Temperature sensitive surgical fastener
First Claim
1. A fastener adapted for securing a fixation plate having an opening therethrough to a bore formed in a bone, said fastener comprising:
- a head engaging a portion of the opening in the fixation plate; and
an elongated shank extending from said head, said shank portion and said head portion having a hole, said shank disposed in the bore and being constructed of bioresorbable polymer, said bioresorbable polymer having uni-axial longitudinal stresses formed therein which when heated by a filament inserted into said hole in said head portion and said shank portion, said stresses in said bioresorbable polymer are relieved whereby said shank expands to frictionally secure said shank in the bore without deforming said bioresorbable polymer.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A temperature sensitive fastener is formed by extruding, then pulforming and then machining the fastener. The pulforming forms uniaxial longitudinal stress in the fastener. The fastener has a head and a shank. The fastener is positioned in an osteosynthesis plate so that an opening in the plate is substantially coaxial with the bore on the bone. The shank extends into the opening in the plate and into one of the bone portions. The head overlies the plate. The fastener is heated to relieve the stresses in the shank so that the shank expands to frictionally secure the shank to the bore without deforming the material and thereby preventing thermal necrosis.
172 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A fastener adapted for securing a fixation plate having an opening therethrough to a bore formed in a bone, said fastener comprising:
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a head engaging a portion of the opening in the fixation plate; and
an elongated shank extending from said head, said shank portion and said head portion having a hole, said shank disposed in the bore and being constructed of bioresorbable polymer, said bioresorbable polymer having uni-axial longitudinal stresses formed therein which when heated by a filament inserted into said hole in said head portion and said shank portion, said stresses in said bioresorbable polymer are relieved whereby said shank expands to frictionally secure said shank in the bore without deforming said bioresorbable polymer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A fastener adapted for use to secure an osteosynthesis plate having an opening therethrough to a bore formed in a bone, said fastener comprising:
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a blank having a shank portion and a head portion, said shank portion and said head portion having a hole, said head portion having a first diameter, said shank portion having a second diameter, said first diameter being larger than said second diameter, said blank being formed of a resorbable material, said shank portion having uni-axial longitudinal stresses formed therein, said stresses formed by pulforming, said head portion further engaging a portion of the opening in the plate;
whereby when said blank is heated by a filament inserted into said hole in said head portion and said shank portion, said uniaxial stresses are relieved, said shank portion expands radially to frictionally secure said shank in the bore in the bone without melting said blank. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for securing a osteosynthesis plate having at least one opening to at least one bone portion having a bore, said method comprising;
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extruding a polymeric material;
pulforming said extruded polymeric material to form a fastener, said pulforming step inducing uniaxial longitudinal stress in said fastener, said fastener having a shank that defines a hole;
positioning the osteosynthesis plate so that the opening in the plate is substantially coaxial with the bore;
disposing said fastener into the substantially coaxial bore so that said shank extends into the bore in the bone portion; and
heating said fastener with a filament inserted into said hole to relieve uniaxial stresses in said shank whereby said shank expands to frictionally secure said shank in the bore without deforming said polymeric material. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification