Patent ID: 8758405

Claim:
A suture tensioning device, comprising: a shaft having proximal and distal ends and an inner lumen extending therethrough; a knotting element and adapted to receive a suture and to lock to engage the suture, the knotting element including an outer sleeve removably coupled to the distal end of the shaft and an insert receivable within an inner lumen of the outer sleeve to lock a suture therein; an elongate tubular actuator extending through an inner lumen of the shaft and being slidable between a proximal position in which the actuator retains the insert within the inner lumen of the shaft and a distal position in which the actuator advances the insert into the inner lumen of the sleeve; and a suture grasping member movably coupled to the shaft and extending through the inner lumen of the actuator, through the inner lumen of the outer sleeve, and through an inner lumen of the insert such that a distal end of the suture grasping member is positioned distally beyond the knotting element such that the distal end of the suture grasping element can grasp a suture positioned distally beyond the knotting element and pull the suture in a proximal direction through the inner lumen of the outer sleeve and the inner lumen of the insert to position the distal end of the suture grasping element proximal to the knotting element, and to allow the knotting element to lock and engage the suture.