Patent ID: 7959670

Claim:
A method for securing a prosthesis to tissue in a targeted tissue region comprising: (i) providing at least one helical fastener including a sharpened distal body region configured for penetrating tissue in response to a rotational implantation force and a proximal body region having a diameter, a carrier on the proximal body region that extends completely across the diameter to limit penetration of the proximal body region into tissue, the carrier including an attachment element that, when the distal body region is in a tissue penetrating condition, is exposed outside tissue to mark a targeted prosthesis placement site in advance of deployment of a prosthesis; (ii) providing a prosthesis including an attachment element configured, in response to manipulation of the prosthesis relative to the attachment element of the carrier, to mechanically engage the attachment element of the carrier; (iii) introducing the at least one fastener into the targeted tissue region; (iv) implanting the fastener in tissue in the targeted tissue region including coupling an actuator to the carrier for imparting the rotational implantation force to the fastener to place the distal body region in the tissue penetrating condition exposing the attachment element of the carrier outside tissue to mark the targeted prosthesis placement site; (v) after (iii) and (iv), introducing the prosthesis into the targeted tissue region including introducing a prosthesis delivery catheter to deploy the prosthesis at the targeted prosthesis placement site marked by the attachment element of the carrier, and (vii) manipulating the prosthesis to mechanically engage the attachment element of the prosthesis with the attachment element of the carrier to thereby couple the prosthesis to the fastener to secure the prosthesis to tissue at the targeted prosthesis placement site.