Bone compression device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11857231-B2
Application number	US-202117158628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2021
Priority date	Mar 3, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

In one form, a bone compression device is provided having a shape-retentive bone plate with an initial, unflexed configuration and a flexed configuration. The bone plate may be shifted to the flexed configuration and secured to bones using bone screws of the bone compression device. Once the bone plate has been secured to the bones, the bone plate returns toward its unflexed configuration which compresses the bones.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bone plate system comprising:
a plurality of bone screws;
a resilient bone plate having a unitary, one-piece construction;
lobes of the bone plate having through openings to receive the bone screws, each of the through openings having an inner diameter;
lower surface portions of the lobes to be positioned adjacent bones and upper surface portions of the lobes opposite the lower surface portions;
a single elongate intermediate portion of the bone plate connecting the lobes, the intermediate portion having a length extending between the lobes;
the intermediate portion having an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, and a thickness extending between the upper and lower surface portions perpendicular to the length, the thickness of the intermediate portion being less than the length thereof;
the intermediate portion having a width perpendicular to the length and the thickness, the width of the intermediate portion being less than the length of the intermediate portion and less than the inner diameter of at least one of the through openings of the lobes;
the bone plate having an unflexed configuration wherein the intermediate portion is bent upwardly and the lobes are closer together and a flexed configuration wherein the intermediate portion is straightened and the lobes are farther apart;
wherein the lobes extend transversely to one another with the bone plate in the unflexed configuration and the lobes are coplanar with one another with the bone plate in the flexed configuration; and
instrument receiving portions of the lobes to connect to an instrument that maintains the bone plate in the flexed configuration for positioning of the bone plate adjacent the bones.

2. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the lobes include inner portions defining the through openings and peripheral portions outward of the through openings that include the instrument receiving portions of the lobes.

3. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the lobes include annular walls and the instrument receiving portions of the lobes are radially outward of the through openings of the through openings.

4. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the lobes are enlarged ends of the bone plate.

5. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the instrument receiving portions of the lobes include lips.

6. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the instrument receiving portions of the lobes include:
lips; and
notches below the lips to receive portions of the instrument.

7. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the instrument receiving portions each include a lip and a depending flat.

8. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower surface portions of the lobes extend about the through openings and the lobes include arcuate side surfaces extending intermediate the upper and lower surface portions.

9. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein each lobe includes arcuate side surfaces extending between the upper and lower surface portions of the lobe and a flat connecting the arcuate side surfaces.

10. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the through openings extend between the upper and lower surface portions of the lobes along central axes of the through openings; and
wherein the central axes of the through openings extend transverse to one another with the bone plate in the unflexed configuration and extend parallel to one another with the bone plate in the flexed configuration.

11. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the intermediate portion is coplanar with the lobes with the bone plate in the flexed configuration.

12. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the lobes and the intermediate portion are coplanar with the bone plate in the flexed configuration and the intermediate portion is bent upward out of the plane and the lobes extend transversely relative to one another with the bone plate in the unflexed configuration.

13. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the intermediate portion includes a pair of portions extending at a first angle relative to one another with the bone plate in the unflexed configuration and at a second angle relative to one another with the bone plate in the flexed configuration, the second angle being larger than the first angle.

14. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the intermediate portion has a center bottom surface portion, the center bottom surface portion being below the upper surface portions of the lobes with the bone plate in the flexed configuration and above the upper surface portions of the lobes with the bone plate in the unflexed configuration.

15. The bone plate system of claim 14 wherein the center bottom surface portion of the intermediate portion is coplanar with the lower surface portions of the lobes with the bone plate in the flexed configuration.

16. The bone plate system of claim 14 wherein the intermediate portion has a center upper surface portion, the center upper surface portion having a first position above the upper surface portions with the bone plate in the unflexed configuration and a second position below the first position with the bone plate in the flexed configuration.

17. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the intermediate portion is straight with the bone plate in the flexed configuration.

18. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the lobes include annular walls and the intermediate portion extends radially from the annular walls.

19. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the bone plate includes nitinol.

20. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the bone plate is of a shape memory material that causes the bone plate to change from the flexed configuration to the unflexed configuration in response to an internal temperature of a patient.

21. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the instrument receiving portions of the lobes are configured to form non-rotatable connections with the instrument.

22. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the bone screws each include a head portion including threads and a shank portion configured to be driven into one of the through openings of the lobes; and
wherein the lobes include threads of the through openings to engage the threads of the bone screws and resist back-out of the bone screws.

23. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the bone plate has only two through openings to receive the bone screws.

24. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the bone plate is of a superelastic nitinol.

25. The bone plate system of claim 1 wherein the instrument receiving portions each include:
a lip; and
a notch below the lip to receive a portion of the instrument;

wherein each lobe of the bone plate includes:
a pair of arcuate side surface portions extending between the upper and lower surface portions of the lobe for being received in the instrument; and
a flat depending from the lip and connecting the pair of arcuate side portions, the flat configured to engage a flat surface of the portion of the instrument and inhibit turning of the lobe relative to the instrument.

Assignees

• Pioneer Surgical Tech Inc

Inventors

• Gephart Matthew P

Classifications

• A61B17/808 Primary

  Instruments for holding or positioning bone plates, or for adjusting screw-to-plate locking mechanisms · CPC title

• A61B17/1728

  for holes for bone plates or plate screws · CPC title

• A61B17/8004

  with means for distracting or compressing the bone or bones · CPC title

• A61B17/8085

  with pliable or malleable elements or having a mesh-like structure, e.g. small strips (A61B17/8071, A61B17/8076 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B17/8645

  Headless screws, e.g. ligament interference screws · CPC title