Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for suturing an opening in anatomical tissue includes at least one length of suture material, a leg support terminating distally in at least two hooks having sharp tips for threading the length of suture material through anatomical tissue adjacent an opening, and an operating mechanism coupled with the leg support for advancing and retracting the hooks. The apparatus further includes a housing, such as a stabilizer or a cannula, defining a portal through the opening for passage of the hooks. Each hook is carried by a single leg supported by a hub or secured along its length to other legs to form a handle for operating the hooks. If the legs are carried by a hub, the hub is movable relative to the housing to advance and retract the hooks within passages formed in the housing. The legs can be hollow or slotted to allow passage of the lengths of suture material through the legs or each length of suture material can be attached near the distal end of one of the sharp tissue penetrating tips and pulled through the tissue. The tissue adjacent the opening is drawn together via the lengths of suture material passed through the tissue by advancing the lengths through the hollow legs or by being pulled along with the sharp tissue penetrating tips of the hooks.

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First Claim