An illustrative example suture securing assembly includes an inserter, a rigid member and a second member. The inserter includes a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis between the distal end and the proximal end. The inserter includes a handle near the proximal end and a rotatable portion near the handle. The rigid member includes an eyelet oriented to thread suture across the longitudinal axis. The rigid member is situated near the distal end of the inserter. The rigid member is configured to be placed in bone. The second member is situated near the distal end of the inserter and is configured to be rotated by the rotatable portion of the inserter to rotationally advance the second member in a distal direction toward the eyelet into a suture securing position where the second member holds suture in place.

A method for securing soft tissue to bone which does not require the surgeon to tie suture knots to secure the tissue to the bone. Suture is passed through the graft at desired points. A cannulated plug or screw is pre-loaded onto the distal end of a driver provided with an eyelet implant at its distal end. Suture attached to the graft is passed through the eyelet of the implant located at the distal end of the driver. The distal end of the driver together with the eyelet implant is inserted into the bone. Tension is applied to the suture to position the graft at the desired location relative to the bone. The screw or plug is advanced into the pilot hole by turning the interference screw or tapping the plug until the cannulated screw or plug securely engages and locks in the eyelet implant, so that the cannulated plug or screw with the engaged eyelet implant is flush with the bone. Once the screw or plug is fully inserted and the suture is impacted into the bone, the driver is removed and any loose ends of the sutures protruding from the anchor site are then clipped short.

Methods and devices are provided for anchoring a ligament or tendon to bone. In particular, various delivery tools, including a variety of sheath inserter tools, are provided. The tools can be used to position a tendon within a prepared bone hole, and to deliver a sheath into the bone hole.

Disclosed herein are various attachment devices for anchoring tendons within bone and associated methods and systems. Disclosed is a device for repairing/reconstructing a ligament rupture via compression and grasping. The device includes first and second elongate body portions, where each elongate body portion includes at least one elongate member having a first end and a second end and a plurality of bands coupled to the at least one elongate member. The device further includes a connection structure disposed at a distal end of the at least one elongate member connecting the first and second elongate body portions such the first and second elongate body portions are movable in relation to each other. The device also includes an lumen defined by the first and second elongate body portions for insertion of a tendon graft.

A method of treating a defective mitral valve includes inserting a delivery catheter through a small incision in a patient's groin, wherein the delivery catheter has a prosthetic device positioned along a distal end thereof. The prosthetic device includes an insert member and an anchoring member, wherein the insert member is made from a shape memory material and is surrounded by a biocompatible fabric outer layer. The insert member is positioned within a mitral valve and self-expands in a gap between the native leaflets. The anchoring member is attached to surrounding tissue. After deployment of the prosthetic device, the native leaflets of the mitral valve form a tight seal against the biocompatible fabric outer layer and the insert member fills the gap between the native leaflets of the mitral valve for preventing regurgitation during ventricular systole.

A method and apparatus for coupling a soft tissue implant into a locking cavity formed within a bone is disclosed. A bone engaging fastener is coupled to bone. A second fastener is coupled to a suture construction. The second fastener is coupled to the first fastener. Soft tissue is coupled to the suture construction.

An anchoring system for a knee ligament reconstruction that can secure a graft within a bone tunnel. The anchor system includes an anchor having a tubular body extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end. A conical head is fixed to the distal end of the tubular body. A series of expandable segments are positioned along the tubular body and moveable along the body into a compacted, deployed position where the segments expand radially to engage the inside of a bone tunnel. A threaded drive member may move the segments to the deployed configuration once the anchor and graft are positioned in the bone tunnel. A drive tool may be used to advance the drive member and can include a moveable shaft that pushes a strike plate out of the rear of the handle to provide an indication whether the anchor has been fully deployed.

An implant system for providing stabilized fixation of tissue includes a button having a slot, a band threaded through the slot, and a lock including a member having a slot for receiving an end of the band and a movable member for clamping the band in place. The movable member is movable between an open position and a locking position. The lock is a plug assembly which includes a flange. The slot is disposed in the flange. The movable member may be a cap which is movable between clamping and non-clamping orientations relative to the flange, or it may be a screw wherein a portion of the screw performs the clamping function. The flange is a portion of a plug, which plug further includes a boss extending from one side of the flange.

Methods and devices are provided for anchoring a ligament or tendon to bone. In one embodiment, a surgical implant is provided having a sheath and an expander that is received within the sheath. Various delivery tools, including a sheath inserter and a driver, are also provided. In use, the sheath inserter can be used to position a tendon within a prepared bone hole, and it can be used to deliver the sheath with a guidewire coupled thereto into the bone hole. The driver can be provided for delivering the expander into the sheath. A loader can optionally be used to load the driver and expander onto the guidewire coupled to the implanted sheath.

A suture anchor includes a tubular anchor body made of suture material, the tubular anchor body having a partially open distal tip and a bore extending through the tubular anchor body to a proximal end of the tubular anchor body and a suture woven from the distal tip and extending through the bore and exiting through the proximal end, the suture forming a suture loop outside of the distal tip. The tubular anchor body is configured such pulling an end of the suture at the proximal end causes the tubular anchor body to collapse.