Transverse acting surgical saw blade

• US 20070083209A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synvasive Technology Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Synvasive Technology Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fisher, Michael, Schenberger, Jon
• Granted Patent: US 7,691,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/82
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/14 Surgical saws A61B17/1637 takes precedence; tooth saws A61C3/12 ; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/142 with reciprocating saw blades, e.g. with cutting edges at the distal end of the saw blades
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated

Abstract

Various embodiments provide surgical cutting devices and systems for orthopedic and other procedures. Specific embodiments provide saw devices for accessing and cutting subjacent bone and other tissue while minimizing injury to surrounding tissue. One embodiment provides a transverse acting saw blade for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue. The blade comprises an elongated member having a first portion and a second portion and a longitudinal and lateral axis. The first portion is configured to engage a drive source to produce longitudinal movement of the first portion that is atraumatic to surrounding tissue. The second portion includes a cutting surface. The longitudinal movement of the first portion is converted to a lateral movement of the second portion that is sufficient to cut engaged bone tissue with the cutting surface. The movement of the second portion is substantially transverse to the movement of the first portion.

Claims

1. A saw blade for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue, the blade comprising:

an elongated member having a first portion, a second portion, a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the second portion having a cutting surface, the first portion engageable with a drive source to produce substantially longitudinal movement of the first portion that is converted to a lateral movement of the second portion that is sufficient to cut engaged bone tissue with the cutting surface, the movement of the first portion being substantially atraumatic to surrounding tissue, the movement of the second portion being substantially transverse to the movement of the first portion.

2. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein a portion of the blade is configured to sense a property of the blade.

3. The saw blade of claim 2, wherein the sensed property is an applied force, a vibration amplitude or a vibration frequency.

4. The saw blade of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor coupled to a portion of the blade.

5. The saw blade of claim 4, wherein the sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, a MEMs sensor, a piezo-electric sensor or a microphone.

6. The saw blade of claim 1, further comprising:

a sleeve disposed over a least a portion of the elongated member, the sleeve configured to laterally support the blade during cutting.

7. The saw blade of claim 6 wherein the sleeve is configured to be inserted into a cutting guide.

8. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the elongated member includes a motion converter for converting a longitudinal displacement of the first portion to a lateral displacement of the second portion.

9. The saw blade of claim 8, wherein the motion converter comprises a surfaced contoured section of the elongated member.

10. The saw blade of claim 8, wherein the motion converter comprises an opening disposed on the elongated member.

11. The saw blade of claim 10, wherein the opening increases the lateral flexibility to the second portion relative to the first portion.

12. The saw blade of claim 10, wherein the opening is configured to produce a substantially constant stress along a length of the elongated member adjacent the opening when the drive source engages the blade.

13. The saw blade of claim 10, wherein the opening is distally tapered.

14. The saw blade of claim 10, wherein the opening includes a first opening and a second opening.

15. The saw blade of claim 14, wherein the first opening is slot shaped.

16. The saw blade of claim 14, wherein the second opening is substantially oval, circular or rounded.

17. The saw blade of claim 14, wherein the second opening has a larger width than the first opening.

18. The saw blade of claim 14, wherein the first opening has a shape configured to bias the first portion toward longitudinal movement when engaged by the drive source.

19. The saw blade of claim 14, wherein the second opening has a shape configured to convert a longitudinal displacement of the first portion to a lateral displacement of the second portion.

20. The saw blade of claim 14, wherein the second opening includes a plurality of openings.

21. The saw blade of claim 20, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in a pattern for converting a longitudinal displacement of the first portion to a lateral displacement of the second portion.

22. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein a proximal end of the first portion is configured to engage the drive source.

23. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes an opening for engaging the drive source, the drive source engageable with an inner surface of the opening.

24. The saw blade of claim 23, wherein a contour of the inner surface controls at least one of the lateral movement or speed of the cutting section.

25. The saw blade of claim 23, wherein the opening is substantially diamond shaped.

26. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the first portion is configured to be longitudinally displaced by the drive source.

27. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the first portion is configured to be pushed and pulled in a longitudinal direction by the drive source.

28. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the first portion is configured to be put in compression by the drive source.

29. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes a first section and a second section, each section configured to be displaced by the drive source.

30. The saw blade of claim 29, wherein the two sections are separated by a slot oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongated member.

31. The saw blade of claim 29, wherein the two sections are configured to be reciprocally displaced by the drive source.

32. The saw blade of claim 31, wherein the reciprocal displacement of the sections is substantially out of phase.

33. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the second portion has a lateral stiffness configured to facilitate conversion of longitudinal displacement of the first portion to lateral displacement of the second portion.

