Self-retaining nail kit for repairing a fractured neck of femur

#The instant invention relates generally to devices for treating fractures of the neck of the femur, and more specifically the devices which can be used to draw together a broken femur and hold it together until the bone can unite.

#Numerous devices and jigs of different types have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to hold the fracture pieces of a broken femur in some sort of alignment until the bone can unite. For example, Morrison U.S. Pat. No. 2,077,804; Aginsky U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,512; and Wills U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,100 all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purpose of the present invention as hereafter described.

#A primary object of the present invention is to provide a self-retaining nail that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective cross sectional view of a fractured femur illustrating the instant invention about to be inserted in a opening provided therein.

#FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 after the instant invention has been inserted therein.

#FIG. 3 is still another similar view to both FIGS. 1 and 2 but illustrates the instant invention in the femur with blades spread apart so as to draw the fracture closed.

#Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which like reference characters denote like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows the self retaining nail 10 ready to be aligned with a guide skewer 12 which is already passed through a triangular opening 22 within the two pieces 14 and 16 of a broken femur 18 which has a fracture crack 20 the femur having been already prepared as described in the next paragraph to thus receive the self retaining nail.

#In order to properly prepare the femur 18 to receive the instant invention 10 the orthopedic surgeon must first pierce the femur 18 at the near end 24 close to the greater trochanter 26 with guide skewer 12. This is mostly easily accomplished by driving the sharp pointed end of skewer 12 through the outer surface 28 of the femur 18 with a small hammer (not shown), through the neck 30, the spongy bone tissue 38 inside thereof, and into the head 32 of the femur. A small punch 34 which has a cutting edges 96 and a coaxial passageway 36 is then aligned with the skewer 12 and also driven through the outer surface of the femur so as to punch a triangular opening 22 through the surface 28. The punch 34 is specifically sized and designed to cooperate with the self retaining nail 10 and the cutting edges 96 punch the bone fragments into the femur 18 where they may stay indefinitely without causing any harm or difficulty.

#The skewer 12 serves as a pilot device first for the punch 34 and next for the self retaining nail 10 which also has a coaxial passageway 40 sized to cooperate with the skewer 12, so that the self retaining nail will arrive at the desired correct position with in the femur 18.