Trauma nail accumulator
AssigneeAOI Medical, Inc.
InventorJason Keller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is an accumulator that may store energy within a pressurized inflatable nail to compensate for small changes or losses in a system volume. Alternatively, the accumulator may be external to a pressurized inflatable nail and attached to the nail after the nail is implanted. The accumulator may be comprise a piston or a pressurized bladder. The energy may be stored in a spring, compressed air, or other pressure source. The accumulator may stabilize a system pressure by supplying fluid to the closed system. Alternatively, the accumulator may stabilize a system pressure by replacing the volume of the lost fluid.
Claims19
An apparatus for maintaining a pressure level in a closed system, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a means for providing energy to the system, the means for providing energy being capable of moving between a contracted state and an expanded state in reaction to an outside force;
- (b) a means for providing the outside force that can be positioned in a first position and a second position, wherein positioning the means for providing the outside force from the first position to the second position causes the means for providing energy to move to maintain a system pressure level.
An inflatable device that maintains a system pressure in a bone cavity, the inflatable device comprising:
- (a) at least one inflatable balloon;
- and
- (b) an accumulator device in fluid communication with the at least one inflatable balloon, the accumulator device comprising
- a source of energy moveable between a contracted state and an expanded state;
- and
- a pressurized apparatus that can be positioned in a first position and a second position, wherein positioning the pressurized apparatus from the first position to the second position causes the source of energy to move to maintain a pressure level.
A method of maintaining a stable pressurized system in a bone cavity, comprising:
- providing an inflatable device, the inflatable device comprising:
- (a) at least one inflatable balloon;
- and
- (b) an accumulator device in fluid communication with the at least one inflatable balloon, the accumulator device comprising
- a source of energy moveable between a contracted state and an expanded state;
- and
- a pressurized apparatus that can be positioned in a first position and a second position, wherein positioning the pressurized apparatus from the first position to the second position causes the source of energy to move to maintain a pressure level;
- inserting the inflatable device into a bone cavity;
- inflating the at least one inflatable balloon to a certain pressure;
- moving the pressurized apparatus from a first position to a second position to cause energy to be stored within the source of energy;
- and
- releasing the energy stored within the source of energy to maintain the certain pressure in the bone cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.