GB2256802A - Improvements in or relating to bone support - Google Patents

Abstract

The support comprises a hollow, elongate open-ended nail 10 which is inserted particularly in a humerus bone, fixing wires 19a, 19b being inserted through the nail 10 and embedded in the head of the bone. At a distal end 13 of the nail 10 a distal fixing screw 17 passes through the posterior cortex of the bone to the anterior cortex via the nail to inhibit rotational movement of the distal end of the bone relative to the nail. The outward movement of the fixing wires 19a and 19b has a piercing effect which causes minimal disturbance to the proximal end of the bone, but also effectively locks the proximal end to the nail, preventing relative rotation of that end. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO BONE SUPPORT The present invention relates to apparatus for the support of a fractured or otherwise damaged bone.

In recent years there has been an increasing tendency to treat fractures of bones by supporting the bone itself either externally by means of a plate or internally by means of a nail rather than by supporting the arm as a whole with a splint or plaster cast.

For example, known apparatus for the support of a fractured humerus typically comprises an elongate, hollow stainless steel rod, commonly referred to as a "nail". In use, the nail is inserted into the medullary canal of the humerus through an opening made in the head of the humerus, ie. at the shoulder. In order to prevent rotational movement of parts of the humerus at either side of the fracture relative to one another the nail is locked in position distally (ie. at the elbow end) and proximally (ie. at the shoulder end).

Distal locking is achieved by an expandable head at the distal end of the nail. A long screwdriver is inserted down the hollow nail to turn a spreading screw and expand the head (see Figure 1). Proximal locking is achieved by inserting screws through the upper arm transverse to the longitudinal axis of the humerus and nail, and passing through both the bone and the nail.

A disadvantage with the known system is that the patient suffers considerable discomfort due to the muscles in the patients shoulder and upper arm remaining stiff and sore for some time after the operation. The reason for this stiffness and soreness is that the initial incision before insertion of the nail must be made in the head of the humerus, which involves disturbing and/or making a hole in the deltoid muscles and or the short rotator muscle since there must be access for the screwdriver at the proximal end to expand the head of the nail at the distal end. The known operation therefore necessarily involves some damage to the upper arm and shoulder which results in soreness and a tendency for the patient not to move the shoulder due to this soreness. The inactivity of the muscles then results in stiffness.

A further disadvantage of the known device is that it may not be possible to remove the nail at a later stage, for example if the fracture heals totally. Bone or other material tends to form around the expanded head of the nail, so that even if a screwdriver is used to turn the spreading screw in the reverse direction, the head of the nail may remain expanded.

Furthermore, the anti-rotational grip provided by the expanded head is not particularly good.

Specific embodiments of the present invention aim to provide apparatus for the support of a fractured bone which apparatus can be inserted in the fractured bone with less resultant discomfort to the patient, and which reduce or avoid other disadvantages of the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a bone support is provided for the treatment of a humeral fracture, the bone support being insertable into the interior of the humeral shaft through a small aperture formed in the region of the elbow.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a bone support comprising an elongate support insertable along at least a substantial part of the length of the interior of the bone, the support having bone rotation prevention means at one end, the bone rotation prevention means being operable from the other end of the support, and the bone rotation prevention means comprising a projection which can be extended to engage with the bone, and can thereafter be positively retracted.

The projection may comprise an elongate, relatively thin piercing member such as a wire.

There may be more than one projection, and in one embodiment there are two projections arranged on substantially opposed sides of the bone support.

The bone support may comprise a substantially hollow elongate rod and an elongate member extending within the rod, one end of the elongate member comprising the projection and the other end of the elongate member being capable of manipulation at the elbow end to extend or withdraw the projection.

Preferably the other end of the elongate member is capable of manipulation from the side of a limb.

For example the said other end of the elongate member may be flexible so that it can project out of the rod in the longitudinal direction and then flex outwardly to the side of the limb.

