Inventors:
Charles L. Nelson - Santa Rosa CA, US
Trung Ho Pham - Santa Rosa CA, US
Stephen R. McDaniel - San Rafael CA, US
Heber Saravia - Santa Rosa CA, US
Nathan Brown - Santa Rosa CA, US
Thomas R. Hackett - Vail CO, US
Lonnie Paulos - Pensacola FL, US
Robert G. Coleman - Santa Rosa CA, US
Assignee:
Sonoma Orthopedic Products, Inc. - Santa Rosa CA
International Classification:
A61B 17/58
Abstract:
A bone fixation device is provided with an elongate body having a longitudinal axis and having a first state in which at least a portion of the body is flexible and a second state in which the body is generally rigid, an actuateable gripper disposed at a distal location on the elongated body, and an actuator operably connected to the gripper to deploy the gripper from a retracted configuration to an expanded configuration. Methods of repairing a fracture of a bone are also disclosed. One such method comprises inserting a bone fixation device into an intramedullary space of the bone to place at least a portion of an elongate body of the fixation device in a flexible state on one side of the fracture and at least a portion of a hub on another side of the fracture, and operating an actuator to deploy at least one gripper of the fixation device to engage an inner surface of the intramedullary space to anchor the fixation device to the bone.