Devices and methods for breaking and retaining surgical reduction tabs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9402673-B2
Application number	US-201314021203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2013
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

Various devices and methods for breaking and retaining surgical reduction tabs are provided. In general, the devices and methods can allow a single surgical instrument to break a plurality of surgical reduction tabs off one or more surgical implants and retain the broken tabs within the instrument. In an exemplary embodiment, a surgical instrument can include an opening at a distal end thereof that is configured to receive a surgical reduction tab therein when the tab is connected to a surgical implant. A retention element at least partially disposed within the instrument can be configured to engage the tab received in the opening so as to hold the tab securely within the instrument. With the tab received in the opening and held by the retention element, the surgical instrument can be configured to be manipulated to break the tab off the surgical implant. The broken tab can be retained within the surgical instrument by being held therein by the retention element. The instrument can be repeatedly relocated and repeatedly break off surgical reduction tabs of one or more surgical implants, with each successive tab received in the opening displacing the immediately preceding broken tab from the retention element such that a chamber formed in the instrument can simultaneously hold a plurality of broken tabs within the instrument.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical apparatus, comprising:
an elongate shaft having proximal and distal ends, the distal end of the elongate shaft having a tapered portion, wherein the tapered portion at the distal end has a width that is smaller than a width of the proximal end of the elongate shaft, an opening at the distal end of the shaft, and a chamber formed therein proximal to and in communication with the opening, the distal end of the shaft being configured to be advanced into a body of a patient, the opening having a rectangular shape, and the opening being configured to receive a reduction tab of a surgical implant; and
a spring-loaded finger disposed at least partially within the shaft and located adjacent the opening, the finger being configured to hold the reduction tab received in the opening in a fixed position relative to the shaft, the shaft being configured to be manipulated to break the reduction tab received in the opening and held by the finger off from the surgical implant, and the chamber being configured to have the broken reduction tab disposed therein.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the chamber is configured to have a plurality of broken reduction tabs simultaneously disposed therein.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening is configured to sequentially receive the reduction tab and a plurality of additional reduction tabs of one or more surgical implants, the finger being configured to sequentially hold the reduction tab and each of the plurality of additional reduction tabs in a fixed position relative to the shaft, the shaft being configured to be manipulated to break each of the plurality of additional reduction tabs received in the opening and held by the finger off of the one or more surgical implants, the chamber being configured to have the reduction tab and each of the broken additional reduction tabs simultaneously disposed therein.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a first one of the plurality of reduction tabs is configured to move the broken reduction tab from the fixed position and into the chamber, each of a remainder of the plurality of reduction tabs being configured to move an immediately preceding broken one of the reduction tabs from the fixed position and into the chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a first one of the plurality of reduction tabs is configured to move the broken reduction tab proximally within the shaft, each of a remainder of the plurality of reduction tabs being configured to move an immediately preceding broken one of the reduction tabs proximally within the shaft.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the finger directs a force toward an interior sidewall of the shaft such that the reduction tab received in the opening is held between the finger and the interior sidewall of the shaft.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the finger has a pinch point in a distal portion thereof, the pinch point being disposed adjacent to and proximal to the opening and being configured to directly contact the reduction tab received in the opening so as to hold the reduction tab received in the opening in the fixed position.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the finger is configured to move between a first configuration in which the finger is in a first position relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft and a second configuration in which the finger is in a second position relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the second position being radially offset from the first position relative to the longitudinal axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shaft has a proximal opening in a proximal portion thereof, the proximal opening being in communication with the chamber such that any broken reduction tabs held in the chamber can be released from the chamber through the proximal opening.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a release element coupled to the finger, the release element being configured to be actuated to cause any broken reduction tabs of surgical implants held in the chamber to be released from the chamber through the opening.

11. A kit comprising:
one or more surgical implants, each surgical implant having a receiver member that defines a rod-receiving recess, and a breakable extension tab that extends proximally from the receiver member;
an elongate shaft having an opening at a distal end thereof and a chamber formed therein that is in communication with the opening, the opening being configured to sequentially receive a plurality of breakable extension tabs of the one or more surgical implants therein, the shaft being configured to be manipulated to sequentially break each of the breakable extension tabs off the one or more surgical implants, and the chamber being configured to retain each of the breakable extension tabs therein after the breakable extension tabs have been broken off the one or more surgical implants by manipulating the shaft; and
a retention element disposed at least partially within the shaft and located adjacent the opening, the retention element being configured to sequentially engage each of the breakable extension tabs received in the opening within the shaft before the shaft is manipulated to sequentially break each of the breakable extension tabs off the one or more surgical implants, and the retention element being configured to hold within the shaft each of the breakable extension tabs after having been broken off the one or more surgical implants by manipulating the shaft.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein each of the broken breakable extension tabs except a last one of the broken breakable extension tabs is displaced from being held by the retention element by a subsequent one of the breakable extension tabs received in the opening so as to sequentially advance each of the broken breakable extension tabs except the last one of the broken breakable extension tabs into the chamber.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the chamber is configured to have a plurality of breakable extension tabs simultaneously disposed therein.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of broken breakable extension tabs is at least five tabs.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of broken breakable extension tabs is in a range of five to fifty tabs.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the retention element has a pinch point in a distal portion thereof, the pinch point being configured to directly contact the breakable extension tab received in the opening so as to hold the breakable extension tab received in the opening in the fixed position.

17. A surgical method, comprising:
disposing a first reduction tab of a first surgical implant implanted within a patient within an opening at a distal end of an elongate shaft such that a spring-loaded finger disposed at least partially within the shaft engages the first reduction tab, the first reduction tab extending proximally from a first receiver member of the first surgical implant, the first receiver member defining a rod-receiving recess;
manipulating the shaft to break the first reduction tab disposed within the opening off of the first surgical implant;
retaining the broken first reduction tab within the shaft by the finger holding the broken first reduction tab in a fixed position relative to the shaft;
disposing a second reduction tab of a second surgical implant implanted within the patient within the opening such that the finger engages the second reduction tab, the second reduction tab extending proximally from a second receiver member of the second surgical implan

Assignees

• Depuy Synthes Products Inc

Inventors

• Cormier Philip A
• Fournier Richard W
• Quintanilha Ernest

Classifications

• A61B17/7074 Primary

  Tools specially adapted for spinal fixation operations other than for bone removal or filler handling (A61B17/7062, A61B17/808, A61B17/8858 take precedence; for spinal image producing devices A61B90/36, A61B34/20; markers A61B90/39) · CPC title

• A61B17/8863 Primary

  Apparatus for shaping or cutting osteosynthesis equipment by medical personnel · CPC title

• A61B2090/037

  with a frangible part, e.g. by reduced diameter · CPC title

• A61B2017/0023

  disposable · CPC title

• A61B2017/00429

  with a roughened portion · CPC title