Patent ID: 7267680

Claim:
An apparatus for securing a tubular duct having a wall with an outside surface and a first end to a vessel having a wall with an outside surface, comprising: an annulus having a longitudinal axis; a first set of fingers extending at least in part axially from said annulus in one direction, said first set of fingers being movable between first and second configurations, said first set of fingers extending at least in part radially inwardly toward said longitudinal axis while in their second configuration into the outside surface of the wall of the tubular duct; a second set of fingers extending at least in part axially from said annulus in another direction generally opposite said one direction, said second set of fingers being movable between first and second configurations, said second set of fingers extending at least in part radially outwardly from said longitudinal axis while in their second configuration into the outside surface of the vessel; and said first set of fingers configured to penetrate the outside surface of the wall of the tubular duct as they move from their first configuration to their second configuration and said second set of fingers configured to penetrate the outside surface of the wall of the vessel as they move from their first configuration to their second configuration; wherein the first set of fingers moves into the outside surface of the wall of the tubular duct as the first set of fingers moves from their first configuration to their second configuration and wherein the second set of fingers moves into the outside surface of the vessel as the second set of fingers moves from their first configuration to their second configuration.