Internal bone fixation system with integrated mixer

A system for repairing a fractured bone comprising:

• a delivery catheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween, wherein the delivery catheter has an inner void for passage of one or more bone cement components and an inner lumen;
• an expandable internal bone fixation device releasably engaging the distal end of the delivery catheter, wherein the internal bone fixation device has a proximal end and a distal end;
• a rotatable shaft sized to pass through the inner lumen of the delivery catheter;
• an activable spinning mechanism releasably extending from the rotatable shaft, wherein the spinning mechanism is sized to pass through the inner lumen of the delivery catheter and into the internal bone fixation device, and wherein the spinning mechanism contacts and mixes the bone cement components;
• and
• a releasing mechanism between the distal end of the delivery catheter and the proximal end of the internal bone fixation device;
• wherein, when the internal bone fixation device is positioned within a cavity of the fractured bone, and the one or more bone cement components are positioned within the expandable internal bone fixation device, the one or more bone cement components are mixeable to a desired viscosity by activating the spinning mechanism within the internal bone fixation device.

A method for repairing a fractured bone comprising:

• gaining access to an inner cavity of the fractured bone;
• providing a system for use in repairing the fractured bone, the system comprising an expandable internal bone fixation device releasably engaging a distal end of a delivery catheter;
• positioning the internal bone fixation device spanning at least two bone segments of the fractured bone;
• inserting an activable spinning mechanism through the delivery catheter and into the internal bone fixation device, wherein the spinning mechanism extends from a rotatable shaft;
• rotating the rotatable shaft to activate the spinning mechanism to mix one or more bone cement components within the internal bone fixation device until a desired viscosity of the one or more bone cement components is reached, wherein the internal bone fixation device moves from a first compact state to a second expanded state;
• removing the rotatable shaft and spinning mechanism from the internal bone fixation device;
• waiting for the mixed bone cement components to cure;
• and
• releasing the internal bone fixation device from the delivery catheter.