Device for heart repair

Abstract

An anchor for implantation in body tissue in combination with a line, the anchor comprising a plurality of hooks for engagement with the body tissue, and wherein the anchor is made of an elastic material such that the anchor can be elastically deformed into a folded position from an unfolded position by application of a constraining force. The anchor further comprising a locking mechanism for clamping the line when, and being elastically deformable to release the line for adjustment of a length of the line, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a resiliently deformable locking segment integrated with a wall of the anchor and divided from the wall by at least one slit; wherein the anchor comprises a tubular body section defining said wall of the anchor; and wherein the tubular body section, the locking mechanism and the plurality of hooks comprise a single, unitary structure comprising the elastic material.

1 . An anchor for implantation in body tissue in combination with a line, the anchor comprising:
 a plurality of hooks for engagement with the body tissue, wherein the anchor comprises a folded position and an unfolded position, and wherein the anchor is made of an elastic material such that the anchor can be elastically deformed into the folded position by application of a constraining force, and will return to the unfolded position when no constraining force is applied; and   a locking mechanism for clamping the line when no force is applied, and being elastically deformable to release the line from the locking mechanism for adjustment of a length of the line, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a resiliently deformable locking segment integrated with a wall of the anchor and divided from the wall by at least one slit;   wherein the anchor comprises a tubular body section defining said wall of the anchor; and   wherein the tubular body section, the locking mechanism and the plurality of hooks comprise a single, unitary structure comprising the elastic material.   
     
     
         2 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the anchor is arranged so that when no force is applied, the at least one slit is closed with no gap or a relatively narrow gap in order to clamp the line, whereas when a suitable force is applied to the resiliently deformable locking segment and/or the wall, then the resiliently deformable locking segment and/or the wall will elastically deform to widen an opening provided by the at least one slit so that the line is released. 
     
     
         3 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the resiliently deformable locking segment comprises a band with parallel slits on two sides, such that the band is configured to move out of plane with the wall to open the parallel slits for adjustment of the length of the line. 
     
     
         4 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the band can be pulled out of plane with the wall by application of a force to open the parallel slits. 
     
     
         5 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hooks extend from one end of the tubular body section. 
     
     
         6 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of hooks are formed as sharpened and bent tines at the one end of the tubular body section. 
     
     
         7 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said wall defines the resiliently deformable locking segment. 
     
     
         8 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the resiliently deformable locking segment constitutes a portion of the wall. 
     
     
         9 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said wall defines the resiliently deformable locking segment. 
     
     
         10 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the anchor is cut from a single tube such that the locking mechanism, the tubular body section and the plurality of hooks are formed of the same tube comprising the elastic material. 
     
     
         11 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently deformable locking segment constitutes a portion of the wall. 
     
     
         12 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the wall is a side wall of the tubular body section of the anchor. 
     
     
         13 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the anchor is cut from a single tube such that the locking mechanism, the tubular body section and the plurality of hooks are formed of the same tube comprising the elastic material. 
     
     
         14 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , the anchor comprising shape memory metal. 
     
     
         15 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the anchor comprises a body including the tubular body section defining said wall of the anchor, and the anchor comprises at least one hole defined through the body for routing the line. 
     
     
         16 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the line is looped once or multiple times through the at least one slit. 
     
     
         17 . An anchor as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the line is a suture material. 
     
     
         18 . A method of manufacturing an anchor for implantation in body tissue in combination with a line, the method comprising:
 laser cutting a single tube comprising an elastic material to form the anchor with:   a plurality of hooks for engagement with the body tissue, wherein the anchor comprises a folded position and an unfolded position, wherein the anchor can be elastically deformed into the folded position by application of a constraining force and the anchor will return to the unfolded position when no constraining force is applied; and   a locking mechanism for clamping the line when no force is applied, and being elastically deformable to release the line from the locking mechanism for adjustment of a length of the line, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a resiliently deformable locking segment formed in a wall of the anchor and divided from the wall by at least one slit;   wherein the anchor comprises a tubular body section defining said wall of the anchor; and   wherein the tubular body section, the locking mechanism and the plurality of hooks comprise a single, unitary structure comprising the elastic material; and   electropolishing the anchor after the laser cutting.   
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein laser cutting the tube includes laser cutting the tube to form sharpened tines at one end of the tube, with an other end of the tube forming a body of the anchor and including the wall in which the resiliently deformable locking segment is formed, and the method further comprising bending the sharpened tines to create the plurality of hooks. 
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the anchor comprises shape memory metal.