Greatbatch Medical S.a.

Swiss Pro Orthopedic Sa

Patrick Berdoz

Patrick Michael White

Philippe Fehlbaum

Fabrice Chenaux

Steve Forbes

Eugene Sherry

Sureshan Sivananthan

Patrick Hans Heinrich Warnke

Andreas Baenziger

A bendable bone plate () is disclosed which is adapted for use in situ as a conformable bone splint to fix the spatial relationship of at least two bone parts (). The bone plate () has an elongated plate () made of a bendable material. A plurality of screw apertures () extending through the top () and bottom () surfaces are disposed along the length (L) of the plate. Bone screws () are inserted through the apertures into the underlying bone parts () to anchor the elongated plate () to the bone parts (). At least two of the screw apertures () are disposed as a closely spaced pair () of screw apertures () with a 'bend relief zone' () disposed between the closely spaced apart screw apertures (). The bend relief zone () is disposed to allow the elongated plate () to be bent across the bend relief zone () up to a certain angle (A) without deforming the screw apertures () adjacent the bend relief zone ().

Bone plate with complex, adjacent holes joined by a bend relief zone

An acetabular reamer (&#x2033;) is intended in particular for the shaping of the cotyloid cavity in the event of a replacement of a hip joint by total prosthesis. The reamer (&#x2033;) is typically of a truncated hemispherical form and is adapted for attachment to a reamer spindle in order to be driven in rotation about a cutter axis (). The ability to cut a full, continuous hemisphere to the apex () of the hemispherical body () is suppressed, so as to attain the principal advantage of the invention, namely, to adequately prepare the acetabulum for receipt of a prosthesis while minimizing the possibility of breakthrough of the fovea/acetabular fossa. The reamer (&#x2033;) has an interfacetypically made tip of cross bars () which a holder engages for rotationally activating the reamer for cutting.

Cut-off acetabular reamer

A metal-encased passive radio-frequency transponder assembly includes a metal housing having an external surface and an opening accessing an interior space, the opening closeable with a metal cover to provide a solid metal encasement. The interior space of the encasement is defined by the interior walls of the housing and cover. The solid metal encasement has a substantially uniform wall thickness between the interior wall surface adjacent which an antenna assembly is disposed and the opposing external surface of less than about 0.5 mm. A passive radio-frequency transponder device is received within the interior space of the housing. The passive transponder device has an iron core antenna assembly. The antenna assembly is disposed adjacent the interior wall surface of the interior space and oriented to maximally couple a radio-frequency signal present at the interior wall surface to an antenna of the antenna assembly.

Intelligent implement having metal encased passive radio frequency transponder and examples of use

Growing community of inventors

Chester Springs, PA, United States of America

Patrick Berdoz