Inventors:
Arthur H. Hamlin - Mendham NJ
Craig D. Morgan - Greenville DE
Assignee:
Bowen & Company, Ltd. - Rockville MD
International Classification:
A61B 1716
Abstract:
A bone drill bit for drilling a hole through bone, cartilage and/or other soft tissue, and the like includes an elongate cylindrical shaft having a pointed tip at one end and a shank at the other end which is adapted to be received in a surgical drilling apparatus. A plurality of small protuberances are provided around the cylindrical shaft adjacent the tip so that as the protuberances pass through the drilled bone a hole slightly larger than the shank is produced and thus the shank passes freely through the drilled hole. Preferably, the protuberances are diamond shaped and the pointed tip is pyramidal shaped. In addition, a suture holding device, such as an aperture or hook at the end of the shank, is provided for holding a suture to the shank as the shank passes through the drilled hole. A portion of the shank is cut away on either side of the suture holding device to provide clearance for the suture. Where the suture holding device is an aperture, this aperture is preferably countersunk at both ends.