Abstract: The unibody orthopedic instrument includes an elongated handle, a latching interface outwardly extending relative to the elongated handle and selectively couplable to an orthopedic component, and a hand accessible spring-biased lever arm operable with a hinge coupled to the elongated handle about a pivot. The hinge normally positions the latching interface in a first latched position for locking engagement with the orthopedic component and is otherwise operable by the spring-biased lever arm about the pivot to reposition the latching interface from the normally latched position to an unlatched position for disengagement from the orthopedic component.

Abstract: The dual-purpose orthopedic instrument includes an elongated body, an impactor block formed from a first end of the elongated body selectively couplable with a modular impactor head and a strike block formed from a second end of the elongated body including a strike surface for selectively receiving a strike force thereof. An externally accessible channel formed within the elongated body has a size and shape for pass-through reception and select retention of an extractor rod therein. As such, the elongated body is usable as a modular impactor when the impactor block is selectively coupled with the impactor head and as a weight of a slap hammer when selectively coupled with the extractor rod in slidable relation relative thereto.

Abstract: The process for producing an orthopedic implant having an integrated silicon nitride surface layer includes steps for positioning the orthopedic implant inside a vacuum chamber, mixing nitrogen gas and vaporized silicon atoms in the vacuum chamber, emitting a relatively high energy beam into the mixture of nitrogen gas and vaporized silicon atoms in the vacuum chamber to cause a gas-phase reaction between the nitrogen gas and the vaporized silicon atoms to form reacted precipitate silicon nitride molecules, and driving the precipitate silicon nitride molecules with the same beam into an outer surface of the orthopedic implant at a relatively high energy such that the precipitate silicon nitride molecules implant therein and form at least a part of the molecular structure of the outer surface of the orthopedic implant, thereby forming the integrated silicon nitride surface layer.

Abstract: The tibial insert includes a base having a coupling for attachment to a tibial baseplate, and an upwardly presented articular surface formed from the base, which includes a concave troughed geometry having a progressively larger medial-to-lateral frontal cross-section opening anteriorly to posteriorly along a length of the tibial insert.

Abstract: The dual mobility acetabular component includes an acetabular cup and a liner that engage one another in a relatively static relationship by way of a Morse taper. The acetabular cup and the liner may be manufactured from a metal material (e.g., titanium) that decreases the energy differential therebetween, to limit or eliminate the galvanic cell phenomenon that forms between adjacent surfaces thereof as a result of body fluid therein that remains captured in small gaps or spaces due to capillarity. As such, the dual mobility acetabular component may experience reduced fretting compared to conventional hip joints known in the art.