Patent ID: 7806910

Claim:
A suture clamp comprising a plurality of individual elements positioned together in a row, each individual element comprising a lower portion, a flexible neck extending from the lower portion, and an upper portion having a slot, the plurality of slot portions of the plurality of individual elements defining a slot sized to accept a suture element through the row of individual elements when the individual elements are biased into a first position with the plurality of slot portions longitudinally aligned, the flexible necks of adjacently positioned individual elements moved towards one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal slot and the upper portions of adjacently positioned individual elements moved apart in the direction transverse to the longitudinal slot, the plurality of slot portions define a tortuous path for the suture element when at least one of the individual elements is unbiased to a second position with a portion of the upper portion of one individual element resting against the upper portion of an adjacently positioned individual element and the flexible necks of adjacently positioned individual elements being moved away from one another in the direction transverse to the longitudinal slot, the tortuous path preventing passage of the suture through the slot portions of adjacently positioned separate elements.