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US 12,727,893 B2Granted
Drill alignment guide
AssigneeWright Medical Technology, Inc.
InventorsVinay D. Patel, Shannon D. Cummings
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical drill alignment guide is disclosed that can provide an accurate trajectory for placement of a bone screw along a longitudinal axis of a bone.
Claims20
A surgical method for using a guide assembly comprising:
- (a) providing a guide assembly including a first arm having a longitudinal axis and defining a first hole and at least one second hole, a second arm having a longitudinal axis with an alignment wire provided along the second arm's longitudinal axis, and a tip, wherein the second arm is oriented so that its longitudinal axis is in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of the first arm, and a guide attached to at least one of the first arm and the second arm including an arm with a hollow shaft that extends in coplanar relationship with the longitudinal axis of the first arm and the longitudinal axis of the second arm whereby the first arm and the second arm are at an angle to each other with the alignment wire in coplanar relationship the second arm;
- (b) inserting a first wire into a distal portion of a first metatarsal bone of a patient wherein the first wire is oriented substantially orthogonal to a long axis of the first metatarsal bone, whereby the first wire and the long axis of the first metatarsal bone define a first alignment plane;
- (c) sliding the first arm over the first wire through the first hole;
- (d) making an incision near a proximal end of the first metatarsal bone and positioning the guide so that the tip of the guide is contacting the proximal end of the first metatarsal bone;
- (e) aligning the second arm to the long axis of the first metatarsal bone so that the second arm's longitudinal axis and the first metatarsal bone's long axis are coplanar;
- (f) inserting a second wire through the at least one second hole of the first arm and into a mid-foot bone of the patient thus securing a parallel alignment relationship between the longitudinal axis of the first arm and the long axis of the first metatarsal bone;
- (g) visually aligning the axis of the first arm with the long axis of the first metatarsal bone in the first alignment plane by adjusting an orientation of the first arm by pivoting the first arm about a first wire;
- (h) confirming the alignment between the axis of the first arm and the long axis of the first metatarsal bone;
- and
- (i) repeating the step (g) if the axis of the first arm is not aligned with the long axis of the first metatarsal bone.
7 more elements
A guide assembly comprising:
- a first arm having a longitudinal axis and defining a first hole and at least one second hole;
- a second arm having a longitudinal axis with an alignment wire provided along the second arm's longitudinal axis, wherein the second arm is oriented so that its longitudinal axis is in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of the first arm;
- and
- a guide attached to at least one of the first arm and the second arm including an arm with a hollow shaft that extends in coplanar relationship with the longitudinal axis of the first arm and the longitudinal axis of the second arm whereby the first arm and the second arm are at an angle to each other with the alignment wire in coplanar relationship the second arm.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.