Guide clamp for guiding placement of a guide wire in a femur

• US 20050113841A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MicroPort Orthopedics Holdings, Inc. (MicroPort Scientific Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Wright Medical Technology Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Seyer, Steven F., Sheldon, Michael B., Krehlik, Brian, Luna, Ramon
• Granted Patent: US 7,699,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1668 for the upper femur A61B17/164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1684 for the shoulder
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/175 for preparing the femur for hip prosthesis insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1778 for the shoulder

Abstract

A guide clamp for clamping a femur and guiding placement of a guide wire relative to the femur. The guide clamp includes a body supporting a pair of clamping surfaces at the end of a pair of clamping arms that are spring-biased to move with respect to each other into a closed position to grip the femur. Defined by the body is a guide opening that guides insertion of the guide pin once the femur has been gripped. One of the clamping arms of the guide clamp may have proximal and distal portions that are slidably adjustable with respect to each other to allow a controlled repositioning of the guide opening with respect to the femur. The guide clamp may also include an engagement member which is supported by the body of the clamp and is capable of advancing into abutting contact with the head of the femur.

Claims

1. A guide clamp for clamping of a femur having a head and a neck, and guiding placement of a guide wire relative to the femur, said guide clamp comprising:

at least two clamping surfaces configured to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein said clamping surfaces are sufficiently spaced apart in the open position to allow insertion of the femur therebetween and wherein said clamping surfaces generally oppose each other and are sufficiently close together in the closed position to firmly hold the femur therebetween;

a body supporting the clamping surfaces and configured to allow movement of the clamping surfaces relative to each other, said body defining a guide opening configured to receive and allow passage of the guide wire therethrough to the femur; and

a spring biasing assembly configured to bias the clamping surfaces into the closed position about the femur wherein the clamping surfaces secure the body relative to the femur so that the guide wire is secured relative to the femur when extending through the guide opening defined by the body.

2. A guide clamp of claim 1, further comprising a pair of clamping arms, wherein each of said clamping arms includes one of the clamping surfaces.

3. A guide clamp of claim 2, wherein the spring biasing assembly is configured to bias both of the clamping arms and coordinate movement of the clamping surfaces between the open and closed positions.

4. A guide clamp of claim 2, wherein both of the clamping arms are rotatably supported by the body and wherein the spring biasing assembly is operably engaged with both of the clamping arms so as to bias the clamping arms into the closed position.

5. A guide clamp of claim 4, wherein each of the clamping arms includes a plurality of pinion teeth and wherein the spring biasing assembly includes a biased rack with a plurality of rack teeth configured to engage the pinion teeth of the clamping arms so that movement of the rack causes rotation of the clamping arms and relative movement of the clamping surfaces.

6. A guide clamp of claim 5, wherein the biasing assembly includes a coil spring extending around the biased rack and biasing the rack to move the clamping surfaces of the clamping arms into the closed position.

7. A guide clamp of claim 4, wherein the spring biasing assembly includes a translation member and spring, wherein said translation member is configured for linear translation with respect to the body and includes engagement elements configured to engage each of the clamping arms and wherein said spring is configured to linearly bias the translation member with respect to the body.

8. A guide clamp of claim 7, wherein the spring is a coil spring including a first end abutting the body and a second end abutting the translation member.

9. A guide clamp of claim 8, wherein the coil spring extends about the translation member and wherein the translation member defines a guide opening extending within the guide opening of the body.

10. A guide clamp of claim 2, wherein the clamping surface of one of the clamping arms is configured for adjustable positioning.

11. A guide clamp of claim 1, further comprising an engagement member supported by the body and extending therefrom into abutting contact with the head of the femur when secured between the clamping surfaces.

12. A guide clamp of claim 11, wherein the engagement member defines a guide opening aligned with the guide opening defined in the body and allowing passage of the guide wire through both of the guide openings to the head of the femur.

13. A guide clamp of claim 12, wherein the engagement member is movably supported by the body allowing the engagement member to be retracted from, and extended into, abutting contact with the head of the femur.

14. A guide clamp of claim 13, wherein the engagement member is slidably supported by the body along the axis of the guide opening defined by the body allowing the engagement member to be retracted from, and extended into, abutting contact with the head of the femur.

15. A guide clamp of claim 14, wherein the engagement member includes a textured femur-adjacent end.

16. A guide clamp of claim 15, wherein the textured femur-adjacent end includes serrations.

28. A guide clamp of claim 1, wherein each of the clamping surfaces are sloped to form an oblique angle relative to the guide opening to thereby position said guide opening at an offset angle relative to a natural axis of a femur, the offset angle being more vertical than that of the natural axis of the femur.

29. A guide clamp of claim 28, wherein the slope of the clamping surfaces is about 5 degrees.

17. A guide clamp for clamping of a femur and guiding placement of a guide wire relative to the femur, said guide clamp comprising:

at least two clamping surfaces configured to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein said clamping surfaces are sufficiently spaced apart in the open position to allow insertion of the femur therebetween and wherein said clamping surfaces generally oppose each other and are sufficiently close together in the closed position to firmly hold the femur therebetween;

a body supporting the clamping surfaces and configured to allow movement of the clamping surfaces relative to each other, said body defining a guide opening configured to receive and allow passage of the guide wire therethrough to the femur; and

an engagement member supported by the body and which is configured to extend therefrom into abutting contact with the head of the femur when the contact surfaces are in the closed position and the clamping surfaces secure the femur.

18. A guide clamp of claim 17, wherein the engagement member defines a guide opening aligned with the guide opening defined in the body and allowing passage of the guide wire through both of the guide openings to the head of the femur.

19. A guide clamp of claim 18, wherein the engagement member is movably supported by the body allowing the engagement member to be retracted from, and extended into, abutting contact with the head of the femur.

20. A guide clamp of claim 18, wherein the engagement member is slidably supported by the body, allowing the engagement member to be retracted from, and extended into, abutting contact with the head of the femur.

21. A guide clamp of claim 20, wherein the engagement member includes a textured femur-adjacent end.

22. A guide clamp of claim 21, wherein the textured femur-adjacent end includes serrations.

23. A guide clamp of claim 20, further comprising a pair of clamping arms, wherein each of said clamping arms includes one of the clamping surfaces.

24. A guide clamp of claim 23, wherein the clamping surfaces are configured to extend around the neck of the femur when adjacent to each other in the closed position.

25. A method of clamping a femur to facilitate insertion of a guide wire into the femur, said method comprising:

separating at least two opposing clamping surfaces of a guide clamp against a spring bias by moving the clamping surfaces relative to a body that supports the opposing clamping surfaces;

inserting a femur between the clamping surfaces;

closing the pair of opposing clamping surfaces onto the femur by allowing the clamping surfaces to move with the spring bias relative to the body so as to secure the femur between the clamping surfaces; and

inserting a guide wire through a guide wire opening defined by the body and advancing the guide wire into contact with the femur, wherein the guide wire is supported by the body and clamping surfaces relative to the femur.

26. A method of clamping of claim 25, further comprising advancing an engagement member supported by the body into abutting contact with a head of the femur after closing the clamping surfaces.

27. A method of clamping of claim 26, wherein inserting the guide wire includes advancing the guide wire through a guide wire opening defined in the engagement member, wherein said guide wire openings of the body and engagement member are generally aligned.