Patent ID: 8066736

Claim:
A bioabsorbable fastener for insertion into pierced openings on opposed sides of a tissue wound comprising: a fastener body formed of a generally bioabsorbable polymer material and defining an initial tissue capture zone internal to the fastener body, the fastener body including: a pair of fastener arms, each fastener arm insertable into one of the pierced openings; a cleat operably joined to each fastener arm at an elbow portion and projecting backward into the initial tissue capture zone with an internal elbow angle defined between the cleat and the fastener arm of less than 90 degrees; a durable tissue retention zone of each fastener arm defined between an inwardly facing surface of the cleat and an interior surface along the fastener arm and having an apex at the elbow portion; a maximum insertion width of each fastener arm defined between outermost surfaces of the cleat and the fastener arm; and a backspan operably joined to each fastener arm at a shoulder portion with corresponding internal shoulder angles defined between the backspan and each fastener arm and an internal midspan angle defined between a midpoint of the backspan and the apex of each durable tissue retention zone, wherein the elbow portion and the internal elbow angle of each fastener arm are constructed with the maximum insertion width being greater than a width of the corresponding pierced opening such that at least a portion of the tissue surrounding the pierced opening is stretched over the cleat and elastically retained in the durable tissue retention zone for longer than a minimum degradation period of the bioabsorbable polymer material, and wherein the shoulder portions and the internal shoulder angles are constructed so as to capture wound tissue within the initial tissue capture zone during deployment of the fastener in a first insertion disposition and then dynamically reform to a second generally open disposition in response to lateral stresses applied by the wound tissue after deployment such that the internal midspan angle is at least two times greater when measured in the second generally open disposition as compared to the first insertion disposition and wherein the internal midspan angle remains less than 180° in the second generally open disposition.