An anchor (10) for implantation in body tissue (12) to hold a line (14) comprises: an elastic material formed to have an unfolded configuration for placement within the body tissue (12), and a folded configuration for use prior to deployment of the anchor (10) and arranged to permit placement of the anchor (10) into an anchor tube (38) prior to deployment. The anchor (10) is arranged to be elastically deformed into the folded configuration by application of a constraining force, and will return to the unfolded configuration when no constraining force is applied. When the anchor (10) is in the unfolded configuration the anchor (10) has an elongate configuration comprising two anchor pins (82) extending in opposite directions with one either side of a centre (80) of the anchor (10), whilst when the anchor (10) is in the folded configuration the two pins (82) both extend in the same direction; and wherein ends (84) of the pins (82) are arranged to pierce the body tissue.

This invention is related to an anchor implantation system capable of being fixed on a bone and including an anchor and an awl. The anchor comprises an inner side, an outer side and a perforation in connection therewith, and the anchor further includes an accommodating portion and a thread portion. The accommodating portion and the thread portion are disposed at the inner side and the outer side of the anchor, respectively. One end of the awl penetrates the accommodating portion and protrudes from the perforation, and the shape of the cross section of the awl is non-circular. The awl is rotatable to drive the anchor, so that the anchor is screwed into the bone with the thread portion. The present disclosure provides a rotating awl with a non-circular shape in cross section to enlarge a pilot hole when drilling the bone, so that the anchor can be screwed into the bone while drilling.

The disclosed embodiments includes apparatuses, devices, and methods for treating a breathing disorder, comprising: inserting a first target oral stud into a first location of an anchor structure, the first target oral stud including a target stud shaft, a target anterior anchor, and a target posterior anchor, wherein the target stud shaft (or suture) is positioned within the tissue of the anchor structure. The embodiments further comprise inserting a first support oral stud into a first location of a support structure, the first support oral stud including a support stud shaft (or suture), a support anterior anchor, and a support posterior anchor, wherein the support stud shaft is positioned within tissue of the support structure. Further, the embodiments comprise connecting, using at least one first connector, the target anterior anchor with the support anterior anchor.

A mitral valve leaflet repair system may include a delivery catheter having at least one lumen extending proximally from a distal end of the delivery catheter, a plurality of anchor elements disposed within the at least one lumen, each of the plurality of anchor elements being configured to extend through one layer of mitral valve leaflet tissue, and a securing element configured to secure at least two of the plurality of anchor elements together on one side of the mitral valve leaflet tissue. The at least one lumen may include a suction lumen configured to grasp a mitral valve leaflet prior to extending the plurality of anchor elements through one layer of mitral valve leaflet tissue.

Devices and methods for tissue and graft procedures are provided that are designed to fail under a certain amount of force, providing sensory feedback that a particular activity may be providing too much stress on a surgical implant. For example, a surgical implant can include a sacrificial element in the form of a filament designed to break when a certain threshold value of force is met or exceeded, while a second filament that has the ability to withstand higher values of force, is able to maintain the repair after the first filament fails. In other embodiments, the sacrificial element includes a filament engagement mechanism associated with a suture anchor configured to fail at a threshold value of force, and a second filament engagement mechanism of the anchor can maintain the repair after the first one fails. Many implants configurations are provided, as are various surgical methods incorporating sacrificial elements.

A surgical filament snare assembly including an anchor capable of being fixated in bone and having a filament engagement feature. A first filament has a noose on a first portion of at least a first limb and has a second portion connected to the filament engagement feature of the anchor. Preferably, at least one free filament limb, which in some embodiments is a length of the first filament and in other embodiments is a second filament, is capable of being passed through tissue to be repaired and has at least one end passable through the noose to enable incremental tensioning of the tissue after the anchor is fixated in bone. The noose strangulates the free filament limb when tension is applied to at least one of the free filament limb and the noose.

A suture thread is used to perform suturing without tying part of or the whole of knots that are supposed to be tied during suturing. A suture thread support body prevents an end of the suture thread from being pulled into a suturing site. A needle accommodation body has a shape of a tube having a through-hole through both ends. The suture thread has the suture thread support body and the needle accommodation body.

Various self-cinching suture anchors, self-cinching suture anchor systems, and methods of use are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a suture anchor is provided that includes an outer member and an inner member configured to be received within the outer member. The inner and outer members can define a gap that allows a suture to be movably disposed within the outer member, e.g., within the gap, when the inner member is disposed within the outer member. The inner member can be configured to be secured within the outer member by a knot of the suture having a diameter greater than a width of the gap so as to fix the inner member within the outer member, while still allowing uni-directional tensioning of the suture.

Components and associated methods of manufacture or assembly and/or use for bone and joint stabilization devices or systems are described. The components include features for device introduction, attaching a distal anchoring foot or threaded screw to an elongate spring-type member, anchoring head features for stabilizing position of the elongate member when engaged within the head and/or digital or electronic methods for tensioning the subject devices.

A tissue anchor includes a driver head associated with a proximal portion of the tissue anchor, a pointed tip portion associated with a distal portion of the tissue anchor, a tissue-engagement portion disposed between the driver head and the pointed tip portion, and a cover configured to cover at least a portion of the tissue-engagement portion.