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US 2012/0059429 A1Published application
Fixation Device With Magnesium Core
AssigneeDePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
InventorsCyril Voisard, Nicolas Bouduban
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Abstract
A fixation device comprises a biodegradable inner core extending along a longitudinal axis from a distal tip to a proximal end in combination with a sleeve surrounding the core along a portion of a length thereof and comprising a thermoplastic polymer formed of a material which softens and expands into surrounding bone tissue when activated by an energy source.
Claims24
A fixation device, comprising:
- a biodegradable inner core extending along a longitudinal axis from a distal tip to a proximal end;
- and
- a sleeve surrounding the core along a portion of a length thereof and comprising a thermoplastic polymer formed of a material which softens and expands into surrounding bone tissue when activated by an energy source.
A method for inserting a fixation device into a bone, comprising the steps of:
- a) inserting a fixation device into a target portion of bone by pressing a distal tip of an inner core of the fixation device into the target portion of bone, the inner core extending along a longitudinal axis of the fixation device from the distal tip to a proximal end thereof, the fixation device further comprising a sleeve extending about the inner core along a portion of a length thereof;
- and
- b) partially melting the sleeve by applying an activation energy thereto through the sleeve to soften a thermoplastic polymer of the sleeve so that the sleeve expands into bone tissue surrounding the sleeve, fixing the fixation device therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.