93315 results about "Screw thread" patented technology

A cutting and stapling device for use as an attachment to an electromechanical device driver comprises an upper jaw and a lower jaw which separate and close against one another in a continuously parallel alignment. The upper jaw includes a series of staple guides corresponding to one or more staples in a removable staple tray disposed within a lower jaw, whereby a blade and wedge having a threaded bore travel upon a matching threaded shaft in a channel disposed in the lower jaw below the staple tray, such that rotation of the threaded shaft causes movement of the wedge through the channel while a sloped surface of the wedge contacts the staples to push the staples against the staples guides, closing the staples.

A selectively coupleable and remotely actuateable surgical attachment for use with an electromechanical driver device for use in expanding occluded vessels and lumens. The attachment includes an axial rod which is coupleable to the electromechanical driver device, and which is selectively rotateable in accordance with the action of the electromechanical driver device. The rod is also threaded in opposing orientations at either end thereof. A pair of nuts are mounted to the rod, and specifically on the opposing threads. The rod and nuts are disposed within an axial track which permits the rod to turn, but constrains the rotational motion of the nuts, thereby permitting the nuts to move axially along the threadings of the rod when the rod turns. Attached to the nuts are a series of jointed spokes which are coupled to a flexible tubular shroud which surrounds the entire assembly. The jointed spokes are radially extended and retracted in accordance with the motion of the nuts in an umbrella-like fashion in accordance with the actuation of the electromechanical driver device. The radial expansion of the flexible tubular shroud provides the necessary force to expand an occluded vessel or lumen.

The present invention is directed to an adjustable self drilling tap assembly and method for drilling and tapping bores in bone for use in orthopedic procedures to treat bone. The adjustable length tap assembly includes a shaft having cutting threads for drilling holes in bone, a stop collar configured and dimensioned to be translatable along the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and a locking collar comprising a member configured and dimensioned to be received over at least a portion of the stop collar. The locking collar preferably is configured and dimensioned to engage with the stop collar to adjustably set the effective length for the cutting threads and to prevent movement of the stop collar along the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

A surgical instrument particularly suited to endoscopic articulates an end effector by including an end effector having a geared articulation mechanism that converts rotational motion from a handle portion. A hollow articulation drive tube transfers the rotation motion in some versions to a spear gear, bevel gear or snaggle tooth gear articulation mechanism. Alternatively, one or more threaded drive rod offset from a longitudinal axis engages a worm gear or flex-neck articulation mechanism.

A nut includes an internal thread and at least two parts, each of the parts having a section of the internal thread which can be pushed onto an external thread in the radial direction. The parts may have connecting elements which interact and permit a relative displacement of the parts in a direction running radially to the axis of the internal thread into a position of use. The connecting elements may have guide surfaces which are inclined at an angle to the plane running radially to the axis of the internal thread and guide the parts in a rotational movement about an axis of rotation running transversely to the axis. A part may have a locking arm with a guide surface only on one side which produces the rotational movement during the displacement of the parts and bears against a complementary guide surface of the other part.

A polyaxial orthopedic device for use with rod implant apparatus includes a screw having a curvate head, a two-piece interlocking coupling element which mounts about the curvate head, and a rod receiving cylindrical body member having a tapered socket into which both the screw and the interlocking coupling element are securely nested. The interlocking coupling element includes a socket portion which is slotted and tapered so that when it is radially compressed by being driven downwardly into the tapered socket in the cylindrical body it crush locks to the screw. The securing of the rod in the body member provides the necessary downward force onto the socket portion through a contact force on the top of the cap portion. Prior to the rod being inserted, therefore, the screw head remains polyaxially free with respect to the coupling element and the body. In a preferred embodiment, the cap portion and the socket portion are formed and coupled in such a way that when the cap portion is compressed toward the socket portion, there is an additional inward radial force applied by the cap portion to the socket portion, thereby enhancing the total locking force onto the head of the screw.

