Surgical tool

A surgical tool for implanting devices within the body comprising:

• an autoclavable housing comprising a distal end, a proximal end, and a handle extending from the housing between the distal end and the proximal end at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the housing, wherein the housing comprising a sealed portion containing a motor;
• an output shaft extending along the longitudinal axis of the housing and connected to the motor;
• and
• a ratcheting mechanism connected to the output shaft.

A surgical tool for implanting devices within the body comprising:

• a housing comprising a distal end, a proximal end opposite of the distal end, and a housing length defined as the distance between the proximal end and the distal end;
• a motor;
• an output shaft having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, wherein the proximal end is connected to the motor;
• a chuck having a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end connected to the distal end of the output shaft;
• and
• a handle connected to the housing and extending at an angle from the housing between the distal end and the proximal end, the handle having a front surface including a trigger and a back surface opposite the front surface, wherein a cradle distance defined as a distance between the back surface and the proximal end of the chuck is not greater than about 50% of the housing length.

A tool for use during surgery comprising:

• a housing comprising a distal end and a proximal end and a motor disposed within the housing;
• a battery pack contained within the housing;
• a passage extending from the distal end to the proximal end of the housing through the output shaft and the battery pack, wherein the passage is defined by an interior surface of the output shaft and a channel through the battery;
• and
• a navigation-enabling member connected to the housing.

A tool for use during surgery comprising:

• a housing comprising a distal end and a proximal end and a motor disposed within the housing;
• a battery pack contained within the housing;
• a passage extending from the distal end to the proximal end of the housing through the output shaft and the battery pack, wherein the passage is defined by an interior surface of the output shaft and a channel through the battery;
• and
• a neural integrity monitoring (NIM) member connected to the housing.