Where two projections are used, they may be formed by two wires extending inside the hollow rod. The wires may be secured together, for example by brazing or welding, towards the distal end of the device. Alternatively the two projections may comprise portions of the same length of wire. The length of wire may be bent into two portions which may form a loop therebetween.

The rod may have an internal channel to guide the elongate internal member.

The rod may have at least one and preferably two, open ends.

Preferably the distal end of the rod is open and the proximal end of the rod has a side aperture out of which the projection passes.

Where there are two projections, there may be two substantially opposed side apertures. The two projections may be arranged to emerge from the two respective apertures at an acute angle between the projections.

At least one aperture may be shaped so as to guide the or each projection. In a preferred arrangement at least one aperture has at least one bevelled edge to guide the projection. Preferably at least one aperture has a bevelled inside lower edge and a bevelled outside upper edge to guide the projection.

In a preferred arrangement the elongate member is arranged to cooperate with the rod such that if the elongate member is caused to slide along the rod the shape of the rod causes the elongate member to be guided through the aperture in the wall of the rod such that the said one end of the elongate member is caused to extend away from the rod at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

The elongate member may comprise a portion of wire.

Preferably there is provided locating means comprising a substantially rigid elongate member arranged to be inserted in a bone prior to insertion of an elongate rod, the elongate rod being arranged, in use to extend over the locating means and be guided by cooperation with the locating means during insertion of the rod into the bone, the locating means being capable of being withdrawn from cooperation with the elongate rod subsequent to insertion of the elongate rod in the bone.

The locating means may comprise a portion of wire.

Preferably the locating means and the bone rotation prevention means comprise the same portion of wire.

In a preferred arrangement there is provided second bone rotation prevention means which comprises a screw arranged to pass through the bone and through the rod substantially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the rod to inhibit rotational movement of the bone. The second bone rotation prevention means may be arranged to pass through the loop formed between the two portions of the length of wire.

The first bone rotation prevention means may be arranged to inhibit rotational movement of the proximal end of a bone.

The second bone rotation prevention means may be arranged to inhibit rotational movement of a distal end of a bone.

Preferably the elongate rod is of a generally cloverleaf shape in cross-section.

In a preferred arrangement the elongate rod has a smoothly bent portion comprising substantially one third of its length. The smoothly bent portion is preferably the end of the rod which is located at the distal end of a humerus bone in use.

The distal third of the rod may be at an angle of 2" to 40 to the longitudinal axis of the remainder of the rod.

The rod may be twisted along its length. In a preferred arrangement an upper end of the rod is twisted through approximately 300 with respect to a lower end of the rod.

Specific embodiments will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a known support for a fractured bone; Figure 2 is a side view of a nail according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows the nail of Figure 2 viewed in the direction of arrow A in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a cross section of the nail of Figure 2 taken along the line X-X of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a cross section of the nail of Figure 2 taken along line Y-Y of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a locking member for use with the nail of Figures 2 to 5; Figure 7 shows the locking member of Figure 6 in the configuration it adopts inside the nail of Figures 2 to 5; Figure 8 is a view of a nail and locking member partly inserted in a humerus; Figure 9 is a view of a nail and locking member fully inserted in a humerus; Figure 10 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of nail according to the invention; Figure 11 is a cross section of the nail of Figure 10, shown without the locking member, taken along line Z-Z of Figure 10; Figure 12 is a view of the nail and locking member of Figure 10, shown inserted in a fractured humerus; Figure 13 shows a preferred embodiment of fixing wire; Figure 14 shows, in detail, a cross-section through a portion of a wall of the nail; and Figure 15 shows a further alternative embodiment of nail.

Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3, a hollow, elongate open ended rod, referred to hereinafter as a nail, is shown generally at 10. Within the nail 10 there is a passage 11. Passage 11 extends the full length of the nail 10, there being an aperture 14 located on the surface of the nail 10 approximately 1 inch from proximal end 15 of the nail 10. One third of the nail is smoothly bent at distal end 13, at an angle of 2" to 40 to the longitudinal axis of the rest of the nail.

