Patent ID: 11957332
Assignee: EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. A method for securing one or more lines of suture, the method comprising:
placing one or more lines of suture at an anatomical location;
placing a suture fastener at the anatomical location, the suture fastener comprising:
a generally disc-shaped body defining a plurality of axially spaced-apart layers, each axially spaced-apart layer of the plurality of axially spaced-apart layers comprising:
an outer axial surface;
an inner axial surface, wherein the inner axial surfaces of the plurality of axially spaced-apart layers define a hollow interior portion of the generally disc-shaped body;
wherein at least one axially spaced-apart layer of the plurality of axially spaced-apart layers comprises:
at least a first tab formed in an axial surface of the at least one axially spaced-apart layer, the axial surface being defined by the outer axial surface and the inner axial surface of the at least one axially spaced-apart layer, wherein the at least a first tab is defined by:
a first slot extending circumferentially about a portion of a first radial end of the axial surface of the at least one axially spaced-apart layer; and
a second slot extending circumferentially about a portion of a second radial end of the axial surface of the at least one axially spaced-apart layer, the second radial end being an opposing end to the first radial end; and
a slit extending through the axial surface of the at least one axially spaced-apart layer between the first slot and the second slot, the slit providing a suture opening providing access to the hollow interior portion, wherein the at least a first tab is elastically deformable from a closed configuration to an open configuration such that the at least a first tab resumes the closed configuration once a biasing force is removed from the at least a first tab;
applying a force to the suture fastener to place the at least a first tab in the open configuration, when in the open configuration, the one or more lines of suture may freely move through the slit;
passing the one or more lines of suture through the slit while the at least a first tab is placed in the open configuration; and
removing the force to allow the at least a first tab to resume the closed configuration, wherein, when in the closed configuration, the at least a first tab engages the one or more lines of suture such that the one or more lines of suture resist movement relative to the slit in either longitudinal direction of the one or more lines of suture.