A suture anchor including a base, a deformable portion, and a first passage and a second passage each formed in the base to allow a suture to pass therethrough, wherein the deformable portion is a cantilever state having a fixed end, which is disposed at a side of one end of the base, and a free end, which is disposed at a side of the other end of the base relative to the fixed end and which is separated by a space from the base, and the deformable portion is deformable in a direction in which the free end approaches the base, the first passage communicates the upper side and the lower side of the base, the second passage communicates the space and a side of the one end of the fixed end, and the deformable portion is deformed due to a tensile force applied to the suture.

The invention relates in some aspects to a device for use in anchoring an implant, including anchors, sutures, implants, clips, tools, lassos, and methods of anchoring among other methods. Anchors as disclosed herein could be utilized to secure a coaptation assistance device, an annuloplasty ring, an artificial valve, cardiac patch, sensor, pacemaker, or other implants. The implant could be a mitral valve ring or artificial mitral valve in some embodiments.

A tissue repair construct having first and second implants coupled via a flexible element is provided. The flexible element forms an adjustable loop closed with a sliding knot, and has first and second free ends extending from the knot formed by wrapping the second end around the first end. The second implant can have a changeable configuration. The construct can be placed within a surgical site in a patient's body such that the first implant is passed into a bone adjacent to soft tissue and the second implant is disposed on an opposed side of the soft tissue. The first free end of the flexible element is configured to be tensioned to decrease a size of the loop and thereby change the configuration of the second implant and to thereby cause at least the second implant to move towards the first implant.

A connection tool for a tongue manipulation system comprising: a connector configured to be coupled to a tongue advancer tether (801); a connection tool body (1313) and separable removal cannula part (1315) configured to follow a tongue advancer tether line (801) in order to enable a removal sleeve (1335) located at least partially within the separable removal cannula part (1315) to contact the tongue advancer (305), the separable removal cannula part (1315) being configured to be separated from the connection tool body (1313) following the removal sleeve (1335) contacting the tongue advancer (305) and to expose a proximal end of the removal sleeve (1335).

Described are methods and apparatus for use in supporting tissue in a patient's body. In some embodiments, the patient's breast is supported. In some embodiments, the methods provide ways of supporting and adjusting tissue, and the apparatus includes components and embodiments for supporting and adjusting the tissue. Some embodiments include a supporting device, having a first portion, a second portion, and a support member positioned between the first portion and second portion. Some embodiments include advancing the first portion of the supporting device into the body to a first location in the body; advancing the second portion of the supporting device into the body to a second location in the body; securing the first portion of the supporting device at the first location; and shifting soft tissue in the body with the support member.

Devices and methods for occluding or promoting fluid flow through openings are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment an occlusion device is provided having an expandable outer elongate tubular body, a guide member extending from a distal end of the outer body, and a slide tube disposed within the outer body, the proximal portions of the outer body and the slide tube being fixedly mated. The slide tube is configured to slide distally within the outer tubular body when the tubular body is expanded to form wings. A tether can be included as part of the device and it can be used to assist in positioning and locking a location of the device in an opening. Exemplary methods for delivering devices disclosed herein are also provided.

Apparatus for securing an object to bone, the apparatus comprising: an anchor, the anchor comprising: a body comprising an opening for receiving a filament therein; and a locking element movably mounted to the body for selectively locking the filament to the body; and an inserter for deploying the anchor in bone, the inserter comprising: a handle; an overtube extending distally from the handle; a carriage movably mounted to the handle; a shaft movably mounted within the overtube and connected to the carriage and releasably connected to the body of the anchor, the shaft being hollow; and a rod movably mounted within the shaft and connected to the locking element.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a no-hole-preparation suture anchor including a tubular anchor body, a tapered tip coupled to the anchor body, an eyelet extending transversely through the anchor, and a plurality of longitudinal ribs extending along at least a portion of the anchor length. The material of the tapered tip is harder than that of the anchor body to facilitate insertion. An anchor inserter for use in combination with the suture anchor includes an elongated, tubular shaft defining a cannulation extending between a proximal end and a distal end. A plurality of tines extends distally from the distal end of the shaft. The anchor includes a plurality of longitudinally extending slots, dimensioned to receive respective ones of the inserter tines. The slots extend along the length of the anchor body and continue into the proximal end of the tubular shaft of the distal tip. The circumferential position of each of the slots is further selected such that the slots are circumferentially adjacent to, but do not intersect, the eyelet.

An implant suitable for being anchored with the aid of mechanical vibration in an opening provided in bone tissue. The implant is compressible in the direction of a compression axis under local enlargement of a distance between a peripheral implant surface and the compression axis. The implant includes a coupling-in face which serves for coupling a compressing force and the mechanical vibrations into the implant, which coupling-in face is not parallel to the compression axis. The implant also includes a thermoplastic material which, in areas of the local distance enlargement, forms at least a part of the peripheral surface of the implant.

A catheter device for heart repair comprises a leaflet anchor for placement in a leaflet of a heart valve, wherein the leaflet anchor is coupled to the artificial chord; a mechanical gripper device for grasping the leaflet of the heart valve, wherein the gripper device comprises a leaflet anchor channel for housing the leaflet anchor in a folded configuration; and a U-rod wire with a U-shaped rod at one end of the wire, with the free end of the U-shape abutting the end of the leaflet anchor; the gripper device and leaflet anchor being arranged such that when the gripper device grasps the leaflet, the U-rod wire can be used to push the leaflet anchor out of the leaflet anchor channel to pierce the leaflet and form the leaflet anchor into an unfolded configuration permitting hooked formations of the leaflet anchor to secure the leaflet anchor in the leaflet.