EXPANDABLE SUPPORT DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE

• US 20090149956A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stout Medical Group, L.P. (Alphatec Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stout Medical Group, L.P. (Alphatec Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: ROMANO, John-Paul, GREENHALGH, E. Skott
• Granted Patent: US 11,141,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/17.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7061 for stabilising vertebrae or discs by improving the condition of their tissues, e.g. using implanted medication or fluid exchange intraosseous injection devices A61B17/3472
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7094 Solid vertebral fillers; devices for inserting such fillers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7097 Stabilisers comprising fluid filler in an implant, e.g. balloon; devices for inserting or filling such implants disc prostheses made of inflatable chambers or pockets filled with fluid A61F2/441; replacing the nucleus pulposus A61F2002/444
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7098 wherein the implant is permeable or has openings, e.g. fenestrated screw hollow surgical screws A61B17/864
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8858 laterally or radially expansible inflatable A61B17/8855

Abstract

An expandable support device for tissue repair is disclosed. The device can be used to repair hard or soft tissue, such as bone. The expandable support device can have interconnected struts. A method of repairing tissue is also disclosed. The expandable support device can be inserted into a damaged bone and radial expanded. The radial expansion of the expandable support device struts can cause the struts to cut mechanically support and/or the bone.

Claims

1. An expandable support device for repairing damaged bone, the expandable support device having a longitudinal axis, and comprising:

a first terminal end comprising a radially external first attachment configuration;

a second terminal end comprising a radially external second attachment configuration, and a radially internal attachment configuration;

a first strut having a first strut cross-section;

a second strut connected to the first strut, wherein the first strut is substantially deformable;

and wherein the first strut cross-section is configured to encourage bone growth toward the longitudinal axis.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a bone growth material.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first strut comprises the bone growth material.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the first strut is coated with the bone growth material.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the bone growth material circumferentially surrounds the first strut cross-section.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the first strut has a first strut first side closer to the longitudinal axis and a first strut second side farther from the longitudinal axis than the first strut first side, and wherein the bone growth material is on the first strut first side.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the first strut second side is not substantially coated with the bone growth material.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first strut cross-section comprises a needle tip.

9. The device of Claim 1, wherein the first strut cross-section comprises a chisel tip.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first strut comprises a thread.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the first strut comprises a longitudinal vane.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a detachable deployment rod comprising an expandable support device engager; and

a detachable retrieval sheath translatably slidable with respect to the deployment rod, wherein the retrieval sheath is configured to radially.compress the expandable support device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the first strut cross-section is small enough to allow the bone to substantially back-fill track voids created by radial expansion of the first cross-section.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the second strut cross-section is small enough to allow the bone to substantially back-fill track voids created by radial expansion of the second cross-section.

15. A method of deploying an expandable support device having a radius in a bone comprising:

positioning the expandable support device in the bone;

radially expanding the expandable support device through the bone; and

creating track voids through the bone.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising deploying a material into the track voids, wherein the material encourages bone growth.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein radially expanding the expandable support device comprises creating track voids.

18. A method of retrieving a deployed expandable support device from a bone comprising:

holding the expandable support device; and

translating a sheath over the expandable support device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein translating a sheath comprises translating a rigid sheath, and wherein holding comprises holding a first end of the expandable support device, and wherein translating further comprises radially compressing the expandable support device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising translating the expandable support device out of the bone.