Patent ID: 7416556

Claim:
A suture clamping system, comprising: a block of material having a first hole defined therethrough, a second hole formed in and extending part way through the block of material, and a loop holder extension adapted to receive at least one length of suture, the loop holder extension being generally parallel to the second hole and generally perpendicular to the first hole; a rotatable element received into the second hole formed in the block of material, the rotatable element having a third hole defined therethrough, the rotatable element being rotatable relative to the block to position the first hole defined through the block of material and the third hole defined through the rotatable element in alignment to receive the at least one length of suture, the rotatable element being rotatable to wrap the at least one length of suture around the rotatable element; and a snare disposed through the first hole and the third hole, and received within the loop holder extension of the block of material, the snare being movable through the first hole, the third hole, and the loop holder extension following capture of the at least one length of suture to position the at least one suture through the first hole and the third hole.