Patent ID: 8029521
Filing Date: 2011-10-04
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method of attaching a tubular tissue duct to a tissue vessel wall with a heat-shaped fastener constructed from a single piece of material and having a plurality of fingers, comprising: attaching the fastener to the duct by piercing an outer surface of the duct with a first set of the fastener fingers and allowing the first set of fingers to move from a biased configuration toward a heat-shaped, unbiased configuration without crimping the fastener with an externally applied force; attaching the fastener to the vessel wall by piercing the vessel wall with a second set of the fastener fingers and allowing the second set of fingers to move from a biased configuration toward a heat-shaped, unbiased configuration without crimping the fastener with an externally applied force; and drawing an end of the duct into direct engagement with an outer surface of the vessel wall under a bias imparted by the fastener tending to move toward its fully heat-shaped, unbiased configuration.