System for rib fixation

• US 20060085000A1
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DePuy Synthes Products LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Medical Health Center
• Inventors: Long, William B., Madey, Steven M., Krieg, James C., Bottlang, Michael, Mohr, Marcus
• Granted Patent: US 7,785,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/281
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/80 Cortical plates , i.e. bone plates; Instruments for holding or positioning cortical plates, or for compressing bones attached to cortical plates
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8076 for the ribs or the sternum
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8085 with pliable or malleable elements or having a mesh-like structure, e.g. small strips A61B17/8071, A61B17/8076 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture

Abstract

System, including methods, apparatus, and kits, for fixing ribs with bone plates.

Claims

1. A bone plate for fixing rib bones, comprising:

an elongate plate member defining a plurality of holes configured to receive fasteners that secure the plate member to a rib bone, the plate member having a pre-operative contour according to a surface geometry of human ribs.

2. The bone plate of claim 1, the plate member defining a long axis, wherein the pre-operative contour includes at least one of twist substantially about the long axis and longitudinal curvature.

3. The bone plate of claim 2, wherein the pre-operative contour includes twist, and wherein the twist is about one to four degrees per centimeter along the long axis.

4. The bone plate of claim 2, wherein the pre-operative contour includes in-plane longitudinal curvature, and wherein the in-plane longitudinal curvature has a radius of about ten centimeters to one meter.

5. The bone plate of claim 2, wherein the pre-operative contour includes out-of-plane longitudinal curvature, and wherein the out-of-plane longitudinal curvature has a radius of about five to twenty-five centimeters.

6. The bone plate of claim 1, wherein the pre-operative contour corresponds to a surface geometry averaged over at least two ribs from different people.

7. The bone plate of claim 1, wherein the pre-operative contour is representative of two or more ribs with different positions in a human rib cage so that the plate member is configured to be secured to each of the two or more ribs.

8. The bone plate of claim 1, wherein the pre-operative contour corresponds to a surface geometry averaged along at least a portion of the length of one or more ribs so that the plate member is configured to be secured at a plurality of distinct positions along the length of the one or more ribs.

9. The bone plate of claim 1, wherein the plate member is configured to be secured to either at least one left rib bone or at least one right rib bone, but not both.

10. The bone plate of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes is threaded.

11. The bone plate of claim 1, the plate member having a shape, wherein the plate member is constructed of a malleable material so that the plate member can be manipulated peri-operatively to adjust the shape.

12. A kit for fixing rib bones, comprising:

at least two bone plates, each bone plate being precontoured for installation on at least one different bone of a human rib cage.

13. The kit of claim 12, wherein one or more of the at least two bone plates are precontoured for use on each of at least two bones of a human rib cage.

14. The kit of claim 12, further comprising instructions that correlate each of the at least two bone plates with the at least one different bone for which each bone plate is precontoured.

15. The kit of claim 12, wherein the at least two bone plates include distinct indicia that correspond to the at least one different bone for which each bone plate is precontoured.

16. A method of making a rib plate, comprising:

selecting a surface geometry of human ribs; and

creating an elongate plate member pre-operatively, the elongate plate member defining a plurality of holes and having a contour corresponding to the surface geometry.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of selecting includes selecting a surface geometry representing two or more different ribs of a rib cage.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of selecting includes selecting a surface geometry representing a plurality of geometries along the length of a rib bone.

19. A method of fixing a rib bone, comprising:

selecting a rib bone to be fixed;

selecting a bone plate having a plurality of holes and contoured pre-operatively according to an averaged geometry of human ribs; and

securing the bone plate to the rib bone with bone screws received in the plurality of holes.

20. The method of claim 19, the rib bone having an anatomical position within a rib cage, the step of selecting a bone plate being based on the anatomical position.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of selecting a bone plate includes selecting a bone plate from a set of at least two bone plates precontoured for installation on different rib bones.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of selecting a bone plate includes selecting a bone plate from a set of at least two bone plates of different length.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising a step of adjusting the shape of the bone plate after the step of selecting the bone plate.