Inserter with impact and rotational drive advancement and implant holder with implant auto release

An instrument for distracting a surgical site and inserting an implant, the instrument comprising:

• a handle;
• a drive shaft with threads disposed within the handle, a distal end of the drive shaft configured to hold the implant and a proximal end of the drive shaft configured to receive a blow from a tool;
• a pair of tongs fixed to a distal end of the handle;
• and
• a drive shaft advancement mechanism configured to either threadingly engaged the drive shaft in a first position and threadingly disengaged the drive shaft in a second position, wherein the drive shaft advances in a distal direction or proximal direction upon rotation of the drive shaft when the drive shaft advancement mechanism is in the first position and the drive shaft advances from the blow from the tool when the drive shaft advancement mechanism is in the second position.

An inserter for distracting a surgical site and inserting an implant, the inserter comprising:

• a handle;
• a drive shaft with threads disposed within the handle and a proximal end of the drive shaft configured to receive a blow from a tool;
• a pair of tongs fixed to a distal end of the handle;
• a drive shaft advancement mechanism configured to threadingly engaged the drive shaft in a first position and threadingly disengaged the drive shaft in a second position, wherein the drive shaft advances in a distal direction or proximal direction upon rotation of the drive shaft when the drive shaft advancement mechanism is in the first position and the drive shaft advances with the blow from the tool when the drive shaft advancement mechanism is in the second position;
• and
• an implant holder fixed to a distal end of the drive shaft and slidably disposed between the pair of tongs, the implant holder comprising a sleeve mechanically coupled to the distal end of the drive shaft and a pair of arms pivotably disposed within the sleeve, wherein:
• movement of the sleeve in the distal direction relative to the pair of arms pivots the pair of arms towards each other to grip the implant and movement of the sleeve in the proximal direction relative to the pair of arms pivots the arms away from each other to automatically release the implant from the implant holder;
• and
• advancement of the implant holder in the distal direction spreads the pair of tongs apart from each other to distract the surgical site while the implant is delivered to the surgical site, and advancement of the drive shaft in the distal direction relative to the sleeve pivots the arms away from each other to automatically release the implant from the implant holder.

A method for distracting a surgical site and inserting an implant, the method comprising:

• securing an implant to an implant holder, the implant holder comprising a sleeve and a pair of arms that pivot outwardly from each other to an open position when the sleeve moves proximally and pivot inwardly towards each other to a closed position when the sleeve moves in a distal direction, wherein the implant holder is positioned between a pair of tongs and each of the pair of tongs having a distal end;
• inserting the distal ends of the pair of tongs into a surgical site;
• advancing the implant holder and the implant in a distal direction towards the surgical site, wherein movement of the implant holder in the distal direction between the pair of tongs spreads the pair of tongs apart from each other and distracts the surgical site;
• inserting the implant into the surgical site;
• moving the sleeve in the distal direction such that the pair of arms rotate outwardly from each other to the open position and release the implant.