A heart valve annulus repair device having a tissue engaging member and a plurality of anchors. The tissue engaging member includes a loop of wire. Each of the anchors has a pointy front end and a back end and a slot that runs in a front-to-back direction. The anchors are distributed about the loop of wire with the front ends of the plurality of anchors facing the heart valve annulus and with the loop of wire passing through the slots. The device further includes means for implanting the anchors into the heart valve annulus tissue so that the tissue engaging member becomes affixed to the heart valve annulus.

A fixation device for securing a linear element to a workpiece includes a contact component and a fixation component. The contact component typically includes (i) a first contact surface for application to a workpiece and (ii) a first opening for receiving a linear element. The fixation component typically secures a portion of the linear element on a side of the first contact component opposite the first contact surface. The fixation component engages the contact component to prevent passage of the linear element's secured portion through the workpiece when a tension is applied to the linear element in a direction opposite the contact surface.

An expanding suture anchor in which a distal end of the rigid anchor body includes at least one annular protrusion. A mating deformable cap includes at least one annular slot or ridge that engages the annular protrusion such that the annular slot and annular protrusion are coupled when the deformable cap is pushed or pulled onto the rigid anchor body. The engagement of the annular slot and the annular protrusion may lock the deformable cap and rigid anchor body into a mated position and inhibits distal retraction of the deformable cap from the anchor body.

Methods and devices are provided for anchoring suture to bone. In one exemplary embodiment, a suture anchor is provided that includes one or more bone-engaging surfaces features and an external sidewall. The external sidewall can allow a suture coupled to the suture anchor and located between the anchor and bone to be movable relative to the suture anchor, even when the suture anchor is partially or fully disposed within a bone hole. Suture threaders and suture anchor drivers are also provided that can be used with the various methods and devices disclosed herein, or with other methods and devices known in the art.

A suture anchor insert comprising a body configured to be inserted into a hole in a bone plate. The body has a proximal end, a distal end, a length extending between the proximal and distal ends and substantially corresponding to a thickness of a bone plate, a sidewall, at least one plate engaging member extending outwardly from the sidewall to secure the body to the bone plate, a recess defined by the sidewall, and a transverse edge formed on the sidewall. A crossbar extends inwardly from the sidewall across the recess such that a free end of the crossbar is normally disposed distally of the transverse edge. The crossbar is flexible such that when a distally directed force is applied, the free end of the crossbar is positionable in the recess. The free end of the crossbar is engageable with the transverse edge to limit proximal motion of the crossbar.

Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of suture securement devices that replace the need to tie knots in sutures. Some embodiments comprise an annular outer body and one or more suture engagement tabs extending inwardly from the outer body. The devices can comprise a superelastic and/or shape-memory material and have a generally in-plane initial configuration. The suture engagement portions are deformable out-of-plane to an active configuration with the outer body compressed and the tabs interlocked with each other. The device can be heat-set in the deformed configuration. The interlocked tabs exert a pinching force on sutures passing between them that restricts the sutures from sliding through the opening in one longitudinal direction.

A system for deploying a suture implant includes a delivery device and a suture implant coupled with the distal end of the delivery device. The suture implant includes a suture and a slip knot that defines a suture loop, the slip knot defining a dynamic end of the suture loop that is located opposite a closed end of the suture loop. The suture implant includes a tissue anchor having first and second openings, whereby the closed end of the suture loop passes through the first and second openings for securing the tissue anchor to the suture loop. A tensioner is secured to the first end of the suture, and a pledget, located between the tensioner and the tissue anchor, is secured to the second end of the suture. Pulling the tensioner away from the tissue anchor slides the pledget and the slip knot toward the tissue anchor for shortening the length of the suture loop and reducing the distance between the pledget and the tissue anchor.

A surgical suture system, tissue restraint/suture capture and tissue anchor for tissue repair and reattachment of torn tissue to a tissue substrate, medical, veterinary or dental prosthesis or medical implant. The system includes a plurality of tissue restraints/suture captures which each include a central locking aperture sized and configured to receive a beaded suture member passed therethrough which minimizes longitudinal tensioning and/or restraining movement, the GO force, of a beaded suture member in the forwardly direction through the locking apertures for suture tightening and which maximizes NO-GO force to pull the suture in the reverse direction. Uniquely configured tissue anchors and other medically implantable devices securely receive one of the tissue restraints/suture captures for tensioning of a suture member between tissue and the tissue anchor.

A suturing device, in particular for suturing lacerations of the meniscus, comprising: a needle provided with a longitudinal cavity extending along a main direction; at least a first and a second member slidably inserted in the cavity and arranged in succession along the main direction; a surgical thread slidably inserted in the cavity and connected to the first and second member, wherein the the first and second member each comprise at least one pair of bodies connected together by means of a junction. Other aspects may be disclosed and claimed.

A system for use at an annulus of a valve of a heart of a subject comprises an implant and an implant-positioning device. The implant comprises (i) a wire; (ii) multiple anchors, slidably mounted in series along the wire, each of the anchors having: a slot through which the wire is threaded, and a pointy front end; and (iii) multiple tubes, the wire being threaded through each of the tubes such that the multiple tubes are slidably mounted on the wire alternatingly with the multiple anchors. The implant-positioning device is configured to implant the implant in the heart with the wire positioned along the annulus by, for each of the anchors: (i) positioning the anchor at the annulus, and (ii) using a deployment mechanism of the implant-positioning device, driving the pointy front end of the anchor into the annulus. Other embodiments are also described.