Bondable expansion plug for soft tissue fixation

Claim 1

An expandable soft tissue fixation assembly, comprising: a tab extending along an axis and connected, via a connecting region, to an anchor having a tube portion and a flared portion, the tube portion having a diameter D; a sleeve adapted to surround the anchor and including multiple sections which can be expanded radially outward upon application of a force thereto; and a tubular flange having an inner bore of a diameter which is smaller than D; wherein the flange is adapted to hold and distribute pressure over a section of soft tissue between the flange and a bone surface, wherein the walls of the bore of the tubular flange interferingly engage with the walls of the tube portion of the anchor, so that the bore walls and tube portion walls form a shear weld upon application of sufficient energy to the tubular flange, wherein concurrent application of a predetermined tensile force to the tab along the axis of the tab compresses the flared portion of the anchor against the sleeve, thereby radially extending the multiple sections of the sleeve, anchoring the flared portion and the sleeve in the bone, holding the soft tissue section between the flange and the bone, and causing the tab to separate from the tubed portion of the anchor.