Patent ID: 8690889

Claim:
A surgical fastener system including: a tube having a distal end, a proximal end, and an inner bore; a plurality of fasteners located in the tube, each of the fasteners having a barrel portion with an external thread and a throughbore extending through the barrel portion, the throughbore having a portion with a non-circular cross-section; a mandrel located in the inner bore and adapted to pass through the throughbore of each of the plurality of fasteners, the mandrel adapted to engage with the non-circular cross-sectional portion of the plurality of fasteners, the mandrel having a distal end, a proximal end, and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, the mandrel being arranged for rotation about the longitudinal axis relative to the tube and arranged for movement along the longitudinal axis relative to the tube such that the distal end of the mandrel is extendable from the distal end of the tube, wherein movement of the mandrel along the longitudinal axis does not cause ejection of a distalmost fastener of the plurality of fasteners from the tube; and a handle attached to the proximal end of the tube, the handle including an actuator adapted to cause the distal end of the mandrel to move and extend from the distal end of the tube, the actuator adapted to cause the mandrel to rotate about the longitudinal axis relative to the tube to deploy the distalmost fastener of the plurality of fasteners, the actuator being adapted to retract the distal end of the mandrel into the tube after deployment of the distalmost fastener; wherein rotation of the mandrel about the longitudinal axis causes rotation of the distalmost fastener engaged with the mandrel and deployment of the distalmost fastener from the distal end of the tube.