Abstract: A surgical instrument has a housing which contains a motor that drives a spindle. A tool bit is attached to the motor by a holder that includes a body with a first end portion connected to the spindle, a central portion with a cavity therein, and a second end portion having an aperture through which a shaft of the tool bit passes into the cavity. A pair of lock pawls are pivotally mounted in the cavity with each one having a first tab that enters a slot in the shaft when the lock pawls are in a first position to hold the tool bit in the instrument. The first tabs retract from the slot when the lock pawls are in a second position for changing the tool bit. The lock pawls have second tabs that engage a restrainer only in the second position to prevent the body from rotating. A ring extends around the body and pivots the lock pawls between the first and second positions when the ring moved longitudinally along the body.

Abstract: A surgical instrument has a motor housing with a cylindrical member extending therefrom and has a pin projecting radially from the cylindrical member. A nose piece removably attached to the housing has a circular aperture which receives the cylindrical member and which has a channel within which the pin slides during attachment and removal. The nose piece includes a cantilevered arcuate spring arm that urges the pin along the channel toward a position at which the pin is wedged against a wall of the channel to force the nose piece into an operating engagement with the motor housing and retains the pin in the channel resisting detachment.

Abstract: A surgical instrument has a housing which contains a motor that drives a spindle. A tool bit is attached to the motor by a holder that includes a body with a first end portion connected to the spindle, a central portion with a cavity therein, and a second end portion having an aperture through which a shaft of the tool bit passes into the cavity. A pair of lock pawls are pivotally mounted in the cavity with each one having a first tab that enters a slot in the shaft when the lock pawls are in a first position to hold the tool bit in the instrument. The first tabs retract from the slot when the lock pawls are in a second position for changing the tool bit. The lock pawls have second tabs that engage a restrainer only in the second position to prevent the body from rotating. A ring extends around the body and pivots the lock pawls between the first and second positions when the ring moved longitudinally along the body.

Abstract: A surgical instrument has a housing which contains a motor that drives a spindle. A tool bit is attached to the motor by a holder that includes a body with a first end portion connected to the spindle, a central portion with a cavity therein, and a second end portion having an aperture through which a shaft of the tool bit passes into the cavity. A pair of lock pawls are pivotally mounted in the cavity with each one having a first tab that enters a slot in the shaft when the lock pawls are in a first position to hold the tool bit in the instrument. The first tabs retract from the slot when the lock pawls are in a second position for changing the tool bit. The lock pawls have second tabs that engage a restrainer only in the second position to prevent the body from rotating. A ring extends around the body and pivots the lock pawls between the first and second positions when the ring moved longitudinally along the body.

Abstract: A fastener adapted to expand into bone has a tubular body having a longitudinal opening therethrough with a stop within the opening. The body has a head at one end and a longitudinal slot extends through the body near the other end to form ribs that expand radially when the body is compressed. A puller projects through the opening in the rivet and has a head that engages the other end to compress the rivet when the puller is pulled through the body. An annular recess is formed in the puller near the head and the other end of the body is crimped into the recess to aid expansion of the ribs. The puller is weakened at a point so that it will break upon continued pulling after the ribs reach a fully expanded state.

Abstract: A device for connecting two non-coaxial rotating shafts comprises a first body connected to one shaft and a second body connected to the other shaft. A link extends between the two bodies. A first coupling mechanism connects the first body to the link and includes a first pair of conical rollers rotatably attached to either the first body or the link. The first coupling mechanism also includes first tapered aperture through the other one of the first body and the link with the first pair of rollers located in the first tapered aperture. A second coupling mechanism connects the second body to the link and includes a second pair of conical rollers rotatably attached to either the second body or the link. The other one of the second body and the link has a second tapered aperture in which the second pair of rollers is located.

Abstract: A bearing system is provide to couple a tool shaft to a power driven surgical instrument that has a support tube with a longitudinally extending aperture for rotation of the tool shaft about an axis. A pair of bearing assemblies are spaced apart within the aperture by a sleeve and a helical spring that axially biases the bearing assemblies within the aperture. Each bearing assembly includes first and second bearings and an interface cartridge. The first bearing has an outer race abutting a flange element in the aperture, and has an inner race. The tubular interface cartridge engages the inner race and has spring elements extending radially into a passage through the interface cartridge to engage the shaft. A second bearing has an inner race abutting the tubular interface cartridge and has an outer race against which force from the spring is applied.

