Abstract: A coupling device attaches to a surgical resecting instrument with a motorized shaft for rotating surgical implements. The device houses a primary shaft which can be directly attached to the motorized shaft, and a secondary shaft which can be attached to the primary shaft through a hexagonally-shaped drive attachment with a bore. The primary shaft has several apertures with balls that engage an annular recess in the shank of a first implement to restrict its axial movement. The primary shaft also has a torque shoulder for engaging a torque shoulder on the first implement. If the first implement is removed, the secondary shaft can be installed to receive a second implement with a diameter smaller than that of the first implement. The secondary shaft also has several apertures with balls that engage an annular recess in a second implement shaft to restrict axial movement. The secondary shaft has axially spaced apart torque shoulders for engaging a torque shoulder on the second implement.

Abstract: A pneumatic surgical tool for cutting bone during surgical procedures includes a pneumatic motor having a rotary shaft, a resecting tool having a cutting element rotated by the motor, a sleeve to surround and support the resecting tool, anti-friction bearings for further rotatably supporting the resecting tool, and a chuck for connecting the resecting tool to a spindle of the rotary shaft. The motor housing, rotor, spindle, and chuck are created from titanium. The bore of the housing and the cutting tip of the resecting tool have thin hard metal cases, such as titanium nitride, titanium aluminum nitride, or titanium carbon nitride.

Abstract: A coupling device attaches to a surgical resecting instrument with a motorized shaft for rotating a surgical implement with at least one torque shoulder. The device houses a tubular shaft with a central bore which attaches to the motorized shaft through a hexagonally-shaped drive attachment with a bore. The tubular shaft has several apertures with balls that engage an annular recess in the implement shaft to restrict axial movement. The tubular shaft has axially spaced apart torque shoulders capable of engaging torque shoulders on implements of different size diameters or multiple diameters. The tubular shaft is also capable of driving an implement with axially spaced apart torque shoulders.

Abstract: A surgical tool for resecting bone includes a pneumatic motor to which a bearing tube is secured for rotatably supporting a resecting tool. The bearing tube is eccentrically disposed within an attachment tube, with a flow channel defined between an interior of the attachment tube and an exterior of the bearing tube. Irrigation fluid is passed through the flow channel to maintain a constant flow of irrigation fluid about a cutting end of the resecting tool. Optical fibers extend within the attachment tube for passing light to lenses disposed at the specimen end of the attachment tube for providing illumination. At least one optical fiber extends from a lens at the specimen end, through the attachment tube, and to an optical viewer for providing a means for inspecting the bone being resected. The attachment tube is slidably adjustable along the bearing tube for selecting a distance between the specimen end of the attachment tube and the cutting end of the resecting tool.

Abstract: A surgical resection tool of the type having a rotary motor, a dissecting tool and a bearing tube is provided with dual quick releases for quickly releasing and latching dissecting tools and bearing tubes to expedite tooling changes during surgical procedures. The surgical resection tool preferably has a canted centerline in which the centerline for the rotary motor is canted with respect to the centerline for the dissecting tool and the bearing tube to provide an ergonomic shape for holding the resection tool. In a preferred embodiment, the two quick releases are provided by collet type latches having latching balls and slidable sleeves. The slidable sleeves are coupled together for selectively moving to a latching position where latching balls are pressed into grooves formed into dissecting tools and bearing tubes to latch a dissecting tool and a bearing tube into the resection tool.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a conduit, the conduit having a conduit axis defined through a terminal end thereof, and a fluid-powered motor for rotating a dissecting tool, the motor having a longitudinal motor axis. A swivel member is connected in fluid communication between the motor and the conduit. The swivel member comprises a motor portion including a motor face inclined at a selected angle from the motor axis, and a conduit portion including a conduit face arranged oppositely that of the motor face and formed to engage matingly with the motor face. A connection shaft extends from one of the motor face and the conduit face and is engaged rotatably with a connection receptacle formed in another of the motor face and the conduit face.

