Orthopedic bone awl with optoelectronic feedback
AssigneeWaypoint Orthopedics, Inc.
InventorsStephen Banco, Richard Briganti, Lawrence Husick, Jeffrey O'Donnell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tool having a tip for creating a bore in bone for the insertion of a pedicle screw or the like, which transmits the color of the tissue adjacent the tip of the tool, and a method of using the tool.
Claims10
A surgical tool system for forming openings in a patient's bone, the bone having nerve tissue in the region of the openings to be formed, comprising:
- a tool handle shaped to be held and manipulated by a user when forming openings in the patient's bone;
- a power source, illumination source, color sensor, microcontroller, and radio frequency transceiver, located inside the tool handle;
- a shaft extending from a proximal end joined to the tool handle, to a distal end adapted to form openings in bone, the shaft containing an illuminating optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the illumination source, and a sensing optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the color sensor, each of the fibers having a distal end embedded at the distal end of the shaft;
- and
- a display having a radio frequency transceiver for communicating with the radio frequency transceiver in the tool, the display showing the color of the tissue located adjacent the distal end of the shaft.
A surgical system comprising a general purpose digital computer having a visual display and radio frequency communication capabilities, the computer running special purpose software stored in the memory of the computer, the software adapted to process and display data received via radio frequency transmission from a surgical tool having color sensing capability;
- a surgical tool comprising handle containing a power source, illumination source, color sensor, microcontroller, and a radio frequency transceiver;
- a shaft extending from a proximal end joined to the tool handle, to a distal end adapted to form openings in bone, the shaft containing an illuminating optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the illumination source, and a sensing optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the color sensor, each of the fibers having a distal end embedded at the distal end of the shaft.
A method of forming an opening in bone for the insertion of a surgical appliance comprising the steps of
- a) removing an insulating member to establish connection between a power source and a microcontroller circuit;
- b) initiating a software program running on a general purpose digital computer, the software program adapted to process and display data received from a surgical tool having color sensing capability;
- the surgical tool comprising handle containing a power source, illumination source, color sensor, microcontroller, and a radio frequency transceiver;
- a shaft extending from a proximal end joined to the tool handle, to a distal end adapted to form openings in bone, the shaft containing an illuminating optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the illumination source, and a sensing optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the color sensor, each of the fibers having a distal end embedded at the distal end of the shaft;
- c) impinging the surgical tool on the bone to be opened using sufficient force to create an opening in the bone;
- d) observing the color displayed on the computer display and in response to the displayed color, changing the force applied to the tool, the position of the tool, or the angle of the tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.