Abstract: A device connects two components in a manner that allows fluid to flow therebetween and allows one component to rotate with respect to the other. The device has a first coupling with first and second fluid passages extending between opposite ends. A collar is attached to one end of the first coupling and includes a first flange extending radially inward. A tubular fitting has a second flange extending radially outward and in-between the first flange and the first coupling. A first seal is compressed between the first and second flanges when pressurized fluid flows through the first coupling. A second coupling is attached to the tubular fitting and has third and fourth passages. A tubular second seal is sealingly received within and connects the first and third passages.

Abstract: A pneumatically driven surgical tool is lubricated by a system that includes a lubricator with a reservoir that contains the lubricant. The lubricator also includes an air inlet, an air outlet and a mechanism that mixes lubricant from the reservoir with air flowing from the air inlet to the air outlet. A first conduit connects the lubricator air outlet to the surgical tool and a second conduit is coupled to an exhaust port of the surgical tool. The second conduit is connected to an air inlet opening of a separator that has a mechanism for extracting lubricant from the air flow through the air inlet opening. The lubricant extracted by the separator is fed through a third conduit to the lubricator reservoir thereby recycling the lubricant.

Abstract: A surgical drilling instrument comprises a nose body attached to a power source, the nose body having a shaft support tube extending therefrom around a drive shaft with a cutter. The forward end of the shaft support tube has a bearing construction supporting the drive shaft. A water supply is directed into the annular space between the shaft support tube and the drive shaft, and is further directed over the bearing construction onto the cutter. This (1) aids in supporting the drive shaft; (2) cools the cutter; and (3) flushes the cutting area.

Abstract: An expandable rivet assembly for attaching objects, especially when using bone. The assembly includes a rivet and puller where the puller is pulled to expand the rivet. A stop is provided in the rivet to set an upper limit to the expansion of the rivet by the puller. This rivet is useful in material of varying density, and has slots on the side and a contoured surface to initiate bending at a desired location.

Abstract: A suture anchor, or rivet, for fixing one end of a suture in a bone has a forward and formed of a plurality of truncated cones positioned in line behind a cone with a cylindrical member extending from the last truncated cone forming the rear end; a plurality of spiral grooves extend through the outer surfaces of the truncated cone and cone for spirally inserting the anchor, the spiral grooves forming serrations therebetween to prevent the suture anchor from being withdrawn from a bone into which it has been driven. An impact tool is used having a hole in the end to receive and engage the cylindrical member of the suture anchor.

Abstract: An endoscope retainer and tissue retracting device including a soft plastic cylindrical tube for slidably mounting on the probe portion of an endoscope, one end of the tube having a friction fit adjacent the end of the endoscope, a plurality of slits forming flexible strips around the tube adjacent the one end which extend radially outwardly when the ends of the tube are moved together on the probe portion, a screw mechanism fixes the other end of the tube to an endoscope with the strips extending radially outwardly.

Abstract: A surgical suction tip includes an outer housing and an inner removable filter device. The housing includes a suction opening at one end and a filter receiving handle formed as a sleeve at the other end; the inner removable filter device is connected in the filter receiving handle by a quick connect-disconnect means; the housing tapers so as to increase in size from its suction opening to the filter device. A seal is located between the housing and filter device.

Abstract: A surgical instrument has a housing which contains a motor that drives a spindle. A tool bit is attached to the motor by a holder that includes a body with a first end portion connected to the spindle, a central portion with a cavity therein, and a second end portion having an aperture through which a shaft of the tool bit passes into the cavity. A pair of lock pawls are pivotally mounted in the cavity with each one having a first tab that enters a slot in the shaft when the lock pawls are in a first position to hold the tool bit in the instrument. The first tabs retract from the slot when the lock pawls are in a second position for changing the tool bit. The lock pawls have second tabs that engage a restrainer only in the second position to prevent the body from rotating. A ring extends around the body and pivots the lock pawls between the first and second positions when the ring moved longitudinally along the body.