34. The saw blade of claim 33, wherein the second portion lateral stiffness is produced by annealing or tempering the second portion.

35. The saw blade of claim 33, wherein the second portion includes an annealed or tempered region.

36. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the blade has a unitary construction.

37. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the blade comprises at least one of metal, stainless steel, composite, carbon fiber composite, polymer, titanium, or ceramic.

38. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the cutting surface includes a plurality of teeth.

39. The saw blade of claim 38, wherein the teeth are arrayed on an arc.

40. The saw blade of claim 38, wherein the cutting surface cuts tissue independent of a tooth configuration.

41. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the cutting surface is configured to cut at least one of femoral, tibial, humoral, spinal, cranial or mandibular tissue.

42. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the blade is configured to be used with a cutting guide.

43. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the first portion has sufficient length to allow access to bone tissue by the cutting surface up to about six inches from a skin surface.

44. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein movement of the first portion exerts a force below that necessary to sever tissue surrounding the first portion.

45. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein movement of the first portion exerts a force below that necessary to damage a vasculature or microvasculature in tissue surrounding the first portion.

46. The saw blade of claim 1, wherein the drive source is a reciprocating, a mechanical, an electrical, a pneumatic or a hydraulic drive source.

47. A surgical saw system for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue, the system comprising:

the saw blade of claim 1;

and

a surgical saw configured to use the blade.

48. The surgical saw system of claim 48, further comprising:

a cutting guide configured to guide the saw blade in cutting bone tissue.

49. The surgical saw system of claim 48, further comprising:

a support sleeve disposed over a least a portion of the blade.

50. A saw blade for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue, the blade comprising:

an elongated member having a first portion, a second portion, a motion converter and a longitudinal and lateral axis, the first portion engageable with a drive source to produce substantially longitudinal movement of the first portion, the motion converter converting the longitudinal movement of the first portion to a lateral movement of the second portion that is sufficient to cut engaged bone tissue with the cutting surface, the movement of the first portion being substantially atraumatic to surrounding tissue, the movement of the second portion being substantially transverse to the movement of the first portion.

51. The saw blade of claim 50, wherein the motion converter comprises at least one opening positioned on the elongated member.

52. A saw blade for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue, the blade comprising:

an elongated member having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion configured to engage a drive source, the second portion having a tissue cutting surface, the first portion having a shape and mechanical property configured to transmit force to the second portion from the drive source while producing longitudinal movement of the first portion that is atraumatic to surrounding tissue, the second portion having a shape and mechanical property configured to convert the force to a lateral movement of the cutting surface sufficient to cut engaged bone tissue.

53. The saw blade of claim 52, wherein a section of the elongated member is configured to have a substantially constant stress along a length of the section when the drive source engages the blade.

54. The saw blade of claim 52, wherein the lateral movement of the cutting section is substantially transverse with respect to the longitudinal movement of the first portion.

55. A method for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue, the method comprising:

providing a saw blade having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion configured to engage a drive source, the second portion having a tissue cutting surface;

positioning the blade at a target tissue site;

engaging the blade with a drive source to produce movement of the first portion that is substantially atruamatic to surrounding tissue;

converting the movement of the first portion to substantially transverse movement of the cutting section; and

cutting tissue at the tissue site with the cutting section.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein movement of the first portion is substantially parallel with respect to a longitudinal axis of the blade.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein movement of the first portion is substantially constrained within one plane.

58. The method of claim 55, wherein movement of the cutting section is oscillatory.

59. The method of claim 55, wherein the tissue site is an orthopedic site, a bone, a vertebrae or a skull.

60. The method of claim 55, wherein the tissue site is accessed through a minimally invasive incision or device.

61. The method of claim 55, wherein at least a portion of the blade is positioned in a sleeve, cutting guide, or fixture.

62. The method of claim 55, wherein the drive source is a hand held drive source, a rotary drive source or a reciprocating drive source.

63. The method of claim 55, wherein a stress along a length of the second portion caused by movement of the first portion is substantially constant.

64. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

sensing a property of the blade.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the sensed property is an applied force.

66. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

utilizing the blade to sense or transduce the property.

67. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

adjusting movement of the blade responsive to the sensed property.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the adjustment comprises slowing or stopping movement of the cutting section.

69. The method of claim 55, wherein movement of the blade does not substantially distort imaging of the tissue site with one of an imaging or viewing device.

70. The method of claim 55, wherein movement of the blade does not substantially inhibit irrigation or aspiration of the tissue site.

71. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

utilizing a channel in at least a portion of the blade to view, aspirate or irrigate the tissue site.

72. The method of claim 55, wherein the cutting section is positioned within a tissue structure and movement of the remainder of the blade does not cause hemorrhage of a vascular network of the structure.