Patent ID: 7846180

Claim:
A tissue fixation device comprising: a suture; a first bioimplantable pledget having at least one through hole formed therein having a minimum diameter greater than a maximum diameter of the suture, a first portion of the suture passing through the at least one through hole in the first pledget and a second portion of the suture configured to inhibit the second portion from passing through the at least one through hole in the first pledget; a second bioimplantable pledget having at least one through hole formed therein, the first pledget being spaced apart from the second pledget to receive tissue therebetween when the tissue fixation device is deployed; a first bioimplantable securing element connected to a portion of the suture, the first securing element being rotatable from a first orientation in which the securing element is oriented at least substantially parallel to the at least one through hole formed in the first pledget and the second pledget, to a second orientation in which the securing element is oriented at least substantially perpendicular to the at least one through hole in the second pledget, wherein the suture, the first and second pledgets, and the first securing element are effective to fix adjacent layers of living tissue.