At approximately 0.5 inch from the distal end 13 of the nail 10 there is located a hole 16 passing through the nail 10 in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the nail 10, which hole 16, in use, receives a distal fixing screw 17 as described in more detail below.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the nail 10 of Figure 2 taken along the line X-X. The nail 10 is of a generally clover-leaf section with a slit 12 extending the full length of the nail. The purpose of the slit is to allow for some degree of compression of the nail, where necessary, inside the bone in use.

Figure 5 is the cross sectional view of the nail 10 of Figure 2 taken along the line Y-Y showing the aperture 14.

In use, a small aperture is formed in the supraolecranon fossa in the region of the elbow at the distal end of the humerus.

A round steel guide wire (not shown) is inserted into the aperture and is gently urged up the medullary canal to the desired distance, leaving one end of the guide wire protruding from the aperture.

The proximal end 15 of the nail 10 is then placed over the protruding end of the guide wire such that the guide wire enters the passage 11 of the nail 10. The nail 10 is then inserted in the medullary canal, its direction being guided by its cooperation with the guide wire. Once the nail is fully inserted in the humerus the guide wire is drawn out of the humerus through the open distal end 13 of the nail 10.

A round steel fixing wire 19 (as shown in Figure 6) is then inserted in the passage 11 of the nail 10. Figure 7 shows the fixing wire 19 in the bent configuration it adopts when fully inserted in the nail 10.

Figure 8 shows the fixing wire 19 being inserted in the nail 10. Figure 9 shows the fixing wire 19 fully inserted in the nail 10, the end 20 of the fixing wire protruding from the aperture 14 of the nail 10 and being lodged in the head of the humerus at region 21. When the wire 19 is fully inserted in the nail 10 a punch (not shown) is used to drive end 22 of wire 19 further into the nail 10 so that end 22 becomes located higher than hole 16.

The outward movement of the end 20 of the fixing wire has a piercing effect which causes minimal disturbance to the proximal end of the humerus but also very effectively locks the proximal end of the humerus to the nail, preventing rotation with respect to the nail.

Distal locking screw 17 is inserted through hole 16 such that it passes through the posterior cortex of the humerus to the anterior cortex of the humerus to inhibit rotational movement of the distal end of the humerus relative to the nail.

Once both the proximal end of the humerus and the distal end of the humerus are locked to the nail, they are obviously secured against rotation with respect to one another, thus giving the fracture the best chance of healing, regardless of the position of the fracture along the length of the humerus.

The guide wire may be used as the fixing wire simply by removing it from passage 11 of the inserted nail 10 and re-inserting it through passage 11 so that it emerges from aperture 14. An end portion 23 of guide wire may be bent after withdrawal from the passage 11 and prior to reinsertion to more easily enable it to locate and pass out through aperture 14.

Figure 9 shows the nail 10 fully inserted in the humerus, distal locking screw passing through hole 16 in the nail 10 to lock the distal end of the humerus in position.

Because the end 20 of the fixing wire is elongate and relatively thin, and operates by piercing the bone, it can subsequently be retracted again, even after a significant period of time. Even if healed bone is tending to grip the end 20 of the wire, only a small amount of retractive force is required, pulling on the other end of the wire to withdraw it from the bone. The nail, no longer locked to the bone, can then be withdrawn, the screw 17 of course first being removed.

It will be seen that with this embodiment of the invention, all the operations can be performed from the region of the elbow, with minimal incisions and minimal disturbance of bone and tissue.

Figure 10 shows a preferred embodiment of the device, in which there are two fixing wires, l9a and l9b. One wire emerges from the nail through a first aperture 14a and the other emerges through a second aperture 14b.

Having two piercing projections, one at each side of the proximal end of the nail, substantially increases the grip on the proximal fragment of the humerus, thus preventing rotation even more effectively than in the first embodiment.

Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the nail of the preferred embodiment of Figure 10, taken along line Z Z of Figure 10, the fixing wires 19a, 19b having been removed. The axes of holes 14a and 14b make angles A and B respectively with axis X passing through the slit 12.

Preferably angles A and B are both approximately 30".

Figure 12 shows a humerus bone with the nail of Figure 10 inserted therein, showing the two fixing wires l9a, l9b embedded in the head of the bone. Fractures 30 to 34 are treatable by means of the nail, rotation of the bone relative to the nail being prevented by cooperation of the fixing wires l9a, 19b and of the locking screw 17 with the bone.

Towards the distal end of the nail, the wires l9a and 19b can be secured together, for example by brazing or welding. However, in a preferred embodiment shown in Figure 13 the wires l9a and 19b are actually separate limbs 19a and 19b of a common wire 19 which has been bent to form a loop 19c, through which the screw 17 (shown in Figure 12) is arranged to pass in use to secure the position of the wires 19a and 19b at the distal end. This arrangement conveniently obviates the need to drill a hole through a brazed joint of wires 19a and 19b in order that the screw 17 can be made to secure the wires 19a, l9b.

Figure 14 shows in detail a cross-section through a part of the wall of the nail 10, showing one of the holes 14. On a lower edge 14' of the hole 14, the inside surface is bevelled. On an upper edge 14'' of the hole 14 the outside surface is bevelled. The bevel on the upper edge 14" is steeper than that on the lower edge 14'.

In use, as the wire 19 is pushed up through the nail 10 it first approaches the lower edge 14'. On contacting the bevelled surface of the lower edge 14' the tip 20 of the wire 19 is allowed to move outwardly, maintaining contact with the bevelled edge. Once the tip 20 contacts the upper edge 14'' the outside bevel urges the tip 20 out of the nail 10 through the aperture 14 to enable the tip 20 to become embedded in the head of the bone. The arrangement of the bevelled surfaces thus assists in the guiding of the tip 20 of the wire 19 out of the nail 10 through the hole 14.

Figure 15 shows a preferred embodiment of nail 10 in which the upper end 10a, where the holes 14a and 14b are located, has been twisted through approximately 30 with respect to the lower end 10b through which the screw 17 is inserted. It has been found that this arrangement assists in the more accurate location of the fixing wires (not shown) in the head of the humerus. In a preferred arrangement left and right handed nails are provided (not shown) in which the twist is in different directions for use in left and right handed bones, such as the left humerus and the right humerus.

Whilst the apparatus has been described above as supporting a humerus bone, it will be appreciated that the apparatus is readily adaptable for use in supporting other bones, such as other human bones or animal bones.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims (36)

1. A bone support for the treatment of a humeral fracture, the bone support being insertable into the interior of the humeral shaft through a small aperture formed in the region of the elbow.

2. A bone support comprising an elongate support insertable along at least a substantial part of the length of the interior of the bone, the support having bone rotation prevention means at one end, the bone rotation prevention means being operable from the other side of the support, and the bone rotation prevention means comprising a projection which can be extended to engage with the bone, and can thereafter be positively retracted.

3. A bone support according to Claim 2 wherein the projection comprises an elongate, relatively thin piercing member such as a wire.

4. A bone support according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein there are two projections arranged on substantially opposed sides of the bone support.

5. A bone support according to any of Claims 2 to 4 wherein the bone support comprises a substantially hollow elongate rod and an elongate member extending within the rod, one end of the elongate member comprising the projection and the other end of the elongate member being capable of manipulation at the elbow end to extend or withdraw the projection.

6. A bone support according to Claim 5 wherein the other end of the elongate member is capable of manipulation from the side of a limb.

7. A bone support according to Claim 6 wherein said other end of the elongate member is flexible so that it can project out of the rod in the longitudinal direction and then flex outwardly to the side of the limb.

8. A bone support according to Claim 5 and either of Claims 6 or 7 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein, where two projections are used, they are formed by two wires extending inside the hollow rod.

