Prosthetic ligament system for knee joint
AssigneeBiomet Sports Medicine, LLC
InventorsKevin T. Stone, Robert Metzger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for a knee joint includes a first fastener and a second fastener operable to be connected to the tibia and femur, respectively. Furthermore, the system includes a flexible prosthetic ligament member. The ligament member is operably coupled to the first and second fasteners to support the tibia and the femur for relative movement. The ligament member extends from a first end to a second end, and includes an outer wall that defines a hollow longitudinal passage portion. The first end extends into and out of the longitudinal passage portion through the outer wall to define a first adjustable loop, and the second end extends into and out of the longitudinal passage portion through the outer wall to define a second adjustable loop.
Claims17
A system for a knee joint with a tibia and a femur, the system comprising:
- a first fastener operable to be connected to the tibia;
- a second fastener operable to be connected to the femur;
- and
- a prosthetic ligament member that is flexible, the ligament member directly coupled to both the first and second fasteners to support the tibia and the femur for relative movement, the ligament member extending from a first end to a second end, the ligament member including an outer wall that defines a hollow longitudinal passage portion having a first end and a second end, the first end of the ligament member extending into the first end of the longitudinal passage portion through the outer wall and out of the second end of the longitudinal passage portion through the outer wall to define a first adjustable loop, the second end extending into the second end of the longitudinal passage portion through the outer wall and out of the first end of the longitudinal passage portion through the outer wall to define a second adjustable loop, wherein the ligament member is an integrated one-piece device.
A system for a knee joint with a tibia and a femur, the system comprising:
- a first fastener operable to be connected to the tibia;
- a second fastener operable to be connected to the femur;
- and
- a prosthetic ligament member that is flexible and that is operably coupled to both the first and second fasteners to support the tibia and the femur for relative movement, the ligament member extending from a first end to a second end, the ligament member including an outer wall that defines a hollow longitudinal passage portion, the ligament member also including at least one first aperture extending through the outer wall and disposed between the first and second ends, the ligament member further including at least one second aperture extending through the outer wall and disposed between the first and second ends, the at least one first and second apertures being disposed at opposite ends of the longitudinal passage portion, the first end of the ligament member extending through the at least one first aperture and the longitudinal passage portion and out of the at least one second aperture to define a first adjustable loop and a first free end, the second end of the ligament member extending through the at least one second aperture and the longitudinal passage portion and out of the at least one first aperture to define a second adjustable loop and a second free end, the first and second free ends pullable to increase a tension in the ligament member, wherein the first adjustable loop is directly coupled to one of the first and second fasteners and the second adjustable loop is directly coupled to the other one of the first and second fasteners.
A system for a knee joint with a tibia and a femur, the system comprising:
- a first fastener;
- a second fastener;
- and
- a prosthetic ligament member that is flexible and that is operably coupled to at least one of the first fastener and the second fastener, the prosthetic ligament member extending from a first end to a second end, the ligament member including an outer wall that defines a hollow longitudinal passage, the ligament member also including a first aperture, a second aperture, a third aperture, and a fourth aperture extending through the outer wall into the hollow longitudinal passage and disposed between the first and second ends, the first end extending into the first aperture and out the second aperture and through at least a portion of the longitudinal passage to define a first adjustable loop and a first free end, the first and second apertures being disposed at opposite ends of the portion of the longitudinal passage through which the first end extends, the second end extending into the third aperture and out the fourth aperture and through at least a portion of the longitudinal passage to define a second adjustable loop and a second free end, the third and fourth apertures being disposed at opposite ends of the portion of the longitudinal passage through which the second end extends, the first and second adjustable loops extending from the first fastener and the first and second free ends pullable to increase a tension in the ligament member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.