Apparatus for preparing the medullary cavity

• US 5,707,374 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Biomet Merck Deutschland GmbH (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Julian W.
• Application Number:
  US08/659,816
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 606/84, 606/85, 606/89, 606/95, 606/99, 606/91, 606/92, 606/94
• US Class Current: 606/85
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1659 Surgical rasps, files, planes, or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1668 for the upper femur A61B17/164 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to equipment consisting of awl and rasp for preparing the medullary cavity when implanting endoprostheses in long bones. According to the invention, each of the shafts is designed as a hollow body. At the cutting teeth arranged on the outer side of the shaft, there are openings which are directed into the shaft interior. The excavated material collects in the hollow space of the awl or rasp shaft and can be removed from there via apertures at the proximal end and distal end of the shaft by irrigation and/or suction, or is removed together with the instrument after the latter has been used.

Claims

1. Apparatus for preparing a medullary cavity during endoprosthetic surgery of long bones, the apparatus comprising:

a hollow shaft having a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends, the hollow shaft defining a wall surrounding a central bore;

an offset lug on the first end of the hollow shaft, the lug extending obliquely with respect to the axis and being adapted to receive a handle;

a first opening adjacent the lug and communicating with the bore and a second opening through the second end of the hollow shaft, the first and second openings cooperating to facilitate irrigating and aspirating the cavity as the cavity is prepared by the shaft;

spaced peripheral teeth extending radially outwardly from the wall of the shaft, the teeth having cutting edges for removing material from the wall of the medullary cavity; and

passages through the wall of the hollow shaft, the passages being adjacent to peripheral teeth and communicating with the bore in the shaft for receipt of material removed by the teeth, whereby the material is entrained in fluid dispensed through the second opening and aspirated via the passages for removal from the cavity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the teeth have cutting edges which face in the direction of the second end.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the teeth are staggered along the longitudinal axis and the hollow shaft tapers from the first end to the second end.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutting edges of the teeth face radially and extend longitudinally so that the apparatus functions as an awl.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a central tube extends in the bore and opens at the second opening for delivering irrigation fluid to the cavity, which irrigation fluid is sucked by a suction device connected to the bore through the passages in the wall adjacent the teeth so as to remove material from the cavity.