Abstract: A device for performing a surgical procedure on a knee includes an adjustable femoral portion, a tibial portion and at least one sensor coupled with the femoral and/or tibial portions to sense pressure exerted by the femoral and tibial portions against one another. The femoral portion is adapted for removably coupling with a distal end of a femur to adjust tension in soft tissue adjacent the knee and has at least one positioning feature adapted to move relative to the distal end of the femur as the femoral portion is adjusted, thus helping position a femoral prosthetic on the distal end of the femur. The sensor(s) may be adapted to sense pressure at medial and lateral sides of the knee, and relative pressures may be displayed as data on a visual display. Adjustments to the femoral member may be made to balance pressure at flexion and extension of the knee.

Abstract: A cutting saw blade for use with an oscillatory power tool used in surgical bone cutting procedures including a blade having a distal end provided with teeth whose tips are located on a tangent line perpendicular to the long axis of the blade. The teeth are configured substantially as right triangles with their hypotenuses facing either towards the center of the blade or away from the center of the blade. A central tooth can be optionally provided. The surgical saw blade may have a distal end having at least one pair of teeth configured to be adjacent to each other and each of the pair of teeth is configured as a right triangle each having a hypotenuse which is oriented at least one of towards and away from the centrally positioned long axis.

Abstract: A cutting saw blade for use with an oscillatory power tool used in surgical bone cutting procedures including a blade having a distal end provided with teeth whose tips are located on a tangent line perpendicular to the long axis of the blade. The teeth are configured substantially as right triangles with their hypotenuses facing either towards the center of the blade or away from the center of the blade. A central tooth can be optionally provided. The surgical saw blade may have a distal end having at least one pair of teeth configured to be adjacent to each other and each of the pair of teeth is configured as a right triangle each having a hypotenuse which is oriented at least one of towards and away from the centrally positioned long axis.

Abstract: A cutting saw blade for use with an oscillatory power tool used in surgical bone cutting procedures including a blade having a distal end provided with teeth whose tips are located on a tangent line perpendicular to the long axis of the blade. The teeth are configured substantially as right triangles with their hypotenuses facing either towards the center of the blade or away from the center of the blade. A central tooth can be optionally provided. The surgical saw blade may have a distal end having at least one pair of teeth configured to be adjacent to each other and each of the pair of teeth is configured as a right triangle each having a hypotenuse which is oriented at least one of towards and away from the centrally positioned long axis.

Abstract: Dynamic knee balancing devices, systems and methods provide for enhanced total knee arthroplasty (“TKA”) procedures. Devices generally include a stationary femoral member for removably attaching to a distal femur and an adjustable femoral member coupled with the stationary member for adjusting ligament tension of the knee. The adjustable femoral member includes at least one positioning feature for providing positional and/or orientation information for facilitating the TKA procedure. Additionally, the adjustable femoral member is movably couplable with a tibial member engaged with the proximal tibia to allow movement of the knee through a range of motion without removing the device from the joint space. When the adjustable femoral member is adjusted, the positional feature(s) move relative to the distal femur to provide positional information.

Abstract: A saw blade comprising a blade body having a longitudinal axis, a cutting means disposed at a first end of the blade body and a prearranged hub section having an outer periphery located at a second end of the blade body is shown. The prearranged hub section comprises an elongated slot formed in the hub section which extends from the outer periphery along a longitudinal axis to a U-shaped cut-out forming a hub center. The hub center is located along the longitudinal axis. The hub section includes a plurality of slots, each of the slots having a generally rectangular elongated blade driving enabling section having one end which terminates in an expanded bulbous blade driving disabling section in a position opposed to the hub center. The respective generally rectangular elongated blade driving enabling section are disposed in a pattern along a radius centered at the hub center.

Abstract: A device for performing a surgical procedure on a knee comprises a femoral assembly comprising a stationary femoral member attachable to the distal femur, an adjustable femoral member movably coupled with the stationary member to adjust tension in at least one ligament of or adjacent the knee and an adjustment mechanism coupled to the assembly. The adjustable member includes at least one positioning feature that moves relative to the distal femur as the adjustable member is adjusted and identifies at least one position on the distal femur. The adjustable member is movably couplable with a tibial member engaged with a proximal tibia to allow the knee to be moved through a range of motion without removing the femoral and tibial members. The mechanism includes an actuator positioned proximate a medial or lateral portion of the adjustable member. The actuator is configured to adjust an opposite portion of the adjustable member.

Abstract: Dynamic knee balancing devices, systems and methods provide for enhanced total knee arthroplasty (“TKA”) procedures. Devices generally include a stationary femoral member for removably attaching to a distal femur and an adjustable femoral member coupled with the stationary member for adjusting ligament tension of the knee. The adjustable femoral member includes at least one positioning feature for providing positional and/or orientation information for facilitating the TKA procedure. Additionally, the adjustable femoral member is movably couplable with a tibial member engaged with the proximal tibia to allow movement of the knee through a range of motion without removing the device from the joint space. When the adjustable femoral member is adjusted, the positional feature(s) move relative to the distal femur to provide positional information.

Abstract: A device for performing a surgical procedure on a knee includes an adjustable femoral portion, a tibial portion and at least one sensor coupled with the femoral and/or tibial portions to sense pressure exerted by the femoral and tibial portions against one another. The femoral portion is adapted for removably coupling with a distal end of a femur to adjust tension in soft tissue adjacent the knee and has at least one positioning feature adapted to move relative to the distal end of the femur as the femoral portion is adjusted, thus helping position a femoral prosthetic on the distal end of the femur. The sensor(s) may be adapted to sense pressure at medial and lateral sides of the knee, and relative pressures may be displayed as data on a visual display. Adjustments to the femoral member may be made to balance pressure at flexion and extension of the knee.

Abstract: A cutting saw blade for use with an oscillatory power tool used in surgical bone cutting procedures including a blade having a distal end provided with teeth whose tips are located on a tangent line perpendicular to the long axis of the blade. The teeth are configured substantially as right triangles with their hypotenuses facing either towards the center of the blade or away from the center of the blade. A central tooth can be optionally provided.

Abstract: A cutting saw blade for use with an oscillatory power tool used in surgical bone cutting procedures including a blade having a distal end provided with teeth whose tips are located on a tangent line perpendicular to the long axis of the blade. The teeth are configured substantially as right triangles with their hypotenuses facing either towards the center of the blade or away from the center of the blade. A central tooth can be optionally provided.

Abstract: A surgical saw blade guide or milling instrument guide comprising a guide body having a guiding surface thereon, and containing a magnet therein which exerts attractive force in a direction toward the guide body for attracting a bone saw blade or milling instrument to the guiding surface. The surgical saw blade guide or milling instrument guide can comprise a plurality of magnets and the magnet or magnets can themselves form part of the guiding surface. Also, a method of cutting a bone comprising the steps of magnetically attracting a surgical bone saw blade or milling instrument to a surgical saw blade guide or milling instrument guide containing a magnet, actuating a bone saw coupled to the bone saw blade or actuating a milling instrument, advancing the bone saw blade or milling instrument into the bone thereby cutting the bone, and detaching the saw blade or milling instrument from the guide.

Abstract: An improved surgical cutting block for guiding bone saws in joint surgery and similar instruments. The cutting block is provided with one or more cutting guides having cutting guide surfaces positioned on exterior faces of the block or along channels within the block. The cutting guide surface is formed of a material having a Knoop hardness of 466 or greater (under a 500 gm load or greater), a chrome content of less than 10% and a nickel content of less than 4%. According to another aspect of the invention, a method of cutting bone tissue utilizing the improved surgical cutting device is disclosed wherein heat-generated damage to bone tissue is reduced and production of toxic residue is minimized.

Abstract: A cutting saw blade for use with an oscillatory power tool used in surgical bone cutting procedures including a blade having a distal end provided with teeth whose tips are oriented in a substantially linear row so that the terminus of all teeth lie in a solitary plane. Other tooth profiles assist in the cutting phenomena. The cutting blade has several spaced-apart pairs of notches disposed in the blade edges. Each pair of notches is adapted to cooperate with a pair of pins disposed on the oscillatory power tool to firmly retain the cutting blade to the saw. By providing the cutting blade with several sets of notches, the cutting blade is adjustable, in that it can be retained within the oscillatory power tool at different lengths. It has been found that such an adjustable cutting blade, having teeth oriented in a solitary plane, does not lose efficiency as the length of the blade is changed.

Abstract: A surgical device for closing an incision created by a trocar or similar surgical device is disclosed. The surgical device comprises a support member within which are disposed a first and second needle positioning means. Each of these means carries a suture needle in retrorse configuration relative to the distal end of the support member. The needles can be retracted or deployed relative to the support member in a plurality of desired positions. In operation, the needles are deployed at a desired distance from the edge of the incision. The surgeon then pulls the device out of the body of the patient, thereby capturing and pulling the needles through first the peritoneum followed by the fascia. Needle capture means are provided which retain and remove the needles after the peritoneum and fascia are sutured, leaving the loose ends of the suture thread which can then be tied off below skin level to close the incision.