Abstract: A replicator is provided for precisely resecting bone into a desired shape of a pattern. A pattern holder and a bone holder are spaced apart from each other, and rotatably mounted to a cylindrical shaft for indexing through corresponding predetermined angular increments about two parallel axes, which are perpendicular to an axis of the cylindrical shaft. A linkage means connects a probe and cutting tool to a frame for allowing free movement of the probe and cutting tool with respect to the frame, in three dimensions, while maintaining end tips of the probe and cutting tool parallel to the axis of the shaft. The probe and cutting tool are moved to trace the tip of the probe over an exterior surface of the pattern while operating the cutting tool to cut contours of the pattern into the bone. The pattern and bone holders may be rotated with the cylindrical shaft about the axis of the cylindrical shaft.

Abstract: A coupling device is used for attaching a dissecting tool to a rotary shaft of a surgical instrument. The device is comprised of a spindle attachment which secures to a spindle of the rotary shaft. The spindle attachment has a shaft engagement portion for engaging the shaft of the dissecting tool. The shaft engagement portion is provided with apertures which terminate within a central bore of the engagement portion through which the tool shaft extends. Surrounding the spindle attachment is a sleeve which has a contact surface which contacts spherical locking members located within the apertures of the shaft engagement portion. A sleeve engagement member is coupled to the base and has an external surface configured to allow a user to grasp the sleeve so that it can be moved between retracted and extended positions. As the sleeve engagement member is moved between the retracted and extended positions, it causes the sleeve to be move to an engaged or disengaged position.

Abstract: A surgical instrument has a motor including a chuck for releasably receiving a dissecting tool for rotation about an axis of the surgical instrument. The dissecting tool has a cutting end and a shaft and the surgical instrument is provided with a base releasably connected to the motor. A sleeve is releasably connected to the base to support the shaft of the dissecting tool, and the surgical instrument is further provided with sleeve connection means for selectively permitting axial movement of the sleeve relative to the base and the dissecting tool to vary the amount of protrusion of the cutting end of the dissecting tool from the sleeve.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a conduit, the conduit having a conduit axis defined through a terminal end thereof, and a fluid-powered motor for rotating a dissecting tool, the motor having a longitudinal motor axis. A swivel member is connected in fluid communication between the motor and the conduit. The swivel member comprises a motor portion including a motor face inclined at a selected angle from the motor axis, and a conduit portion including a conduit face arranged oppositely that of the motor face and formed to engage matingly with the motor face. A connection shaft extends from one of the motor face and the conduit face and is engaged rotatably with a connection receptacle formed in another of the motor face and the conduit face.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a motor, a dissecting tool coupled to the motor for rotation about an axis of the motor, the motor further including a base at one end thereof. The motor is further provided with an elongate member extending from the base and parallel to the motor axis. A foot member extends laterally from a terminal end of the elongate member for protecting selected portions of tissue from exposure to the cutting action of the dissecting tool. The surgical instrument is further provided with indexing means to permit selective rotation of the elongate member relative to base from one of a plurality of angular positions to another of the plurality of angular positions, and to secure the elongate member in a selected angular position.

Abstract: A dissecting device assists in removing a prosthesis from an embedded engagement within a bone. The device includes a cutting tool having a cutting tip and an elongated shank which has a diameter and length selected so as to allow significant lateral flexing. A motor configured to be gripped by one hand of a user, is connected to the cutting tool shank for providing rotational motion to the cutting tool. A handle configured to gripped by another hand of the user has a bearing carrier having a hole therethrough which rotatably receives the shank. The user will move the motor and the handle to guide the cutting tool around the perimeter of the prosthesis to dissect a thin layer between the prosthesis and the bone to release the prosthesis from the bone.

Abstract: A vertebral prosthesis locates between vertebral bodies of a human body. The prosthesis has tubular inner and outer bodies that telescope relative to each other. Each body has a platform on its end. The platform secures to adjacent vertebral bodies. Sharp pins on the platform pierce the vertebral bodies to stabilize the prosthesis. A bracket slides laterally and secures by screws to sides of the vertebral bodies.

Abstract: A device for resecting a bone utilizes a pattern to control the cutting tip for the resection. The device has a frame with a pattern holder and a bone holder. A tool holder mounts to the frame by means of a four bar linkage assembly. The tool holder has a cutting tool and a probe mounted to it. The four bar linkage allows three-dimensional movement of the tool holder, but constrains the tool holder to always be in parallel with a line extending through the pattern holder and bone holder.