Apparatus for securing a spinal rod system
AssigneeHowmedica Osteonics Corp.
InventorsDavid Nichols, Eric Finley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for securing a spinal rod within an anchoring device, wherein the anchoring device has an open end and a locking cap for securing the spinal rod within the open end. The apparatus includes a handle, an elongated body connected to the handle, a pair of jaws attached to the elongated body, a rod persuader for advancing the rod toward the anchoring device, and a locking shaft for use in locking the locking cap against the anchoring device to secure the spinal rod relative to the anchoring device.
Claims37
An apparatus for facilitating securing of a spinal rod within an anchoring device having an open end and a locking cap for securing the spinal rod within the open end, which comprises:
- a handle;
- an elongated body connected to the handle and defining a longitudinal axis;
- a pair of jaws mountable to the elongated body, the jaws adapted for relative movement between an open displaced position and a closed position, the jaws defining structure for engaging the anchoring device when in the closed position thereof;
- a rod persuader at least partially disposed within the elongated body and adapted for longitudinal movement therein, the rod persuader advanceable within the elongated body to operatively engage the spinal rod to approximate the spinal rod within respect to the open end of the anchoring device;
- and
- a locking shaft disposed within the elongated body and operatively engageable with the locking cap of the anchoring device, the locking shaft moveable relative to the elongated body to move the locking cap to a secured position thereof within the anchoring device to secure the spinal rod relative to the anchoring device.
An apparatus to facilitate securing a spinal rod to an anchoring device, the anchoring device having an open end and a locking cap engageable to the open end, the apparatus comprising:
- a body having a proximal end and a distal end;
- an anchor engaging portion located at the distal end of the body and adapted to engage the anchoring device;
- a rod persuader comprising at least a first section and a second section, the second section being freely rotatable with respect to the first section and having a connecting element for releasable attachment to the locking cap;
- and
- a locking shaft adapted for engagement with the second section of the rod persuader;
- wherein rotational actuation of the first section of the rod persuader causes longitudinal advancement of the locking cap toward the spinal rod to urge the spinal rod toward the open end of the anchoring device;
- and
- wherein rotational actuation of the locking shaft causes rotational movement of the second section of the rod persuader thereby enabling rotational advancement and engagement of the locking cap to the open end of the anchoring device.
A method of securing a spinal rod to an anchoring device using a surgical instrument having a proximal end and a distal end, the method comprising:
- releasably attaching a locking cap to the distal end of the surgical instrument,
- positioning the surgical instrument to facilitate operative engagement with the spinal rod,
- engaging the anchoring device with the distal end of the surgical instrument,
- urging the spinal rod toward the anchoring device by advancing the locking cap, and
- securing the spinal rod to the anchoring device by using the surgical instrument to attach the locking cap to the anchoring device while capturing the spinal rod between the locking cap and the anchoring device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.