Patent ID: 8986345
Filing Date: 2015-03-24
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for attaching a soft tissue to a boney structure comprising: forming a cavity in a boney structure; passing a suture having first and second ends through a soft tissue; passing the first and second ends of the suture into a suture-receiving opening of an insert of a suture anchor; inserting the suture anchor into the cavity; applying a retractive force on the insert through a sleeve of the suture anchor; pivoting an expanding element of the sleeve with the insert, the expanding element defined by a U-shaped slot formed in a midsection of the sleeve so as to be spaced apart from a proximal end and a distal end of the sleeve and surrounded by the sleeve, the U-shaped slot defining three sides of a periphery of the expanding element, with a fourth side of the periphery of the expanding element hingeably coupled to the midsection of the sleeve; and anchoring first and second portions of the suture in contact with a wall of the cavity and the sleeve of the suture anchor without a knot.