Patent ID: 8900302

Claim:
A surgical kit for attaching a tendon or a ligament to bone, comprising: a crimp and an insertion shield, said crimp having a first end and an opposite second end, and said insertion shield having a leading end and an opposite trailing end, said second end of said crimp being proximate said trailing end of said insertion shield; said crimp being composed of a surgical grade material, said crimp having a sleeve, said sleeve having a length, a central longitudinal axis parallel to the length of said sleeve, an interior surface, an exterior surface, a first cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said sleeve, and a second cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said sleeve, the first and second cross-sections spaced apart from one another along the length of said sleeve, said interior and exterior surfaces of said sleeve each having a plurality of surface projections, said interior surface of said sleeve defining a hollow passage and a first open end into said hollow passage, said hollow passage being coaxial with the central longitudinal axis, said first open end being formed at said first end of said crimp, said first open end being configured to pass at least an end of the tendon or ligament therethrough and into said hollow passage of said sleeve, said sleeve being compressible along substantially the entire length thereof to compress the at least the end of the tendon or ligament inserted into said hollow passage, the areas of the first and second cross-sections being greater when said sleeve is uncompressed than when said sleeve is compressed; and said insertion shield being configured to facilitate insertion of said crimp into an opening in the bone, said insertion shield having a length from said leading end to said trailing end, a central longitudinal axis parallel to the length of said insertion shield, a third cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said insertion shield and adjacent said trailing end thereof, a fourth cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said insertion shield and between said leading and trailing ends thereof, and a fifth cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of said insertion shield and adjacent said leading end thereof, the areas of said third cross-section, said fourth cross-section, and said fifth cross-section decreasing from said trailing end to said leading end.