor assemblies are of different types, sizes, and/or shapes.

Claims

1. A tissue anchor assembly, comprising:

a first tissue anchor comprising a pouch formed of a woven material, a support bar retained within the pouch, and a support ring retained within the pouch;

a second tissue anchor;

a connector extending between and interconnecting the first tissue anchor and the second tissue anchor; and

a first cinching mechanism movably attached to said connector.

2. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second cinching mechanism movably attached to said connector, with the first tissue anchor and the second tissue anchor being movably attached to the connector between the first cinching mechanism and the second cinching mechanism.

3. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein said cinching mechanism comprises a cinch having a tubular body and at least one lever extending into a lumen defined by said tubular body.

5. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein said second tissue anchor is a basket anchor.

6. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 5, wherein said basket anchor comprises a first collar, a second collar, and a plurality of struts extending between and attached to said first collar and said second collar.

7. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 5, wherein said basket anchor comprises a first collar, a second collar, and a woven material extending between and attached to said first collar and said second collar.

8. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein said second tissue anchor comprises a pouch formed of a woven material, a support bar retained within the pouch, and a support ring retained within the mesh pouch.

9. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein said first tissue anchor comprises a reduced profile delivery configuration and an expanded profile deployment configuration.

10. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a needle deployment assembly having a handle, a flexible sheath having a proximal end attached to said handle and a distal end attached to a needle body, and a pusher slidably received within the sheath, wherein said tissue anchor assembly is releasably received within the needle body and said pusher is adapted to discharge said tissue anchor assembly from said needle body.

11. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein said pouch is formed of a mesh material.

12. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1. wherein said pouch is formed of a single, continuous layer of material.

13. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1, wherein said pouch is formed of a plurality of layers of material.

14. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1. wherein said pouch comprises a sleeve of mesh material having a first end and a second end. with at least one of said first and second ends being heal fused.

15. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 1. wherein said support ring comprises a nickel-titanium alloy.

4. The tissue anchor assembly of claim w with the suture and the pouch comprising a bioabsorbable material.

16. A tissue anchor assembly, comprising.

a first tissue anchor comprising a pouch of a woven material, a bar within the pouch, and a resilient support ring within the pouch;

a second tissue anchor;

a suture extending through the bar and the pouch and connecting the first tissue anchor to the second tissue anchor, and

a first cinching mechanism on the suture,

17. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 16 with the bar substantially rectangular. Pg,

18. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 17 with the bar having a central passage, and with the suture extending through the central passage.

19. A tissue anchor assembly, comprising:

a first tissue anchor comprising a pouch of a woven material, a bar within the pouch, and a resilient support ring within the pouch;

a second tissue anchor;

a suture extending through the bar and connecting the first tissue anchor to the second tissue anchor; and

a first cinching mechanism on the suture.

20. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 19 with the pouch formed of a mesh material and having fused opposite ends.

21. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 19 wherein the support ring is substantially circular and extends substantially to the outer edges of the pouch.

22. The tissue anchor assembly of claim 19 with the support ring comprising a continuous ring of resilient material.