US1662758A

US1662758A - Femur splint

Info

Publication number: US1662758A
Application number: US195470A
Authority: US
Inventors: James H Nicholson; William D Cavin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1927-05-31
Filing date: 1927-05-31
Publication date: 1928-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 1945-03-13

Description

Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I JAMES H NiIICHOL SON AND WILLIAM D. GAVIN,- OF MADISON, GEORGIA.

FEMUR SPLINT.

Application filed Kay 31, 1927. Serial No. 195,470.

()ur invention relates to-a femur splint to properly locate and hold in place the upper and lower fragments of a fractured femur. It is well known in this art that when the femur is fractured,'it has a tendency to contract and thus displace one fragment relative to the other, and it is one object of our invention to properly locate the fracture by stretching the leg untilthe' fragments are properly located and then holding them in their properly located position.

' Another objectof the invention is to produce a splint that will fit different sized legs;

that will be sanitary in all its parts and particularly in the parts that are pushed through the skin and soft tissues into the bone.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as, the description proceeds we will now describe our invention in connection with the attached drawings in which:

Fi re 1 is a top plan view of our device attac ed to a fractured femur, the soft tissues of the leg being omitted.

gig. 2 is a side elevation of our splint; an

Fig. '3 is a sectional view taken through the splint and the leg to which it is attached.

Referring to the details of the

drawing

1 and 2 represent the up er and lower frag- --ments respectively of a femur fractured at 3.

In order to lengthen the femur, we provide side bars 4 and 5, the. bar 4 havin integral cradle arms 6 and 7 reduced at t eir ends and the bar 5 likewise have the

integral cradle arms

8 and 9 with similarly reduced ends which overlap and a slot 10 is provided in each of said cradle arms through which extend set screws.

sible cradle arms is that the cradle made by the side bars and arms may be extended to fit any size leg by loosenin the

set screws

11 and 12, adjusting the era e arms to fit the leg and then ti htening up the set screws.

A similar sp int composed of side arms 4, 5 and similar integral cradle arms 6','7', 8 and 9'. The bars 4-4 and 55' are hinged to each other by hinges 14.

The

bars

4, ,5, 4', 5 have screw threaded openings 16-16 through which extend screws 17-17, 18-18, 17'-17', 18', 18, and the ends of the bars H and 5'-5 have lugs 19-19 with a hole extending through the lugs and cotter pins 20-20 extending The object of these exten-:

through said holes to maintain the side bars in straight lines.

To apply the splint to a femur, the side bars 4 and 5 and the cradle arms 6, 7-, 8 and 9 are fitted over the leg and adjusted to fit the leg and the set screws on the extreme right cradle arm are tightened to hold the splint in position at one end. hand steelpins 17-18 are inserted through the fleshy tissues of the leg and into the bone. If then the leg has been shortened, the amount of shortening is ascertained by measuring the other leg of the patient, to find out how much the fractured leg is to be lengthened. Having ascertained this, the hinged side bars are bent on the hinges 14 a sufiicient amount so that when they are straightened, they will lengthen the fractured ortions of the femur. This is accomplishe by then fitting the left hand part of the splint over the leg and screwing in the extreme left hand pins 1718 through the fleshy tissue and into the femur and then pressure put upon the hinged arms at the hinged portion to cause the side bars to straighten to the position shown in Fig. 2 and if desirable, additional screw pins may be forced through the fleshytissue into the femur on either side of the fracture.

' If there is danger'of injury to the arteries of the thigh by thrusting the pin through the tissues, especially on the inner side of the leg, the .tlssues may be opened to the bone and the pins passed through the open- 1n lhis method of reduction and splinting works directly with the bone,'and the muscles and soft tissues are not relied on to assist in maintaining complete reduction and holding in true apposition the two fragments of the femur. By the use of the pins penetrating the bone and the hinged splints, enough;

The right leverage can be had to reduce any ordinary fracture of the femur. When the splint is properly applied, there can be no shortening of the limb and the splints may be taken apart for sterilization, and by their adjustable features they-can be made to fit any sized leg and, furthermore, to fit different portions of the same leg.

What we claim as new is: 1. A femur splint comprising side bars connected by cradle arms, the side bars on I oppositesides of the femur being hinged at their meeting ends, and means passing through the side bars and adapted to penefemur, and means between the hinged sections to hold the side bars in alinement after the splint has been applied to the femur.

4. A splint comprising two sections hinged together at their meeting ends, each section comprising side bars and semi-circular cradle arms, said side bars having holes therethrough and pins adapted to be passed through said holes and to penetrate opposite fragments of a femur.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

JAMES H. NICHOLSON. WILLIAM D. GAVIN.