Mitek Surgical Products Inc.

Zimmer Gmbh

Other

Venus Corporation

Medicinelodge Inc.

David P Luman

E Marlowe Goble

Alan Chervitz

S Kyle Hayes

Harold M Martins

Daniel A Perkins

Kenneth L Jensen

Gregory S Anderson

George A Perakis

Ramarao Gundlalpalli

C Brad Story

Brad Story

Tim Simon

A structure anchor assembly having a suture anchor, a suture attached to the suture anchor, and an inserter for deploying the suture anchor in bone whereby the suture will extend from, and be anchored to, the bone. The suture anchor has a drill portion, a thread portion and a suture attachment portion. The drill portion is disposed on a distal portion of the anchor and is adapted to penetrate the bone. The thread portion extends proximally from the drill portion along the remainder of the length of the anchor and is adapted to draw the anchor through the bone. A proximal portion terminates in a proximal end surface. The thread portion extends along the proximal portion and terminates adjacent to the proximal end surface. The proximal portion of the anchor is adapted to: (i) be received in a distal end of the inserter prior to insertion of the suture anchor into the target bone, and (ii) be in threaded engagement with bone, once the suture attachment portion is disposed in the proximal portion of the anchor and is adapted to permit a length of suture to be attached to the anchor.

Suture anchor assembly

There is presented a suture anchor comprising a head portion and a connector portion. The head portion includes a pointed free end, a cutting flute extending substantially throughout the length of the head portion, and screw threads extending substantially throughout the length of the head portion. The connector portion extends axially from the head portion for releasable connection to an anchor inserter. The connector portion is provided with structure for attachment of a suture thereto. There is further presented a suture anchor inserter for use in combination with the suture anchor in attachment of the anchor to a bone, and a suture anchor length of suture material. There is still further presented a method for anchoring a length of suture to a bone.

An anterior cruciate ligament or soft tissue tensioning and knee displacement measuring device and method for its use to apply a tensile stress into a repaired or replaced graft and to maintain tension on that graft while an interference screw, or like fastener, is turned into a tunnel section end, containing the graft or sutures connected to the graft, wedging it against the tunnel wall, and, during application of the tensile stress, for determining the distance that the knee is displaced. The invention includes a tensioning device having, as a body, a pair of straight rails with a cross member secured across the rails rear or distal ends with forward or proximal rail ends connected to mounting tubes that are for fitting into pins as have been mounted into to extend from a bone cortex, alongside the tunnel section end, and including a trolley maintained to travel between the body rails. The trolley includes a mount arranged to receive and maintain sutures that extend out from the tunnel end, with trolley movement provided by turning a connected rod turned through the cross member to impart a tensile force into the ligament graft, with the amount of the applied force measured by a slide indicator arranged with the trolley. Additionally, the invention includes the knee displacement measuring device for measuring displacement during application of a tensile stress to sutures attached to the ligament graft.

Anterior cruciate ligament tensioning device and method for its use

A modular surgical drill in the form of a rigid drill shaft and a drill bit which are connected together at the rear end of the drill bit and the forward end of the drill shaft by a tongue-and-groove arrangement. Each of the shaft and drill bit are provided with through bores extending centrally through their entire length. These bores become aligned upon assembly of the drill bit and shaft. The modular drill is intended to be employed with a guidewire for drilling holes into bone. The assembled drill bit and shaft are placed on the guidewire and moved down such guidewire into contact with the bone, whereupon a tunnel may be formed into the bone by rotating and advancing the drill bit along the guidewire. The dimensions of the bore and guidewire are so selected as to prevent the drill bit and drill shaft from moving relative to one another once they are assembled and mounted upon the guidewire.

Modular drill and method for using the same

A bone anchor and method for its use in an arthroscopic and open soft tissue surgical procedure to mount a ligament graft, or the like, under tension and at variable lengths in a tunnel section that is formed through a bone or bones. The bone anchor embodiments of the invention each have a body for mounting into and/or adjacent a bone cortex surface in a tunnel section to allow at least one suture or shaft that has been fitted through the bone anchor, and is attached to the ligament graft to be pulled through the bone anchor. The suture or shaft to pass across a movable clamp fitted within the body to move so as to allow the suture or shaft to be pulled freely through the bone anchor distal, but will clamp against the suture or shaft, prohibiting its being pulled back therethrough. A pulling of the suture or shaft through the seated bone anchor applies a tension and sets a required length to a graft whose opposite end is secured, with the clamp locking against a section of that suture or shaft, to maintain that applied tension. Whereafter, the excess suture or shaft can be cut away, permanently mounting the graft.

