Hall Surgical Division of Zimmer Inc.

Zimmer Gmbh

Hall Surgical-Divison of Zimmer, Inc.

John H Pascaloff

Gregory C Stalcup

Rodney L Bays

Dai N Vu

Michael L Boulton

A control lever assembly adapted for use with a powered surgical instrument which prevents the instrument from being inadvertently or accidentally activated. The assembly 10 includes a depressible control lever 20 for controlling the action of the instrument and a second safety lever or latch 30 which engages the trigger pin 6 of instrument only when selectively positioned with respect to control lever 20. Control lever 20 is secured to cutting device 2 by a mounting bracket 12. Safety latch 30 is pivotally carried by control lever 20 for shiftable movement between a safety position and an operational position. In the operational position, safety latch 30 engages trigger pin 6 when control lever 20 is depressed. Safety latch 30 cannot be switched from its safety position to its operational position when control lever 20 is depressed; therefore, the instrument is 'locked-out' and cannot be inadvertently activated even when control lever 20 is depressed. Safety latch 30 can only be manually shifted from the safety position to the operational position when control lever 20 is released, which ensures safe handling of the instrument.

Safety device for a powered surgical instrument

A collet for attaching a blade to a surgical saw is biased toward a closed position in which the blade is securely clamped between a drive member and a clamping member. A rotational movement of a knob is converted into a translational movement of the clamp to open the collet. A mechanism is provided for maintaining the collet in the open position for simplified operation and cleaning.

Blade collet

The surgical saw blade includes a main body portion and a cover portion joined to provide an enclosed manifold space. Irrigation channels extend from the manifold space to saw teeth provided on the saw blade. In one embodiment of the invention the saw teeth are provided at an end portion of the saw blade. In another embodiment of the invention the irrigation channels extend toward saw teeth provided along the longitudinal side edge of the saw blade. In either embodiment of the invention the irrigation channels commonly communicate with the fluid manifold and are uniformly distributed among the cutting teeth to provide a uniform distribution of fluid during a cutting action. Depending upon the positioning of the saw teeth on the blade and the movement provided to the blade, one embodiment of the saw blade can be used for oscillatory cutting action and another embodiment of the saw blade can be used for reciprocating cutting action.

Irrigating saw blade

The arthroscopic surgery instrument includes an elongated outer sheath member having substantially fully open distal and proximal ends, and an inner hollow cylindrical cutting blade member rotatable within the sheath member. The cutting blade member has a distal end that is substantially fully open. The cutting blade member and the sheath member are each provided with a pair of spaced longitudinally extending, diametrically opposed tabs at their corresponding distal ends. The spaces between the tabs on the sheath member defines oppositely disposed cutting windows. Cutting edges are formed on each of the tabs on the cutting blade member and the sheath member and extend to the free ends of each member. The cutting edges on the cutting blade member are cooperable with the corresponding cutting edges on the sheath member. A rotary drive motor rotates the cutting blade member relative to the sheath member. Tissue positioned at a selected cutting window during rotation of the cutting blade member can thus be severed as the cutting blade member passes the cutting windows. An aspirator communicates with the interior space of the cutting blade member to remove tissue severed by the cooperable cutting action of the blade and sheath members. The aspiration path is a straight line path through the interior of the cutting blade member.

Arthroscopic surgical apparatus and method

The present invention provides apparatus which can be incorporated into a powered instrument that rotates a tool at varying rotational speeds and torques. The invention includes at least two drive plates, each of which rotates at a different speed and which exerts a different magnitude of torque. A movable member within the instrument selectively engages one of the two drive plates to couple that drive plate to the output shaft of the instrument. The apparatus can include a torque limiter which couples the input shaft to the output shaft only when the resistance to rotation offered by a drive plate is less than a predetermined value.

Apparatus for translating rotational motion and torque

A method of providing sterile, charged batteries for use in a sterile field which includes the steps of sterilizing at least one battery and a battery charger, transferring the sterilized battery and charger in a sterile state to the sterile field and charging the battery with the battery charger. The battery charger is adapted to withstand exposure to the environment present during the sterilization process. The sterilizing step may be preceded by an initial charging step in which the battery is charged with a battery charger. A sterilizable battery charger permits implementation of the method.

Growing community of inventors

Goleta, CA, United States of America

John H Pascaloff