Wire passer system and method
OwnerJudd Michael Smith, Tadd Nicholas Smith +1inventors
InventorsJudd Michael Smith, Tadd Nicholas Smith, C Daniel Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wire passer system for passing a surgical wire around a bone. The wire passer system broadly comprises a gun assembly, a flexible push member, and a surgical wire. The gun assembly can comprise a handle, a trigger, a rigid guide section, a support guide, a push rod, and tensioner.
Claims31
An articulating wire passer for passing a surgical wire around a bone, the articulating wire passer comprising:
- a gripping section configured to be grasped by a human hand;
- a rigid guide section coupled to and extending forward from the gripping section;
- and
- an articulable member configured to be slideable relative to the gripping section and guideable by the rigid guide section,
- wherein the articulable member comprises at least five segments pivotably connected to each other in series by a plurality of pivot points,
- wherein the segments form at least a portion of a wire passageway configured to receive at least a portion of the surgical wire therein such that the pivot points are offset from the wire passageway, and
- wherein the articulable member is shiftable between an extended position and an engaged position by pivoting the segments relative to each other at the pivot points via tension in the surgical wire.
A wire passer system for passing a surgical wire around a bone, the wire passer system comprising:
- a deployment assembly comprising a gripping section, a rigid guide section coupled to and extending forward from the gripping section, and a push rod configured to move forward when the deployment assembly is actuated;
- a flexible push member configured to be pushed by the push rod when the deployment assembly is actuated;
- a pointed tip member configured to be pushed by the flexible push member when the deployment assembly is actuated;
- and
- a surgical wire having a first end coupled to the pointed tip member and a main body extending through an aperture of the flexible push member, wherein the flexible push member is configured to bend around the bone and push the pointed tip member around the bone when the deployment assembly is actuated.
A surgical method for passing a surgical wire around a bone, the surgical method comprising the steps of:
- a) loading a flexible push member, a tip member, a surgical wire, and a pusher into a deployment assembly of an articulating wire passer with the surgical wire passing through a longitudinal passageway of the flexible push member, wherein the tip member is coupled to the surgical wire;
- b) actuating the deployment assembly to push the pusher and thereby push the tip member and at least a portion of the surgical wire and the flexible push member out and at least partially around the bone;
- c) while the surgical wire is extending at least partially around the bone, decoupling the deployment assembly and the flexible push member from the tip member and the surgical wire;
- d) forming a tightened loop of the surgical wire around the bone;
- and
- e) securing the tightened loop of surgical wire around the bone by coupling a second portion of the surgical wire to the tip member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.