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US 2007/0123883 A1Published application
Bone fixation system
OwnerThomas Ellis, Joel Gillardinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, including methods, apparatus, and kits, for fixing bones, such as rib bones, with bone plates.
Claims20
A device for fixing a rib bone, comprising:
- a bone plate including a spanning portion and an exclusively unilateral arrangement of hook portions each configured to be hooked onto a rib bone and connected to the spanning portion in a spaced relation along the spanning portion when the bone plate is installed on a rib bone with the spanning portion disposed adjacent an outward surface of the rib bone, such that the hook portions collectively extend superiorly over the rib bone or inferiorly under the rib bone, but not both, to positions adjacent an opposing inward surface of the rib bone.
A method of fixing a rib bone, comprising:
- selecting a rib bone;
- selecting a bone plate having a spanning portion and a plurality of hook portions;
- placing the spanning portion adjacent an outward surface of the rib bone and every hook portion of the bone plate onto the rib bone from the same side of the rib bone;
- and
- securing the bone plate to the rib bone such that the plurality of hook portions are connected to the spanning portion and arranged in a spaced relation along the spanning portion.
2 more elements
A kit for fixing rib bones, comprising:
- a plurality of bone plates configured for rib fixation, each bone plate having at least one pre-formed hook portion, the hook portions of at least two of the bone plates being sized in correspondence with rib bones of different thickness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.