Patent ID: 7967841

Claim:
A method for repairing a friable organ having a defect therein, comprising the steps of: providing a looped barbed suture having a plurality of barbs extending outwardly therefrom along at least a portion of a length thereof, and having first and second ends, first and second end portions and a middle portion therebetween, wherein the first and second ends are fixedly coupled to a single needle, and wherein the plurality of barbs extend outwardly away from the needle; placing the looped barbed suture around and on an outer surface of the friable organ in a spaced apart configuration without penetrating said friable organ with the needle and so as to extend across the defect, wherein the middle portion of the suture is positioned substantially transversely on whole to the first and second portions of the looped barbed suture and positioned substantially parallel to said defect; following the placing step, passing the needle through the friable organ in the vicinity of and around the middle portion of the looped barbed suture one or more times at the middle portion; and removing the needle from the looped barbed suture.