Abstract: A suture anchor and anchor driver device for securely and accurately positioning and installing the suture anchor in place. The anchor has a rounded or pointed head and one or more ridges around it to help force fit the anchor into a hole and to hold it in place. A suture is positioned through the anchor for subsequent use during the surgical procedure. The driver device has a handle and an elongated shaft and is used to position and install the anchor in place. The anchor preferably snap fits onto the end of the shaft. A depth guide can be integrally or removably positioned on the shaft to ensure correct depth of placement. Alternately, the driver shaft is hollow and the anchor is positioned inside it and is implanted with a pusher member. The ends of the suture are affixed to the driver handle. Grooves can be provided on the driver and the anchor to prevent the suture from interfering with the positioning and installation procedure.

Abstract: A suture anchor and anchor driver device for securely and accurately positioning and installing the suture anchor in place. The anchor has a rounded or pointed head and one or more ridges around it to help force fit the anchor into a hole and to hold it in place. A suture is positioned through the anchor for subsequent use during the surgical procedure. The driver device has a handle and an elongated shaft and is used to position and install the anchor in place. The anchor preferably snap fits onto the end of the shaft. A depth guide can be integrally or removably positioned on the shaft to ensure correct depth of placement. Alternately, the driver shaft is hollow and the anchor is positioned inside it and is implanted with a pusher member. The ends of the suture are affixed to the driver handle. Grooves can be provided on the driver and the anchor to prevent the suture from interfering with the positioning and installation procedure.

Abstract: A ligament graft replacement system (10) having an anchor assembly (16) on one end. The anchor assembly (16) includes an insert member (18), a threaded sleeve (22) and a rotatable ring (20) to which the graft (24) is attached. A harvested or synthetic graft (24) used as a replacement for a torn ligament or tendon is secured to the rotatable ring (20) by sutures (46) and the anchor assembly (16) is screwed into a tunnel (26) drilled in a bone or bone-like structure. The anchor assembly (16) includes a hexagonal opening (36) through its length for receiving a hex driver (48) in its trailing end (36) or its leading end (34). The anchor assembly (16) also preferably has a self-tapping thread (30) on its outer surface. The rotatable ring (20) is secured over annular flange (40) at the trailing end of the threaded sleeve (22) and has a plurality of openings or slots (50 ) to which the sutures (46) are attached.

Abstract: An anchor and anchor driver device for securely and accurately positioning and installing a bone (suture) anchor in place are disclosed. The bone anchor has a rounded or pointed head and a series of ridges around it which are used to help force fit the anchor into a hole and to hold it in place. A suture is positioned through the anchor for subsequent use during the surgical procedure. The driver device has a handle and elongated shaft and is used to position and install the anchor in place. The anchor snap fits onto the end of the shaft over an anti-rotation pin which mates with slots in the anchor. The ends of the suture are affixed to the driver handle. Means are provided on the driver to prevent the suture from interfering with the positioning and installation procedure.

Abstract: A miniature implantable magnetically actuated valve relatively insensitive to normally-encountered shock loads includes a housing for containing a movable ferromagnetic valve member. Inlet and outlet passages are provided in the housing at least one of which has an internal valve seat which is engageable by the valve member to close that passage. The valve member is resiliently suspended within the housing by special flat multiply-started spiral springs which permit the valve member only a single degree of freedom toward and away from the valve seat. The valve member is biased in one direction or the other and the valve is actuated transcutaneously by a magnet juxtaposed to the valve outside the body which produces a magnetic force on the valve member which exceeds and opposes the biasing force.