Patent ID: 9675396
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61C,A61F,A61N

Claim:
1. A method of producing an anchorage in a load-bearing tissue with the aid of mechanical vibration and a thermoplastic material which is liquefiable by the mechanical vibration, the method comprising the steps of: providing a vibrating element with a distal end and a proximal end, the vibrating element being capable of transmitting vibration from its proximal end to its distal end, and wherein the distal end comprises a first contact face facing away from the proximal end, providing a counter element with a contact end and an opposite end, wherein the contact end comprises a second contact face being adapted to the first contact face to be able to be positioned against the first contact face, wherein the liquefiable thermoplastic material is located on at least the second contact face, and wherein the counter element comprises a body with the second contact face and a flexible force transmitting member reaching past or through at least the distal end of the vibrating element, positioning the vibrating element and the counter element relative to the tissue, with the first and second contact faces in contact with each other, vibrating the vibrating element while holding the vibrating element against the counter element by a first holding force and while causing the flexible force transmitting member to hold the body against the vibrating element by a second, opposite holding force, maintaining the vibration and the holding forces to liquefy at least a portion of the liquefiable thermoplastic material and letting the liquefied thermoplastic material to flow out from between the contact faces, and thereby moving the vibrating element and the counter element against each other, for a time sufficient for the liquefied material to contact a tissue surface and, on re-solidification, to form a positive fit connection between at least the counter element and the tissue surface.