Zimmer Gmbh

Charles R Combs

Kevin S Cook

Charles D Persons

An apparatus and method for harvesting a tendon graft beneath the overlying tissues through a remote incision which exposes only a portion of the donor tendon from which the graft will be harvested. The apparatus or tendon harvester 10 includes an elongated tubular shaft 20 connected to a cylindrical handle 30 and a length of flexible cutting wire or cable 12. A needle 16 is connected to one end of the cable 12 which extends from the distal end of the shaft 20. The needle end of the cable 12 is affixed to the distal end of the shaft 20 to form a cable loop for slitting the tendon 4. The method using the harvester 10 includes: making an incision to expose only a portion of said donor tendon at the proximal end of the tendon graft to be harvested; slitting or stripping said donor tendon longitudinally to form the tendon graft by passing the cable loop laterally through or around the donor tendon and the moving the cable loop along the donor tendon beneath the overlying tissue; and severing said tendon graft at its distal end beneath the overlying tissue by closing the cable loop.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Charles R Combs