Composite surgical instrument

A system, comprising:

• a rotary cutting tool including a guide surface and a cutting surface;
• and
• a surgical instrument for guiding said rotary cutting tool to resect an anatomical structure, said surgical instrument comprising:
• a guide body formed of a guide body material having a guide body material hardness, said guide body defining a cavity sized to receive and guide said rotary cutting tool;
• a first bearing, a second bearing and a third bearing, each one of said first, second and third bearings formed of a bearing material having a bearing material hardness greater than the guide body material hardness, each one of said first, second and third bearings secured to said guide body adjacent to said cavity with at least a portion of each one of said first, second and third bearings extending from said guide body into said cavity,
• wherein said first bearing, said second bearing and said third bearing substantially define tangents to a circle, said first bearing, said second bearing and said third bearing are spaced less than 180 degrees from each adjacent bearing, and wherein each one of said first, second and third bearings is sized and arranged so that with said rotary cutting tool positioned in said cavity, said guide body avoids contact with said rotary cutting tool.

A method for guiding a cutting tool to resect an anatomical structure, the method comprising:

• providing or receiving a cutting tool;
• providing or receiving a surgical instrument comprising:
• a guide body including a cut slot defined by a first guide wall and a second guide wall opposing said first guide wall, wherein each of said first guide wall and said second guide are formed of a guide body material having a guide body material hardness;
• a first bearing formed of a bearing material having a bearing material hardness, the bearing material hardness greater than the guide body material hardness, the first bearing secured to the guide body with at least a portion of the first bearing extending from the guide body into the cut slot and defining a first bearing surface;
• a second bearing formed of the bearing material, the second bearing secured to the second guide wall with at least a portion of the second bearing extending from the second guide wall into the cut slot and defining a second bearing surface, the first bearing surface opposing the second bearing;
• positioning the surgical instrument relative to the anatomical structure;
• and
• guiding the cutting tool, including guiding a first surface of the cutting tool with the first bearing surface and concurrently guiding a second surface of the cutting tool, opposite the first surface, with the second bearing surface to resect the anatomical structure such that said first surface of the cutting tool avoids contact with said first guide wall and the second surface of the cutting tool avoids contact with said second guide wall.