12297 results about "Load bearing" patented technology

A load-bearing osteoimplant, methods of making the osteoimplant and method for repairing hard tissue such as bone and teeth employing the osteoimplant are provided. The osteoimplant comprises a shaped, coherent mass of bone particles which may exhibit osteogenic properties. In addition, the osteoimplant may possess one or more optional components which modify its mechanical and/or bioactive properties, e.g., binders, fillers, reinforcing components, etc.

Nucleus pulposus implants that are resistant to migration in and/or expulsion from an intervertebral disc space are provided. In one form of the invention, an implant includes a load bearing elastic body surrounded in the disc space by an anchoring, preferably resorbable, biocompatible material which may be in the form of an outer shell. In certain forms of the invention, the elastic body is surrounded by a supporting member, such as a band or jacket, and the supporting member is surrounded by the outer shell. Kits for forming such implants are also provided. In another form of the invention, an implant is provided that has locking features and optional shape memory characteristics. In yet another aspect of the invention, nucleus pulposus implants are provided that have shape memory characteristics and are configured to allow short-term manual, or other deformation without permanent deformation, cracks, tears, breakage or other damage. Methods of forming and implanting the implants are also described, as are delivery devices and components thereof for delivering the implants.

A combined-rib cavity member for space-structure flooring includes cavity form and structure bottom plate, which are connected into one integral whole. It is characterized by that there are at least two cavity forms arranged alternate with each other on the structure bottom plate, its side forms with the structure bottle plate at least one subrit form cavity of casti-in-situ structure, and other other sides of the cavity form forms the side fromboard of main rib or beam or wall for cast-in-situ structure. By this, the subrib of cast-in-situ structure can be formed in the sub-rib form cavity on the structure battom plate, the sub-rib participates in load bearing of structural bottom slat, cast-in-situ main rib, cast-in-sita upper slab so to a load-bearing space structure, improved mechanical property, raise integrity and anti-shock property, decrease structural wt. lower cost and make construction be convenient.

The invention is directed to methods of making novel porous and solid polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels. These hydrogels are particularly suited for use in the replacement and augmentation of soft tissue or non-load bearing bone of the face, head and cranium.

A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.

A bone regenerative composition includes a resorbable osteoconductive matrix and a multiplicity of substantially rigid nanofibers dispersed within structure of the matrix to impart structural integrity with nanofiber ends projecting out of a surface of the matrix to provide differential load bearing surface bristles.

An implant device for cartilage regeneration in loading-bearing regions uses the osteochondral defect model. The implant is formed of resorbable polymeric materials. The implant is designed such that load is transmitted from the articulating surface of the bone platform through the implant to the entire area of subchondral bone of the bone platform. Application of load in this manner results in reduced subchondral bone resorption, leading to joint stabilization and maintenance of normal joint biomechanics. The implant allows for the incorporation therein of a resorbable scaffold or matrix material. The present implant solves the current inability to regenerate cartilage in load-bearing articulating surfaces using engineered scaffold devices.

A system and method for knee arthroplasty procedures, using a novel leg rotation fixture to enable the leg mechanical axis, the tibia and the femur to be mutually disposed such that the load bearing, mechanical axis of the leg runs through the center of the knee joint. A measurement gauge is provided for mounting on the tibia and for aligning a baseplate in a known position on the tibia. This baseplate supports an X-ray target plate in a known position relative to the tibia, used in determining the mechanical axis, and an optional surgical robot, used to perform tibial and femoral cuts. The position of the femur relative to the robot may be determined from X-ray imaging of the pelvic region after attachment to the baseplate of an additional target extending to the pelvic region. The system enables improvement in the accuracy of knee arthroplasty procedures.

An implant for the closing of defect openings in the body of a human or animal is proposed, with a load-bearing structure which, in a first operating state (primary form), has a great ratio of length to transverse extent along an axis (9) and, at least in a further operating state (secondary form), has a much smaller ratio of length to transverse extent along the axis (9), the load-bearing structure (1) being capable of being reversibly transformed from the secondary form into the primary form by exertion of a force against elastic material forces, the secondary form assuming approximately the form of a double disc with a proximal disc element (7) and a distal disc element (6) for receiving the surroundings of the defect opening between the disc elements, and the load-bearing structure (1) being formed essentially in one piece without joining connections, and a placement system.

An orthopedic device for implanting between adjacent vertebrae comprising: an arcuate balloon and a hardenable material within said balloon.

In some embodiments, the balloon has a footprint that substantially corresponds to a perimeter of a vertebral endplate. An inflatable device is inserted through a cannula into an intervertebral space and oriented so that, upon expansion, a natural angle between vertebrae will be at least partially restored. At least one component selected from the group consisting of a load-bearing component and an osteobiologic component is directed into the inflatable device through a fluid communication means.

A sterile composite bone graft for use in implants comprising a T shaped cortical bone load bearing member mated to a cancellous member. The crosspiece of the T defines an inner planar surface and dove tail shaped mating member extends outward from the inner planar surface. The allograft cancellous bone member defines tapered side walls on the exterior surface of the body, a flat proximal end surface and a flat distal end surface. A dove tail shaped recess with the narrowest portion exiting the flat proximal end surface is cut into the interior of the cancellous member body. The dove tail shaped member and dove tail shaped recess are mated together to hold both component members together. Pins are mounted in both members to provide additional stability.

