Rod-to-rod connectors having robust rod closure mechanisms and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11076890-B2
Application number	US-201715828805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2017
Priority date	Dec 1, 2017
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

Various rod-to-rod connectors having robust rod closure mechanisms and related methods are disclosed herein, e.g., for enhancing the locking or clamping force on a rod. An exemplary connector can provide a robust closure mechanism for rod-to-rod connections in which the run-on length of a rod slot is minimal. The connector can include a moveable jaw that is partially disposed within a connector body and configured to pivot or translate relative to the connector body to form a fully or substantially closed rod slot around a first rod. The closed rod slot can be formed between a first rod-receiving recess defined in the connector body and a counterpart first rod-receiving recess defined in the moveable jaw. The locking or clamping force of the moveable jaw can be amplified by a mechanical advantage caused by the force exerted to lock a second rod in a second rod-receiving slot of the connector body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rod-to-rod connector, comprising:
a connector body defining first rod-receiving slot and a second rod-receiving recess; and
a moveable jaw defining a counterpart second rod-receiving recess and moveably coupled to the connector body;
wherein the movable jaw is configured to move relative to the connector body in response to positioning a first rod in the first rod-receiving slot; and
wherein the moveable jaw is configured to be locked relative to the connector body in a position that forms at least a substantially closed rod slot around a second rod between the second rod-receiving recess of the connector and the counterpart second rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw in response to the first rod being locked in the first rod-receiving slot.

2. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 1 , wherein the second rod-receiving recess of the connector body is a distal-facing rod-receiving recess formed in a fixed jaw portion extending laterally from a proximal end of the connector body and the counterpart second rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw is a proximal-facing rod-receiving recess.

3. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 2 , wherein the moveable jaw is configured to pivot about a first pivot axis of the connector body.

4. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 3 , wherein:
the moveable jaw is configured to pivot clockwise about the first pivot axis to form an open rod slot for receiving the second rod between the distal-facing rod-receiving recess of the fixed jaw portion of the connector body and the proximal-facing rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw; and
the moveable jaw is configured to pivot counter-clockwise about the first pivot axis to form the closed rod slot around the second rod between the distal-facing rod-receiving recess of the fixed jaw portion of the connector body and the proximal-facing rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw.

5. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 4 , further comprising:
a pivot block having a saddle disposed within a cavity formed in a distal end portion of the connector body and moveably coupled to the connector body and to the moveable jaw, wherein the pivot block is configured to pivot about a second pivot axis of the connector body in response to respective movements of the saddle and the moveable jaw.

6. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 5 , wherein the pivot block is configured to pivot counter-clockwise about the second pivot axis and to thereby raise the saddle into the first rod-receiving slot in response to the moveable jaw pivoting clockwise about the first pivot axis to form the open rod slot for receiving the second rod.

7. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 6 , wherein the pivot block is configured to pivot clockwise about the second pivot axis and to thereby cause the moveable jaw to pivot counter-clockwise about the first pivot axis to form the closed rod slot around the second rod in response to the first rod exerting a distal force on the saddle of the pivot block.

8. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 7 , further comprising a set screw, wherein the second rod is locked within the closed rod slot and the first rod is locked within the first rod-receiving slot in response to tightening the set screw within a threaded portion of the first rod-receiving slot.

9. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 5 , wherein the pivot block is moveably coupled to the moveable jaw by a pin-in-slot connection.

10. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 4 , wherein the moveable jaw further defines a proximal-facing bearing surface disposed in a cavity formed in the connector body distal to the first rod-receiving slot.

11. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 10 , wherein the proximal-facing rod bearing surface is raised into the first rod-receiving slot in response to the moveable jaw pivoting distally to form the open rod slot for receiving the second rod.

12. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 11 , wherein the moveable jaw pivots proximally to form the closed rod slot in response to the first rod exerting a distal force in the first rod-receiving slot on the proximal-facing rod bearing surface of the moveable jaw.

13. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 12 , further comprising a tooth protruding from an end portion of the moveable jaw and a tooth-receiving pocket formed in a laterally extending jaw of the connector body, wherein the tooth of the moveable jaw is configured to interdigitate with the tooth-receiving pocket of the jaw of the connector body.

14. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 2 , wherein the moveable jaw comprises a plurality of proximally extending threaded arms forming a proximal-facing threaded recess there between, wherein the proximal-facing threaded recess is aligned with a proximal-distal axis of the first rod-receiving slot of the connector body.

15. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 14 , further comprising a set screw, wherein the moveable jaw is configured to translate within a cavity formed in the connector body along the proximal-distal axis of the first rod-receiving slot in response to tightening the set screw within the proximal-facing threaded recess of the moveable jaw.

16. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 15 , wherein the moveable jaw is configured to translate proximally along the proximal-distal axis of the first rod-receiving slot and to thereby form the closed rod slot around the second rod between the distal-facing rod-receiving recess of the fixed jaw portion of the connector body and the proximal-facing rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw in response to tightening the set screw within the proximal-facing threaded recess.

17. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 16 , wherein the second rod is locked within the closed rod slot and the first rod is locked within the first rod-receiving slot in response to tightening the set screw within the proximal-facing threaded recess of the moveable jaw.

18. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 15 , wherein the moveable jaw is configured to translate distally along the proximal-distal axis of the first rod-receiving slot and to thereby form an open rod slot between the distal-facing rod-receiving recess of the fixed jaw portion of the connector body and the proximal-facing rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw.

19. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 15 , wherein the moveable jaw is spring-biased to form an open rod slot between the distal-facing rod-receiving recess of the fixed jaw portion of the connector body and the proximal-facing rod-receiving recess of the moveable jaw.

20. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 15 , further comprising a tongue protruding along at least one of the plurality of proximally extending threaded arms and configured to offset a torque exerted by the set screw while tightening the set screw within the proximal-facing threaded recess of the moveable jaw.

21. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 14 , wherein the moveable jaw is moveably coupled to the connector body by a pin-in-slot connection.

22. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 2 , wherein each of the moveable jaw and the fixed jaw portion of the connector body has a run-on width equal to or less than 4 millimeters.

23. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 2 , wherein each of the moveable jaw and the fixed jaw portion have a run-on width that is smaller than a width of the connector body.

24. The rod-to-rod connector of claim 1 , wherein the second rod-receiving recess is an outward-facing rod-receiving recess formed in a fixed jaw portion ext

Assignees

• Medos Int Sarl

Inventors

• Ortiz Aubrey
• Lee Kevin
• Spratt Frank
• Carruth Robert
• Jacobs Samuel
• Hall Mark

Classifications

• A61B17/7049 Primary

  Connectors, not bearing on the vertebrae, for linking longitudinal elements together (A61B17/7055, A61B17/7053, A61B17/7019 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B17/7083

  Tools for guidance or insertion of tethers, rod-to-anchor connectors, rod-to-rod connectors, or longitudinal elements · CPC title

• A61B17/7019

  Longitudinal elements having flexible parts, or parts connected together, such that after implantation the elements can move relative to each other · CPC title