Method and apparatus for clamping surgical wires or cables
AssigneePioneer Surgical Technology, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey L. Trudeau, Thomas S. Kilpela, Brian P. Janowski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a clamp for securing cables or other elongate members used in surgical fastening procedures. The clamp advantageously applies a clamping force to the cable without direct contact with the cable, thereby reducing abrasion and shear forces applied to the cable. The disclosed clamps have a saddle member, platen or both that are movably mounted with respect to the housing and a lever, in cooperation with a cam surface, that allows the saddle member, platen or both to selectively clamp the cable. The lever may have several locking positions to provide optimum clamping force to different sized cables.
Claims13
An apparatus for tensioning and clamping an elongate member, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a longitudinal axis and a throughbore extending longitudinally therethrough for receiving the elongate member therethrough;
- a clamping member movably mounted to the housing for being shifted in a direction generally normal to the housing longitudinal axis;
- a cam lever that cooperates with the clamping member and having a release position with the clamping member spaced from the elongate member and a clamp position with the clamping member engaged with the elongate member in the housing throughbore;
- an undulating surface of at least one of the housing and the clamping member having surface portions that extend transversely to the housing longitudinal axis and which engage the elongate member with the cam lever shifted to the clamp position so that the clamped elongate member has a substantially matching undulating configuration in engagement therewith;
- and
- a tensioning tool coupled to the housing for receiving the elongate member therein and applying tension thereto along the housing longitudinal axis, so that with the cam lever in the clamp position, the tension in the elongate member will be in a direction transverse to the undulating surface portions to permit normal clamping forces that are generated by shifting the clamping member normal to the housing longitudinal axis to be reduced when the cam lever is shifted from the release position to the clamp position for clamping the elongate member in the housing throughbore.
A method of securing a cable to a bone, the method comprising:
- connecting the cable to a bone;
- inserting the cable into a clamping bore of a clamping tool to extend axially therethrough along an elongate axis extending through the clamping bore;
- coupling a tensioning tool to the clamping tool;
- applying a tensioning force to the cable with the tensioning force applied axially along the axis of the clamping tool bore using the tensioning tool;
- applying a clamping force to the cable in the clamping tool bore using the clamping tool;
- engaging the cable with clamping surface portions of the clamping tool that extend transverse to the clamping tool bore axis as the clamping force is applied to the cable;
- bending the cable extending through the clamping tool bore with the clamping surface portions engaged therewith so that the axial tensioning force applied to the cable draws bent portions thereof tightly against the transversely extending clamp surface portions;
- and
- removing the tensioning tool from the clamping tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.