Patent ID: 7722642

Claim:
A fastener apparatus for use in surgery comprising: a body having a base and a leg extending from said base; said body having a width dimension; said leg having an initial pointed end, an unformed length dimension measured from said base to said initial pointed end that is long enough to extend out of a patient when the base is in anchoring position within the patient's body, the leg configured to be cut between the base and the initial pointed end to a formed length dimension measured between said base and a new end, with the new end located between the initial pointed end and said base such that the unformed length is greater than the formed length, the leg formed from material that is deformed when the leg is bent to force the new end back towards the base to secure the fastener to tissue; a pledget on the body adjacent the base; and a tool configured for holding and cutting the leg and for bending the new end after the leg is cut to force the new end back towards the base to secure the fastener to tissue.