Ligament bone anchor and method for its use

A suture anchor loader and driver for mounting a suture anchor with a connected suture, that is arranged for mounting and maintaining the suture to the driver distal end while driving the anchor into a bone, whereafter the driver is removed from the anchor, leaving the suture extending from the seated anchor. The driver includes a cylindrical solid body and has an anchor mount formed as its distal end that is for receiving a coupling end of the anchor fitted therethrough and includes a center longitudinal passage, wherethrough the anchor suture is fitted. A first curved passage is formed in the driver body distal end and intersects the center longitudinal passage through the anchor mount, and extends to the driver body surface where it intersects a straight longitudinal groove that is formed along the driver body. The groove intersects, on its proximal end, an inlet end of a second curved passage that extends through and exits the driver body surface on the opposite side to the longitudinal groove and first curved passage end, which first curved passage, longitudinal groove and second curved passage are to receive the suture threaded therethrough. The invention provides several embodiments of arrangements for maintaining the threaded suture alongside the driver body, and provides, on the driver body proximal end, a drill coupling arrangement that is to fit into and be turned by a conventional drill, T-handle, or the like, for seating the anchor into a bone material.

Suture anchor loader and driver

Orthopaedic washer

Orthopadeic washer

Modular surgical drill

An improved drill guide device is provided for accurately drilling a passageway through bone. The drill guide comprises a support, a curved radial rack, a locator boom movably disposed on the curved radial rack, a drill sleeve and an indexing mechanism. The drill sleeve may be discretely indexed toward the target bone and locked/unlocked in position with a single handed operation.

Surgical drill guide

A driver instrument with dual holding features for use with a combination of a medical staple and movable washer with that are used in a surgical procedure for attaching a ligament, or the like, onto a bone surface. The driver includes a straight body that is preferably cylindrical, is formed of a hard metal and includes a hand engaging central portion. A driver top end is flanged outwardly into flat head end that can be struck, as with a hammer to impart a hammer force therethrough, with the driver lower end portion formed with a threaded portion for turning into a threaded hole formed through a web of the medical staple, and with a spring collet formed with, or connected axially to, the driver lower end portion. Installation of the medical staple and washer onto the driver involves passing the spring collect through the staple web hole ahead of the driver threaded portion, and through a smooth walled hole formed through the movable washer, with a spring collet ring end passing through the washer hole and restricting removal therefrom. The driver that mounts the medical staple and movable washer, is held by a surgeon to position the staple legs onto a bone surface, straddling a ligament, and then is used to seat the staple into which bone by applying a hammer force to the driver head end. Whereafter, the driver threaded portion is turned out of the staple web threaded hole, pulling also the driver spring collet section out of the washer hole.

Instrument with dual holding feature

A bone fixation and fusion system, that is preferably for use for joining bone ends together, and includes two members, that are each for individual turning into bone material, and include, respectively, male and female connector ends, that are for fitting together to connect together the member ends, bringing the bone material wherein they are turned into engagement and once connected resist being pulled apart. The connector ends are, respectively a cylindrical sleeve that extends axially from one member rear face, that includes a ring formed around the cylinder end and is cross cut longitudinally from that ring end, to form a spring collet, with the other connector end consisting of a cylindrical cavity that is formed longitudinally into the other member rear face for receiving the spring collet therein, which cylindrical cavity may include a groove, grooves or threads formed in the cavity wall that the spring collet ring end flexes into to provide a resistance to the two members being pulled apart. Each member includes a tool engaging end for receiving a turning tool fitted thereto, with threads formed around the member body, and provides, in the embodiment a twist drill as a member forward end for turning into the bone material. The system can be configured for use in a dental procedure where a ceramic or plastic crown or bridge can be formed on one member for installation onto the other member that has been turned into a patient's jaw, or one of the members can be configured as a bone joint fusion member.

Growing community of inventors

Logan, UT, United States of America

David P Luman