Patent attributes
A surgical assembly and method for treating female urinary incontinence. The assembly includes a substantially flat, flexible tape having first and second ends, wherein at least a portion of the tape is adapted to be permanently implanted into a female patient's body as a loop beneath the urethra. The assembly further includes a flexible sheath having a first portion covering a first length of the tape and a second portion covering a second length of the tape. The first and second portions substantially cover the entire length of the implant portion of the tape prior to implantation of the tape and sheath combination into the patient's body. Following implantation into the patient's body, the first and second portions of the sheath are removable from the first and second ends of the tape respectively.
