CABLE SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL APPLICATION

• US 20120215224A1
• Filed: 02/16/2012
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frontier Medical Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Matthew N. Songer
• Inventors: Songer, Matthew N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,522,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/74
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/82 for bone cerclage apparatus for manipulating wires or straps A61B17/8861; wires, bands or straps other than cerclage A61B17/842
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/842 Flexible wires, bands or straps A61B17/72, A61B17/82, A61B17/86 take precedence

Abstract

A surgical cable system having a length of cable and a locking body on which a first cable end is operatively located. The locking body defines a receiver for a first portion of the cable with the cable formed into a first loop that resides generally in a first plane. A locking structure on the locking body cooperates with the first portion of the cable to maintain the first loop in a tensioned state. The locking structure has an actuator that is operable to change the state of the locking structure. The locking structure is changeable from a released state into a locked state as an incident of one of: a) moving at least a part of the actuator along and/or around an axis that is generally parallel to the first plane; and b) moving a part of the cable length along a first line that is generally parallel to the first plane.

Claims

1. A surgical cable system comprising:

a length of cable having a first end; and

a locking body for the length of cable in which the first cable end is operatively located,

the locking body defining a receiver for a first portion of the length of cable with the length of cable formed into a first loop that resides generally in a first plane; and

a locking structure on the locking body that cooperates with the first portion of the cable so as to maintain the first loop in a tensioned state,

the locking structure having a locked state and a released state,

the locking structure comprising an actuator that is operable to change the locking structure selectively from the released state into the locked state to thereby maintain the tensioned state of the first loop,

the locking structure changeable from the released state into the locked state as an incident of one of;

a) moving at least a part of the actuator along and/or around an axis that is generally parallel to the first plane; and

b);

moving a part of the cable length along a first line that is generally parallel to the first plane.

2. The surgical cable system according to claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises a movable tine with an edge that engages a part of the cable length to allow the part of the cable length to move in only one direction as the part of the cable length is moved along a first line that is parallel to the first plane to thereby change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state.

3. The surgical cable system according to claim 2 wherein the tine is cantilever mounted so that the tine edge is biased against the part of the cable length.

4. The surgical cable system according to claim 1 wherein the locking structure is changeable from the released state into the locked state by moving at least a part of the actuator along and/or around an axis that is generally parallel to the first plane.

5. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein the locking structure is operable to change the locking structure from the locked state into the released state to thereby allow tension on the first loop to be reduced and the first loop to be reconfigured.

6. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein the actuator is configured to be operated by a tool that is directed from a separated position into an operative position relative to the part of the actuator by movement of the tool in a plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane.

7. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein the actuator comprises a threaded portion that is turned around an axis to change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state.

8. The surgical cable system according to claim 7 wherein the locking body is deformed by the actuator as the threaded portion is turned to thereby change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state.

9. The surgical cable system according to claim 7 wherein the actuator comprises a wedging component that is turned around an axis to change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state.

10. The surgical cable system according to claim 7 wherein the locking structure comprises a wedging component that is movable relative to the locking body to change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state.

11. The surgical cable system according to claim 10 wherein the wedging component is separable from the locking body.

12. The surgical cable system according to claim 11 wherein the actuator has a threaded portion that threadably engages the wedging component and moves the wedging component relative to the locking body as the threaded portion is turned around an axis to thereby change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state.

13. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein the actuator has a guide groove and is movable around an axis to change the locking structure from the released state into the locked state and the locking structure further comprises a wedging component, the wedging component moving guidingly in the guide groove as the actuator is moved around the axis to change the state of the locking structure.

14. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein the locking structure comprises a wedging component in the form of a spring element that is reconfigured as the part of the actuator is moved.

15. The surgical cable system according to claim 14 wherein the spring element is a leaf spring and the actuator is threadably engaged with the leaf spring.

16. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein with the locking structure in the locked state a first part of the locking body urges the first portion of the length of cable against a second part of the body.

17. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein the locking structure comprises a wedging component and with the locking structure in the locked state, a part of the wedging component urges the first portion of the length of cable against the locking body.

18. The surgical cable system according to claim 16 wherein with the locking structure in the locked state the locking body urges one discrete length of the first portion of the length of cable against a second discrete length of the first portion of the length of cable.

19. The surgical cable system according to claim 17 wherein with the locking structure in the locked state the wedging component urges one discrete length of the first portion of the length of cable against a second discrete length of the first portion of the length of cable and against the locking body.

20. The surgical cable system according to claim 4 wherein an anchoring element is provided on the first end of the length of cable and the body defines a seat for the anchoring element in which the anchoring element is blocked.

21. The surgical cable system according to claim 20 wherein the seat is bounded by a shoulder to which the anchoring element abuts and against which the anchoring element can be drawn to produce tension on the length of cable.

22. The surgical cable system according to claim 21 wherein the anchoring element can be releasably pressed into the seat to allow the length of cable to be separated from the locking body.