Stepped surgical saw blade

• US 5,178,626 A
• Filed: 11/01/1990
• Issued: 01/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael J. Pappas
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Pappas
• Inventors: Pappas, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, William W.
• Application Number:
  US07/607,845
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 606/82, 606/87, 606/176, 606/178, 606/177, 30/348, 30/350, 30/351, 83/835
• US Class Current: 606/178
• 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: B23D 61/006 Oscillating saw blades
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 61/025 Details of saw blade body
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/9319 Toothed blade or tooth therefor

Abstract

A surgical saw having a base blade portion, a plurality of staggered teeth and an intermediate blade portion, the thickness of which is less than the thickness of the base blade portion. The thickness of the intermediate blade portion is sufficiently less than the thickness of the base blade portion to permit passage of bone cuttings and other material away from the staggered teeth during operation of the surgical saw.

Claims

1. A surgical saw blade comprising:

a base blade portion having a thickness and having upper and lower surfaces, said base blade portion including a supported length which is adapted to be engaged by and supported by an operating means such as a saw head, and an unsupported length, the upper and lower surfaces of said unsupported length defining generally parallel planes such as to comprise guide surfaces for cooperating either with surfaces of a guide slot or with a guide slot and the surfaces of a resected bone to guide said saw blade;

a plurality of teeth disposed on the end of said blade distant from said base blade portion, some of said plurality of teeth having upper tips falling substantially within the plane of said upper surface of said unsupported length and other of said plurality of teeth having lower tips falling substantially within the plane of said lower surface of said unsupported length; and

an intermediate blade portion disposed between said teeth and said base plate portion, the thickness of said intermediate blade portion being less than the thickness of said base blade portion, and the length of said intermediate blade portion being less than the unsupported length of said base blade portion.

2. A surgical saw blade according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of said intermediate blade portion is sufficiently less than the thickness of said base blade portion to permit passage of cuttings away from said teeth during operation of said surgical saw when said teeth are disposed within a member being cut.

3. A surgical saw blade according to claim 1 wherein the length of said intermediate blade portion is sufficiently small to insure that said upper and lower surfaces of said base blade portion are in guiding relationship with either said guide slot or said surfaces of a resected bone at all times during operation of said saw blade.

4. A surgical saw blade according to claim 1 wherein the length of said intermediate blade portion is sufficiently small to have little effect on the overall stiffness of the saw blade.

5. A surgical saw blade for use with a power unit, comprising:

a planar base portion having a first thickness extending between two parallel surfaces, a first length which is perpendicular to the first thickness and the surfaces and which extends away from a side adapted to be supported by the power unit, and a first width across the surfaces which is perpendicular to the first thickness and the first length;

a continuous intermediate portion having a second thickness and having a width equal to the first width, the intermediate portion being integral with the base portion remote from the site and along the width and containing no holes or voids, the intermediate portion having a second length, the second thickness being less than or equal to about one-half of the first thickness, the second length being less than the first length; and

a plurality of alternatively staggered teeth formed in the free edge of the intermediate portion opposite the site and along the width, adjacent teeth having tips spaced apart along the thickness which are co-planar with the surfaces of the base portion.

6. A surgical saw blade as in claim 5, wherein:

the surfaces are engageable by the walls of a guide slot and the surfaces of a resected bone to guide the blade.

7. A surgical saw blade as in claim 5, wherein:

the stiffness of the blade is primarily dependent on the first thickness.

8. A surgical saw blade as in claim 5, wherein:

the second length is substantially less than the first length.