A disc replacement spinal interbody fusion device is provided having a central sleeve with oppositely left and right-hand threaded axial bores with different diameters. Circumferential threaded apertures are located on the sleeve and open into the sleeve bores. The device has two opposing plates which are oval-shaped and centrally, axially bored. Each plate has a perpendicular shaft with an axial bore which communicates with the shaft bore. The first shaft has external left-hand threads and the second shaft has external right-hand threads, each to mate with different bores of the sleeve. The outside diameter of the first shaft is smaller than the inside diameter of the second shaft, allowing the two shafts to axially engage. The spinal interbody fusion device operates like a turnbuckle, vertically expanding when the sleeve is rotated in one direction and retracting when the sleeve is rotated in the opposite direction. The assembled device defines an open channel axially. Once the fusion device is set at its proper height, set screws are threaded into circumferential apertures of the sleeve to compress against the shaft threads of each plate to maintain a fixed height. In situ, axial loading of the spinal column upon the fusion device creates a bending moment manifested by a flexing action of the plates to generate opposing axial directional forces which replicate the physiological function of shock absorption, load bearing and load transmission.

A tissue protector is adapted to be positioned on the skin surrounding an incision. The tissue protector provides a load bearing surface for surgical tools and instruments to prevent blunt force and pressure trauma to the skin and soft tissues within the incision. In one embodiment, the tissue protector is a sheet of wear-resistant material having an opening corresponding to the incision and expandable as the incision is retracted. In another embodiment, a tissue protector device includes a continuous expandable arrangement of interconnected L-shaped links. In still another embodiment, a one-piece tissue protector includes a flexible panel supported on the skin and a flexible sleeve extending into the incision. Yet another embodiment of the invention resides in a track that is supported about the incision. An instrument support platform is slidably mounted to the track to support a surgical tool relative to the incision.

A resorbable implant for interposition arthroplasty which is intended to fill a void between two adjacent bone ends, providing a cushion between the bone ends to prevent impingement of the bone ends while providing time for tissue to infiltrate into the space occupied by the implant. It has a protracted resorption time of preferably at least three months to allow time for the proliferation of load-bearing host fibrous tissue in place of the resorbed implant material. The implant preferably is porous with a pore size of greater than about 80 microns in order to enhance infiltration of fibrous tissue. The implant has a modulus in the range of 0.8 to 20 MPa which is soft enough to allow it to conform to surface irregularities of the adjacent bone surfaces while being hard enough to maintain a desired separation between those bones while tissue infiltration replaces the resorbable implant material. The implant may be preformed to the desired shape or alternatively may be formable by the surgeon by methods such as carving with a scalpel. A preferred application for the implant is as a trapezium bone replacement.

A system and method is provided for distracting opposite surfaces from the interior of a bone, such as a vertebral body. A working channel cannula provides a working channel through which an inserter and an injection cannula can simultaneously pass. The inserter transports a plurality of wafers into the interior of the bone to form a load-bearing stack bearing against the opposite surfaces. The injection cannula is used to inject a fluent material into and/or around the stack. In certain embodiments, the fluent material is a load-bearing or hardenable material, such as bone cement. In other embodiments, the fluent material can be a BMP, HAP, or other osteo-inductive, osteo-conductive, or pharmaceutical compositions. A syringe containing the fluent material is engaged to the injection cannula and is operable to inject the fluent material into the vertebral body under controlled pressure.

Disclosed are implantable devices that include biocompatible polyurethane materials. In particular, the disclosed polyurethane materials can maintain desired elastomeric characteristics while exhibiting thermoset-like behavior and can exhibit improved characteristics so as to be suitable in load-bearing applications. For example, the disclosed polyurethane materials can be suitable for use in artificial joints, including total joint replacement applications. The disclosed polyurethane materials include biocompatible cross-linking agents as chain extenders, more particularly chain extenders comprising a terminal group capable of side reactions and further comprising an electron withdrawing group immediately adjacent the terminal group. In addition, the reaction materials and conditions can be selected to encourage intermediate levels of cross-linking without the use of traditional cross-linking trifunctional reagents. In addition, the chain extenders can also include substantially inflexible moieties so as to increase the rigidity of the product polyurethanes.

An implant for installation into a portion of an articular surface includes a protrusion configured to cover an un-excised portion of articular surface proximate to the implant. Another implant may form a cavity to allow the un-excised portion of articular surface to remodel over a perimeter edge of the implant. The implant may also include indentations such as grooves to promote articular cartilage remodeling over a portion of the load bearing surface of the implant. An elongated or non-round implant is also provided having two opposing concentric arcuate shaped sides, as well as a method to seat such an implant in an articular surface. A method for seating an implant without cutting articular cartilage is also provided.

Nucleus pulposus implants that are resistant to migration in and/or expulsion from an intervertebral disc space are provided. In one form of the invention, an implant includes a load bearing elastic body surrounded in s the disc space by an anchoring, preferably resorbable, outer shell. In certain forms of the invention, the elastic body is surrounded by a supporting member, such as a band or jacket, and the supporting member is surrounded by the outer shell. Kits for forming such implants are also provided. In another form of the invention, an implant is provided that has locking features and optional shape memory characteristics. In yet another aspect of the invention, nucleus pulposus implants are provided that have shape memory characteristics and are configured to allow short-term manual, or other deformation without permanent deformation, cracks, tears, breakage or other damage. Methods of forming and implanting the implants are also described, as are delivery devices and components thereof for delivering the implants.