A method for securing soft tissue to bone with excellent pull-out strength which does not require the surgeon to tie suture knots to secure the tissue to the bone. A blind hole or socket is created in the bone at the location the graft is to be secured. Preferably, suture is then passed through the graft at desired points. A cannulated driver is pre-loaded with a cannulated plug or screw slidably disposed onto the distal portion of the driver. In a preferred embodiment, a separate piece of suture is passed through the cannula of the driver with a loop end of that suture exposed at the distal end of the driver. The ends of the suture attached to the graft are fed through the suture loop at the end of the driver. Alternatively, the graft itself may be fed through the suture loop, in which case it is not necessary to attach suture through the graft. In another embodiment, the suture loop exposed at the distal end of the cannula of the driver may be omitted, and the sutures attached to the graft may then be fed through the driver cannula from the distal end to position the graft relative to the driver. The driver is inserted into the hole with the screw or plug just outside the hole. Tension is then placed on the suture. Once adequate tension is achieved on the suture, the driver is pressed into the hole, which engages the first thread or bump of the screw or plug on the bone. The screw or plug is then fully advanced into the hole using the driver. When the screw or plug is fully inserted, the suture loop is freed and the driver is removed. The loose ends of the sutures protruding from the anchor site can be cleaned up by clipping them short.

A polyaxial screw is used to secure orthopedic appliances to bone, particularly the spine. The polyaxial screw has a shaft including a helical screw thread for securing the screw to bone. One end of the shaft has a reverse tapered head tapering toward and away from the shaft from an enlarged median. A spherical shaped swivel, having an opening smaller than the median, is snapped over the head to rotatably engage the shaft. A connector with a dome shaped cavity on one end and bifurcated tabs on the other is connected with the swivel and tightened in place with a set screw and guide ring. An appliance is held between the bifurcated tabs. The tabs are frangible to reduce the profile above the appliance.

The blockable bone plate consists of a plurality of plate members which are connected to each other via webs. A screw hole is provided in at least some plate members, preferably in each plate member. The screw hole is surrounded by a spherical countersink on the upper surface of the plate. Provided internally in the screw hole there is an engagement contour which consists of contour valleys and contour peaks partially running in a horizontal and radial peripheral direction on the wall of the screw hole. The engagement contour is preferably produced by milling and has for example a pointed, round, trapezoidal or serrated configuration. A blocking thread is provided under the screw head of the screw intended for blocking. As the screw is screwed in, the blocking thread engages in the engagement contour. The particular advantages lie in increased security against the screw coming loose and in the possibility of also inserting the screw through the plate at an inclination. Furthermore, a bone plate is proposed which has the shape of an arc of a circle in the longitudinal axis of the plate and which requires less bending, particularly on the human lower jaw, and adapts to the bone in a more ideal manner.

A fastening apparatus includes a fastener and a fastener receiving member. The apparatus enables the fastener to be affixed to the fastener receiving member at a variable insertion angle selected by the user. The fastener includes an elongate section and an adjoining head section. Both the elongate section and the head section are threaded. The fastener receiving member includes one or more apertures through which one or more corresponding fasteners can be inserted. Each aperture includes a contact region formed or disposed on an inside surface defining the aperture. The contact region includes a porous matrix of protrusions or fiber metal having a density and strength sufficient to render contact region tappable by the thread of the head section of the fastener. The thread on the head section is driven into the contact region at the selected insertion angle. As a result, the thread of the head section taps into the material of the contact region such that the fastener is affixed to the fastener receiving member and maintained at the insertion angle.

A bone member fastener for closing a craniotomy includes a cap and a base interconnected by a narrow cylindrical collar. The cap has an externally threaded stud that screws into an internally threaded bore of the collar, thereby allowing the cap and base to be brought into clamping engagement against the internal and external faces of a bone plate and surrounding bone. In a particularly disclosed embodiment, the base of the fastener is placed below a craniotomy hole with the collar projecting into the hole, and the stud of the cap is screwed into the bore of the base from above the hole to clamp a bone flap against the surrounding cranium. This device provides a method of quickly and securely replacing a bone cover into a craniotomy. The distance between the cap and base can be selected by how far the threaded stud of the cap is advanced into the internally threaded collar. The fastener is therefore adaptable for use in several regions of the skull having various thicknesses. An insertion tool with a long handle permits safe and convenient placement of the base between the brain and the internal face of the bone plate. Some disclosed embodiments of the fastener have a cap and base that conform to the curved surface of the skull, for example by having an arcuate shape or flexible members that conform to the curvature of the bone plate and surrounding cranial bone as the fastener is tightened.

