CONNECTOR FOR FRACTURED BONES

• US 3,779,239 A
• Filed: 03/13/1972
• Issued: 12/18/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Artur Fischer, Jean-Nicolas Muller
• Original Assignee: Artur Fischer, Jean-Nicolas Muller
• Inventors: Fischer, Artur, Muller, Jean-Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaudet, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yasko, J.
• Application Number:
  US05/234,102
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 128/92BC,92BB,92CA,92R,92B,92D 85/71,70
• US Class Current: 606/63
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7225 for bone compression
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/7258 with laterally expanding parts, e.g. for gripping the bone

Abstract

An elongated sleeve is insertable into a passage provided in a fractured bone, so as to bridge the fracture thereof. The front end of the sleeve carries an expansion anchor sleeve which is longitudinally slotted so that its circumferential wall is composed of strips which are connected only at the leading and trailing ends. The strips are buckled in radially outward direction by inserting a rod through the sleeve and connecting it with the leading end of the expansion anchor sleeve so as to exert a rearwardly directed tensile force upon the same, causing its buckling.

Claims

1. A surgical appliance, particularly a connector for fractured bones, comprising an elongated sleeve adapted for insertion into a passage in a fractured bone so as to bridge the fracture thereof, said elongated sleeve having a front end and a rear end;

an expansion sleeve at said front end and having a trailing end, a leading end, and a peripheral wall including a plurality of elongated strip-shaped portions extending between and connected with one another at said leading and trailing ends, respectively;

a cap sleeve at said rear end accommodated within said elongated sleeve, said cap sleeve being provided with internal screw threads;

expander means extending through said elongated sleeve from the region of said rear end to said leading end and having external screw threads which mesh with said internal screw threads, said expander means being connected with said expansion sleeve so that rotation of said cap sleeve in a predetermined sense effects radially outward buckling of said strip-shaped portions; and

screw means at said rear end mating with said internal screw threads and having a head portion located exteriorly of said passage which is adapted to abut said bone so that rotation of said screw means in a predetermined sense subsequent to outward buckling of said strip-shaped portions enables a compressive force to be exerted on said bone in a sense drawing the bone fragments together.

2. A surgical appliance as defined in claim 1, wherein said leading end is provided with internal screw threads, said expander means being a rod having external screw threads which mesh with said internal screw threads at said leading end.

3. A surgical appliance as defined in claim 1, at least some of said strip-shaped portions having a reduced cross-section intermediate said leading and trailing ends at loci where buckling is desired to occur.

4. A surgical appliance as defined in claim 1, at least some of said strip-shaped portions having a hinged section intermediate said leading and trailing ends at loci where buckling is desired to occur.

5. A surgical appliance as defined in claim 1, at least some of said strip-shaped portions being slightly creased at loci where buckling is desired to occur.

6. A surgical appliance as defined in claim 1;

furthEr comprising buckling-promoting means on said strip-shaped portions at loci where buckling is desired to occur and which are spaced from said trailing end by a distance corresponding to about one third of the distance to said leading end.

7. A surgical appliance as defined in claim 6, said strip-shaped portions being connected at said trailing end directly with said front end of said elongated sleeve.