Pig-tail tacks from Guidant:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Origin's Helical tacker uses 5 mm cork-screw tacks rather than staples to attach surgical mesh during laparoscopic hernia repair. The Guidant subsidiary's product manager Wendy Gin says they are three to 12 times as strong as Cooper's ligation. The device comes preloaded with 20 tacks and the trigger handle can be reused up to five times. Despite their apparent insecurity Ms Gin says they will not come out accidentally but can easily be removed if necessary.