Catheter-based surgical procedures may be employed to repair tissue, such as a defective mitral valve. One such catheter-based surgical procedure, commonly referred to as an annuloplasty, reduces the length of a posterior mitral valve leaflet through one or more plications. To that end, anchors are secured at a plurality of locations distributed about the annulus near the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Each anchor has a suture coupled thereto. The sutures are collectively gathered and pulled tight. As the sutures are pulled tight, the tissue between each pair of adjacent anchors is plicated, thereby shortening the length of the annulus and drawing the posterior leaflet toward the anterior leaflet to effect mitral valve repair.
During the surgical procedure, the sutures for each of the anchors extend to an incision site through the catheter. To preserve the plications, the sutures must be secured against movement. Because the procedures are catheter based, suture lockers are typically used because of the small diameter of the cannula or catheter.
There is generally a need for an improved locker to secure one or more tensioning members, such as sutures, against relative movement during and after a catheter-based surgical procedure.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds