Patent ID: 7285086

Claim:
A medical implant inserter comprising: an inserter device having a distal end region including a tissue penetrating distal tip, a proximal end region, a capture element and a first pass through element both extending outwardly from the distal end region, the first pass through element being positioned at a location proximal of the capture element, an implant holding element having a proximal end and a distal end, the implant holding element being removably coupled at its distal end to the inserter device by being removably received within the capture element, and being movably coupled to the inserter device at a location proximal of the capture element, wherein a portion of the implant holding element lies substantially adjacent to the inserter device, and a distal end portion of the implant holding element extends to a position wherein it is spaced apart from the inserter device before being removably received within the capture element, and wherein the implant holding element passes through an opening in the first pass through element to thereby at least partially maintain the position of the implant holding element relative to the inserter device.