Patient-operated orthopedic devices
OwnerJames Bruce Richardsoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention serves patients having a fractured bone wherein separate parts of the bone have been immobilized by an external axial fixator, and the invention provides patient-operated mechanical structure to enable him to transiently distract spaced bone-anchored regions of the fixator. In one embodiment, the patient-operated mechanism is in the form of an accessory that is detachably mounted to the fixator; in another embodiment, the patient-operated mechanism is embodied in an external axial fixator, preferably of the so-called dynamic variety.
Claims33
A patient-operated distraction device for selective periodic distraction of a fractured bone that has been set for retention by an external fixator having an elongate distensible fixator body connected to bone-screw or bone-pin clamps at the respective ends of said fixator body, said device comprising:
- (a) an elongate distractor body with first fixator-engageable means connected to one end of said distractor body and second fixator-engageable means connected to the opposite end of said distractor body, and
- (b) means including a manually operable rotary cam in one of said connections and on an axis transverse to the elongation of said distractor body for imparting a partial-turn cam-driven incremental distracting displacement of said first and second fixator-engageable means with respect to each other in response to at least a partial rotation of said rotary cam, said rotation of said cam being limited to partial rotation of less than 180 degrees.
A patient-operated distraction device for selective periodic distraction of a fractured bone that has been set for retention by an external fixator having an elongate distensible body connected to bone-screw or bone-pin clamps at respective ends of said body, said device comprising:
- (a) an elongate outer tubular body part and an elongate inner body part having one end in guided lap within said outer body part, said inner body part having its opposite end projecting out of and extending beyond one end of the guided lap within said inner body part;
- (b) first fixator-engageable means mounted to the outwardly projecting end of said inner body part, and second fixator-engageable means carried by said outer body part;
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- (c) means including a manually operable rotary cam journalled for rotation on a diametrically extending axis through said outer tubular body part and poised for cam action on said one end of said inner body part to axially displace said inner body part in the direction to incrementally spread apart said first and second fixator-engageable means with respect to each other as a function of manually actuated cam rotation, rotation of said cam being limited to partial rotation of less than 180 degrees.
A patient-operated distraction device for selective periodic distraction of a fractured bone that has been set for retention by an external fixator having an elongate distensible body connected to bone screw or bone-pin clamps at the respective ends of said body, said device comprising:
- (a) an elongate internally threaded tubular body part and an elongate externally threaded body part engaged to said tubular body part, with a longitudinal end of said tubular body part extending at one end of said device and with the opposite longitudinal end of said threaded body part extending at the other longitudinal end of said device;
- (b) first fixator-engageable means in axially retained engagement with and supporting said threaded body part at said opposite longitudinal end for selective rotation with respect to said first fixator-engageable means;
- (c) second fixator-engageable means in axially displaceable anti-rotational relation with said tubular part at said one longitudinal end;
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- (d) manually operated rotary cam means longitudinally interconnecting said second fixator-engageable means and said tubular body part, rotation of said cam means being limited to permit manually operated reciprocation of said cam within a range of less than 180 degrees.
A patient-operated distraction device for elective periodic distraction of a fractured bone that has been set for retention by an external fixator having an elongate distensible fixator body connected to bone-screw or bone-pin clamps at the respective ends of said fixator body, said device comprising:
- (a) an elongate distractor body having first and second axially guided parts, with first fixator-engageable means connected to one of said parts at one end of said distractor body and second fixator-engageable means connected to the other of said parts at the opposite end of said distractor body;
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- (b) manually operable rotary-cam means carried by one of said parts and reacting with said other of said parts to develop a transient manually driven incremental relative axially distracting displacement of said parts and therefore of said bone-screw clamps with respect to each other, rotation of said cam means being limited to permit manual rotation of said cam means within a range of partial rotation which is at least no greater than 180 degrees.
A patient-operated distraction device for selective periodic distraction of a fractured bone that has been set for retention by an external fixator having an elongate distensible fixator body connected to bone-screw or bone-pin clamps at the respective ends of said fixator body, said device comprising:
- (a) an elongate distractor body with first fixator-engageable means connected to one end of said distractor body and second fixator-engageable means connected to the opposite end of said distractor body, said body comprising inner and outer elongate body parts that are axially adjustably positionable over a range of coaxially engaged overlap of said body parts;
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- (b) means including a manually operable rotary cam in one of said connections and on an axis transverse to the elongation of said distractor body for imparting a cam-driven incremental distracting displacement of said first and second fixator-engageable means with respect to each other in response to at least a partial rotation of said rotary cam, said one connection comprising a sleeve slidable on one of said body parts and mounting one of said fixator-engageable means, said-rotary cam being on shaft means journalled in diametrically opposed bearing bores in said sleeve and engaged in diametrically opposed axially extending keying slots in said one body part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.