Patent ID: 8267964
Filing Date: 2012-09-18
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
1. A method of attaching soft tissue to bone, comprising: inserting a first anchor into bone; passing a first suture from said first anchor over an edge of the soft tissue; coupling the first suture to an anchor-inserter assembly comprising a distal member, a proximal member comprising a central bore extending therethrough, a tube butting against a proximal end of said proximal member, a central inserter member extending through said tube and said central bore to said distal member, and a handle coupled to said tube; inserting the distal member of the anchor-inserter assembly into bone at a position beyond the edge of the soft tissue, wherein inserting the distal member comprises directly forcing the distal member into the bone without pre-drilling a hole in the bone, wherein after insertion of said distal member into the bone, the proximal member is positioned above the surface of the bone; after inserting the distal member of the anchor-inserter assembly, tensioning the first suture to compress an area of tissue to bone between the edge of the soft tissue and the first anchor, wherein after said tensioning of the first suture, the first anchor position is underneath the soft tissue; and after tensioning the first suture, moving said proximal member distally toward said distal member by relative movement between the tube and the central inserter member, wherein said distal movement of the proximal member fixedly secures the first suture at the second anchor position without tying any knots.