Surgical Screwdriver

• US 20130282019A1
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alphatec Spine Incorporated (Alphatec Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Alphatec Spine Incorporated (Alphatec Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bouliane, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,932,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7082 for driving, i.e. rotating, screws or screw parts specially adapted for spinal fixation, e.g. for driving polyaxial or tulip-headed screws driving other bone screws A61B17/8875
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/888 the driver bit acting on the central region of the screw head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8888 at its central region

Abstract

An instrument for attachment and insertion of a screw assembly into a surgical site includes a housing, an attachment shaft, and a drive shaft. The housing including a movable hub. The attachment shaft includes a proximal end for coupling to the housing and a distal end with a flexible portion for selectively attaching to a receiver of the screw assembly. The drive shaft within the attachment shaft includes a proximal end for selectively engaging the hub and a distal end with a driving feature for driving a head of the screw assembly.

Claims

1. An instrument for attachment and insertion of a screw assembly into a surgical site, comprising:

a housing including a movable hub;

an attachment shaft that includes a proximal end for coupling to the housing and a distal end with a flexible portion for selectively attaching to a receiver of the screw assembly; and

a drive shaft within the attachment shaft that includes a proximal end for selectively engaging the hub and a distal end with a driving feature for driving a head of the screw assembly.

2. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion elastically deforms to attach to the receiver of the screw assembly.

3. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion includes a first thread for engaging a second thread of the receiver of the screw assembly.

4. The instrument of claim 3, wherein attachment shaft rotates to advance the first thread relative to the second thread and detach the flexible portion from the receiver of the screw assembly.

5. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft translates within the attachment shaft to engage the hub.

6. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a first configuration that positions the hub towards the proximal end of the drive shaft and a second configuration that positions the hub away from the proximal end of the drive shaft.

7. The instrument of claim 1, further comprising a bias mechanism that biases the proximal end of the drive shaft away from the hub.

8. An instrument that attaches to and drives a screw assembly into a surgical site, comprising:

a housing including a first portion with a hub and a second portion;

a first shaft including a proximal end that couples with the second portion, a distal end with a flexible portion for selectively attaching to a receiver of the screw assembly, and a cannula extending from the proximal end to the distal end; and

a second shaft including a proximal end with an engagement feature configured to selectively engage the hub and a distal end with a driving feature for driving a head of the screw assembly.

9. The instrument of claim 8, further comprising a bias mechanism that biases the engagement feature away from the hub.

10. The instrument of claim 8, wherein the distal end of the first shaft includes one or more slots that form the flexible portion.

11. The instrument of claim 8, wherein the distal end of the second shaft includes a recessed portion.

12. The instrument of claim 8, wherein the housing includes a first configuration that engages the hub with the engagement feature and a second configuration that disengages the hub from the engagement feature.

13. The instrument of claim 8, wherein the flexible portion includes elastically deforms from a first configuration to a second configuration as the first shaft advances within the receiver of the screw assembly.

14. The instrument of claim 13, wherein the flexible portion elastically deforms from the second configuration to the first configuration to threadably engage the first shaft with the receiver of the screw assembly.

15. The instrument of claim 14, wherein the first shaft rotates to disengage from the receiver of the screw assembly.