Patent ID: 7473259

Claim:
A surgical instrument for stabilizing an implant as a surgeon introduces an attachment mechanism to secure the implant to native tissue at the damaged tissue site comprising: a proximal end portion to be held by a surgeon, the proximal end portion having a longitudinal axis; a distal end portion having a longitudinal axis offset from the longitudinal axis of the proximal end portion; an intermediate portion between the proximal end portion and distal end portion, the intermediate portion having a longitudinal axis defining an obtuse angle with the longitudinal axis of the distal end portion; wherein the distal end portion defines an attachment template for guiding an attachment mechanism through the implant and into the native tissue of the damaged tissue site, including: a top surface lying in a plane and a bottom surface lying in a plane, a pair of spaced curved guide edges extending from the top surface to the bottom surface defining a pair of spaced guide holes sized and shaped to receive surgical needles, the distal end portion further including straight edges defining a slot between the spaced guide holes, the slot extending from the top surface to the bottom surface, the spaced guide holes and slot defining a suturing guide for attaching the implant to native tissue at the damaged tissue site; and a plurality of spaced barbs extending outwardly from the bottom surface of the distal end portion, the barbs being sized and shaped to extend through the implant and into the native tissue so that the distal end portion can temporarily engage a portion of the implant as the implant is secured to the native tissue.