A suture anchor includes a threaded anchor body having a first central bore in communication with a second central bore. The suture anchor includes an internal eyelet formed of a loop disposed at least partially inside the first central bore. The ends extending from the loop are tied together to form at least one knot which is housed in the second central bore provided at the distal end of the anchor body. The knot increases the pullout strength of the suture even in soft bone, provides increased suture fixation, and eliminates the anchor “pull back.”

A vertebral cage is provided for use in preserving the space between adjacent vertebral during the process of spinal fusion. In particular, this cage has an open modified oval peripheral shape with a continuous fluid anterior wall having angled screw passages accessible through co-planar openings to allow the construct to be stabilized between adjacent vertebral bodies through their endwalls. In addition, the cage has a back to front wedge taper with pull-out resistant ratchet surfaces. Further, in a second aspect of the invention, the screw passages have a unique locking mechanism provided by oversized internal threads in combination with a second locking thread on the head of the associated bone screws that allows for axial translation of the screws within the screw passages. This in turn permits play in the angulation of the screw relative to the anchoring bone in order to optimize the screw placement in the bone.

A bone plate system for internal fixation of bone fractures includes a bone plate having a plurality of bone plate holes. The holes are constructed to receive either a non-locking, locking, or variable-angle locking bone screw. The holes have discrete columns of teeth or thread segments arranged around the inner surface of the hole for engaging threads on the heads of locking and variable-angle locking bone screws. Conventional locking bone screws engage the bone plate coaxially with the central axis of the bone plate hole. Variable-angle locking bone screws can engage the bone plate at a selectable angle within a range of selectable angles relative to the central axis of the bone plate hole. The head of the variable-angle locking screw is at least partially spherical, and the thread thereon has a profile that follows the arc-shaped radius of curvature of the spherical portion of the screwhead.

Methods and apparatus are provided for obtaining a secure mechanical connection and a pressure-tight seal in the overlapping area of two telescoping tubular bodies. The two bodies, including the overlapping area, are radially expanded to increase the inside diameter of the bodies. The expansion forces an annular seal in the overlapping area into a pressure-sealing engagement between the bodies. A string of pipe assembled from joints secured to each other by telescoping, threadedly engaged expanded pin and box connections may be radially expanded into a surrounding well bore to provide a cased well having an internal diameter greater than the original internal diameter of the pipe string. The seal in the connection comprises an annular elastomeric seal ring and an annular Teflon spacer ring carried in a specially dimensioned groove formed in either the box or the pin, or both members of the connection. Radial expansion of the connection causes axial contraction of the groove, which acts with the spacer ring to expand the seal ring radially to seal the annular space created between the expanded pin and box.

The present invention relates to a tubular suture reinforcement material suitable for use in automatic suturing devices that are widely used in surgical operations, etc. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tubular suture reinforcement material with which a tubular shape is easily obtained to thereby increase its productivity, and removal of thread is easily achieved. The present invention aims to overcome drawbacks such that sheet-like materials joined by the conventional temporary adhesion easily separate from each other, and the tubular suture reinforcement material manufactured using a running stitch requires a lot of time and skill, and removal of the thread is difficult depending on the kind of sheet-like material, sewing pitch, etc. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tubular suture reinforcement material for an automatic suturing device, wherein both ends of one or two sheet-like materials are sewed using a chain stitch (intralooping stitch) with a single thread to form a tubular shape, and one or two thread ends at one or two sewing ends are suitably extended.

The invention is directed to a bone plate system. The bone plate system comprises a base plate having two generally parallel elongated screw slots extending therethrough. Two bone screws are provided that are capable of securing the base plate to a bone by insertion through the screw slots into the bone. Each bone screw has a screw head and a threaded portion extending therefrom. An interference device is attached to the base plate and retains the bone screws while permitting the bone screws to toggle and to controllably slide in the screw slots of the base plate. This design is particularly useful for joining adjacent vertebral bodies, as it permits controlled settling of the vertebral bodies, thereby enhancing the healing process.

A dynamic bone fixation plate assembly includes a bone plate with at least one fastener-receiving aperture, and at least one self-locking fastener. Each fastener includes a threaded shaft or shank for secure engagement with patient bone, and a head for engaging the bone plate in a manner providing a low profile orthopedic device. The fastener shank includes features lock the fastener to the bone plate to prevent the fastener from backing out of the bone plate while still allowing rotational movement between the fastener and the plate. Utilizing the features of the present invention, the bone plate controllably subsides and settles into a position of stability.