Patent ID: 7335221

Claim:
A method of anchoring a suture having a free end used in a surgical procedure, comprising the steps of: a) providing a coiled helical member having a first turn and a second turn adjacent to the first turn and separated therefrom so as to form a continuous helical space between the first and second turns, the coiled helical member being resilient so as to be movable between an extended position and a contracted position; b) with the coiled helical member in its extended position, locating it in the proximity of a suturing site such that the second turn is between the suturing site and the first turn; c) directing the free end of the suture away from the suturing site along an exterior surface of the coiled helical member past the second end thereof toward the first turn thereof; d) wrapping the free end of the suture over the first turn of the coiled helical member so that the free end of the suture extends along an interior surface of the coiled helical member; and e) passing the free end of the suture through the continuous helical space formed between the first and second turns of the coiled helical member so as to trap the free end about a portion of the suture lying along the exterior of the coiled helical member against the first and second turns.