American Cyanamid Company

William J Reimels

Thomas D Rosenberg

Gerard S Carlozzi

John Prudden, Jr

A fastener including an elongated body having one or more ridges passing across its exterior surface intersecting root portions between them. Each ridge has a crest portion with edges bounded by distal and proximal slope portions extending inwardly from the crest edges to the root portions. A coating is disposed on the crest portion and at least part of the distal slope portion but not on at least part of the root portion. The coating has a selected coefficient of friction different from that of the exterior surface of the elongated body. The fastener further includes an element for engaging a driver to enable insertion of the elongated body into a tissue of the patient. The coating modifies the amount of force which must be applied to the driver to insert the fastener.

Surgical fastener with selectively coated ridges

Tibial aimer

Suture anchor peg

Suture anchor driver

A ligament graft replacement system (10) having an anchor assembly (16) on one end. The anchor assembly (16) includes an insert member (18), a threaded sleeve (22) and a rotatable ring (20) to which the graft (24) is attached. A harvested or synthetic graft (24) used as a replacement for a torn ligament or tendon is secured to the rotatable ring (20) by sutures (46) and the anchor assembly (16) is screwed into a tunnel (26) drilled in a bone or bone-like structure. The anchor assembly (16) includes a hexagonal opening (36) through its length for receiving a hex driver (48) in its trailing end (36) or its leading end (34). The anchor assembly (16) also preferably has a self-tapping thread (30) on its outer surface. The rotatable ring (20) is secured over annular flange (40) at the trailing end of the threaded sleeve (22) and has a plurality of openings or slots (50 ) to which the sutures (46) are attached.

Ligament reconstruction graft anchor apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Brockton, MA, United States of America

William J Reimels