9. A bone support according to Claim 8 wherein the wires are secured together, by brazing or welding, towards the distal end of the device.

10. A bone support according to Claim 8 wherein the two projections comprise portions of the same length of wire.

11. A bone support according to Claim 10 wherein the length of wire is bent into two portions.

12. A bone support according to Claim 11 wherein the two portions of wire form a loop therebetween.

13. A bone support according to Claim 5 and any of Claims 6 to 12 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein the rod has an internal channel to guide the elongate internal member.

14. A bone support according to Claim 5 and any of Claims 6 to 13 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein the rod has at least one open end.

15. A bone support according to Claim 5 and any of Claims 6 to 14 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein the distal end of the rod is open and the proximal end of the rod has a side aperture out of which the projection passes.

16. A bone support according to Claim 15 wherein, where there are two projections, there are two substantially opposed side apertures.

17. A bone support according to Claim 16 wherein the two projections are arranged to emerge from the two respective apertures at an acute angle between the projections.

18. A bone support according to any of Claims 15 to 17 wherein at least one aperture is shaped so as to guide the or each projection.

19. A bone support according to any of Claims 15 to 18 wherein at least one aperture has at least one bevelled edge to guide the projection.

20. A bone support according to any of Claims 15 to 19 wherein at least one aperture has a bevelled inside lower edge and a bevelled outside upper edge to guide the projection.

21. A bone support according to any of Claims 15 to 20 wherein the elongate member is arranged to cooperate with the rod such that if the elongate member is caused to slide along the rod the shape of the rod causes the elongate member to be guided through the aperture in the wall of the rod such that the said one end of the elongate member is caused to extend away from the rod at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

22. A bone support according to Claim 3 and any of Claims 4 to 21 when dependent on Claim 3, wherein the elongate member comprises a portion of wire.

23. A bone support according to any of the preceding Claims wherein there is provided locating means comprising a substantially rigid elongate member arranged to be inserted in a bone prior to insertion of an elongate rod, the elongate rod being arranged, in use, to extend over the locating means and to be guided by cooperation with the locating means during insertion of the rod into the bone, the locating means being capable of being withdrawn from cooperation with the elongate rod subsequent to insertion of the elongate rod in the bone.

24. A bone support according to Claim 23 wherein the locating means comprises a portion of wire.

25. A bone support according to Claim 23 or Claim 24 wherein the locating means and the bone rotation prevention means comprise the same portion of wire.

26. A bone support according to any of Claims 23 to 25 when dependent on Claim 5 wherein there is provided second bone rotation prevention means which comprise a screw arranged to pass through the bone and through the rod substantially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the rod to inhibit rotational movement of the bone.

27. A bone support according to Claim 26 when dependent on Claim 11 wherein the second bone rotation prevention means are arranged to pass through the loop formed between the two portions of the length of wire.

28. A bone support according to any of the preceding claims wherein the first bone rotation prevention means are arranged to inhibit rotational movement of the proximal end of a bone.

29. A bone support according to Claim 26 wherein the second bone rotation prevention means are arranged to inhibit rotational movement of a distal end of a bone.

30. A bone support according to Claim 5 and any of Claims 6 to 29 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein the elongate rod is of a generally clover-leaf shape in cross-section.

31. A bone support according to Claim 5 and any of Claims 6 to 30 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein the elongate rod has a smoothly bent portion comprising substantially one third of its length.

32. A bone support according to Claim 31 wherein the smoothly bent portion is preferably the end of the rod which is located at the distal end of a humerus bone in use.

33. A bone support according to Claim 32 wherein the distal third of the rod is at an angle of 20 to 40 to the longitudinal axis of the remainder of the rod.

34. A bone support according to Claim 5 wherein the rod is twisted along its length.

35. A bone support according to Claim 34 wherein an upper end of the rod is twisted through approximately 300 with respect to a lower end of the rod.

36. A bone support substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2 to 15 of the accompanying drawings.