Fracture fixation device, tools and methods
First Claim
1. A bone fixation device comprising:
- a generally tubular body having a circumferential surface, an inner lumen, and a wall extending therebetween, the body being sized to fit within an intramedullary space within a bone, the body having a longitudinal axis;
at least one radially expandable gripper disposed within the body for engaging a surface of the intramedullary space;
an actuator comprising a distal actuator head, the distal actuator head comprising a ramped surface slideably disposed on an interior of the at least one radially expandable gripper, the actuator configured to outwardly actuate the at least one radially expandable gripper away from the longitudinal axis and away from the body;
a slit through the body wall extending through at least one complete revolution around the circumferential surface and axially along at least a portion of the body; and
a compression mechanism configured to apply an axial compression to the body to move the slit towards a closed position, thereby transforming the body from a generally flexible state to a generally rigid state.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A bone fixation device is provided with an elongate body having a longitudinal axis and having a first state in which at least a portion of the body is flexible and a second state in which the body is generally rigid, an actuatable gripper disposed at a distal location on the elongated body, a hub located on a proximal end of the elongated body, and an actuator operably connected to the gripper to deploy the gripper from a retracted configuration to an expanded configuration. Methods of repairing a fracture of a bone are also disclosed. One such method comprises inserting a bone fixation device into an intramedullary space of the bone to place at least a portion of an elongate body of the fixation device in a flexible state on one side of the fracture and at least a portion of a hub on another side of the fracture, and operating an actuator to deploy at least one gripper of the fixation device to engage an inner surface of the intramedullary space to anchor the fixation device to the bone. Various configurations are disclosed for allowing a device body to change shape as it moves from a flexible state to a rigid state.
-
Citations
29 Claims
-
1. A bone fixation device comprising:
-
a generally tubular body having a circumferential surface, an inner lumen, and a wall extending therebetween, the body being sized to fit within an intramedullary space within a bone, the body having a longitudinal axis; at least one radially expandable gripper disposed within the body for engaging a surface of the intramedullary space; an actuator comprising a distal actuator head, the distal actuator head comprising a ramped surface slideably disposed on an interior of the at least one radially expandable gripper, the actuator configured to outwardly actuate the at least one radially expandable gripper away from the longitudinal axis and away from the body; a slit through the body wall extending through at least one complete revolution around the circumferential surface and axially along at least a portion of the body; and a compression mechanism configured to apply an axial compression to the body to move the slit towards a closed position, thereby transforming the body from a generally flexible state to a generally rigid state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A bone fixation device comprising:
-
a generally tubular body having a circumferential surface, an inner lumen, and a wall extending therebetween, the body being sized to fit within an intramedullary space within a bone, the body having a longitudinal axis; at least one radially expandable gripper disposed within the body for engaging a surface of the intramedullary space; an actuator comprising a distal actuator head, the distal actuator head comprising a ramped surface slideably disposed on an interior of the at least one radially expandable gripper, the actuator configured to outwardly actuate the at least one radially expandable gripper away from the longitudinal axis and away from the body; a slit through the body wall extending around the circumferential surface and axially along at least a portion of the body, wherein the slit comprises at least one revolution; at least one pair of mating features formed by the slit and located within one revolution of the slit, wherein the mating features of each of the at least three one pair interlock to limit axial expansion and contraction of the body, and to limit axial rotation in both directions of one part of the body relative to another; and a compression mechanism configured to apply an axial compression to the body to move the slit towards a closed position, thereby transforming the body from a generally flexible state to a generally rigid state, the compression mechanism being reversible such that the axial compression can be removed, thereby transforming the body from a generally rigid state to a generally flexible state, and wherein the slit has a width that varies as it extends around the circumferential surface such that one portion of the body may axially compress more than another portion when the slit moves toward the closed position, thereby forming a curve in at least a portion of the body. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
-
21. A method of repairing a bone fracture comprising:
-
providing an elongate fixation device having a longitudinal axis and at least a portion transformable between a generally flexible state and a generally rigid state, the transformable portion having a slit extending around at least one complete revolution around its circumference; inserting the device in the generally flexible state into an intramedullary canal of the bone across the fracture; actuating a compression mechanism on the device to move the slit towards a closed position, thereby transforming the device portion from the generally flexible state to the generally rigid state; extending a radially expandable gripper disposed within the elongated fixation device away from the longitudinal axis by moving an actuator along the longitudinal axis, the actuator comprising a distal actuator head with a ramped surface slideably disposed on an interior of the radially expandable gripper; and engaging the radially expandable gripper to a surface of the intramedullary canal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
Specification