Kevin J Shields

US Patent:

20100241120, Sep 23, 2010

Filed:

Oct 4, 2004

Appl. No.:

11/576452

Inventors:

John Gary Bledsoe - St Louis MO, US
Berton Roy Moed - St. Louis MO, US
Sridhar Condoor - Fenton MO, US
Kevin Anthony Shields - Morton IL, US
Timothy Patrick Alford - Eureka MO, US

Assignee:

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY - Saint Louis MO

International Classification:

A61B 17/58
A61B 17/56

US Classification:

606 62, 606 96

Abstract:

The present invention describes a intramedullary nail that is useful in the repair of long bone fractures, wherein the nail has a flexible state, which allows for the insertion of the nail through any number of incisions that may be off center of the intramedullary canal, and a rigid state, which allows the nail to provide adequate support to mend the long bone. Several embodiments of an intramedullary nail are described, including a nail comprising a shape memory nickel-titanium alloy, which has an austenite start temperature of about 15 C. and an austenite finish temperature of about 35 C., and a nail comprising loosely fitting multiple links that can be tightened to provide rigidity when properly set in the intramedullary canal.