| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090088674 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DESIGNING PATIENT-SPECIFIC ORTHOPAEDIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS - A method and system for designing a patient-specific orthopaedic surgical instrument includes coupling a knee sleeve to a leg of the patient. The knee sleeve includes sensors configured to generate sensor data indicate of the position of the respective sensor. The method also include determining angulation data indicative of the angulation of the knee based on the sensor data. The angulation data may be indicative of, for example, the ligament laxity of the knee. The method may also include generating a medical image(s) of the knee. The design of the patient-specific orthopaedic surgical instrument is determined based on the angulation data and the medical image(s). | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090112215 | OPTO-ELECTRIC INDICATORS FOR ORTHOPAEDIC INSTRUMENTS - An instrument for use in implanting a joint prosthesis into a bone. The instrument includes a rod having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end includes a visual indicator. The instrument also includes a housing, such that the rod is moveable in a longitudinal direction relative to the housing. The visual indicator is capable of emitting light when the instrument is in use. As the rod moves in the longitudinal direction, the visual indicator enters into the housing, causing the light emitted to disappear. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090189603 | MAGNETIC SENSOR ARRAY - A magnetic sensor array includes a first three-dimensional magnetic sensor secured to a substrate in a central location of the substrate. A number of second three-dimensional magnetic sensors are secured to the substrate at a first distance from the first magnetic sensor. Additionally, a number of one-dimensional magnetic sensors are secured to the substrate at a second distance from the first magnetic sensor greater than the first distance. Additional magnetic sensors of any dimension may also be included. The magnetic field sensitivity of the first and second three-dimensional magnetic sensors may be less than the magnetic field sensitivity of the one-dimensional magnetic sensors. The sensing range of the first and second three-dimensional magnetic sensors may be greater than the sensing range of the one-dimensional magnetic sensors. The magnetic sensor array may also include a processing circuit coupled to the magnetic sensors. | 07-30-2009 |
| 20100161070 | ORTHOPAEDIC PROSTHESIS HAVING A SEATING INDICATOR - An orthopaedic prosthesis includes a curved outer surface configured to abut a patient's bone when the orthopaedic prosthesis is implanted therein. The outer surface may or may not be electrically conductive. A channel is defined in the outer surface and extends from a rim of the outer surface to a location on the outer surface. One or more electrical conductors is positioned in the channel and extends outwardly from the channel at the rim of the outer surface. A switch is positioned at the first location and is configured to establish an electrical connection between the electrical conductor and the outer surface and/or another electrical conductor when the first location of the outer surface contacts the patient's bone. The switch may be embodied as an end of the electrical conductor or a more complex switch such as a push-button type switch. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100249658 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING FORCE OF A KNEE JOINT - An orthopaedic surgical device for determining the joint force of a patient's knee joint includes a tibial paddle shaped to be positioned in the patient's knee joint and a handle extending from the tibial paddle. The tibial paddle includes a sensor array positioned therein and configured to generate sensor signals indicative of the joint force of the patient's knee joint. The orthopaedic surgical device also includes a control circuit configured to control a display located on the handle to provide a visual indication of the medial and lateral balance of the joint force. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100249659 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING JOINT FORCE DATA - A hand-held display module includes a housing, a display coupled to the housing, and a circuit positioned in the housing and coupled to the display. The circuit includes a receiver circuit configured to communicate with a sensor module positioned in a knee joint of a patient to receive joint force data indicative of the joint force of the patient's knee joint. In one mode, the circuit is configured to display a visual indication of the medial-lateral balance of the joint force based on the joint force data. In a second mode, the circuit is configured to display a visual indication of the medial-lateral and the anterior-posterior balance of the joint force. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100249660 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING JOINT FORCE DATA - A computer assisted orthopaedic system includes a sensor module, a display, and a computer coupled to the display. The sensor module is configured to be positioned in a knee joint of a patient and transmit joint force data indicative of a joint force of the patient's knee joint. The computer includes a receiver circuit to receive the joint force data. The computer is configured to determine position data indicative of a position of a patient's femur and a patient's tibia and display an image of the patient's femur and the patient's tibia based on the position data. The computer is also configured to determine a medial force value and a lateral force value based on the joint force data and display the medial and lateral force values on the display. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100249777 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING FORCES OF A PATIENT'S JOINT - An orthopaedic surgical device for determining the joint force of a patient's joint includes a sensor housing and a handle. The sensor housing is shaped to be positioned in a patient's joint and includes a sensor array positioned therein and configured to generate sensor signals indicative of the joint force of the patient's joint. The handle includes a circuit positioned therein and configured to control a display located on the handle to provide a visual indication of the joint force of the patient's joint. The handle may be physically secured to the sensor housing or may be coupled thereto via a wire to facilitate communications between the sensor array and the circuit. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100249789 | METHOD FOR PERFORMING AN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGICAL PROCEDURE - A method for performing an orthopaedic surgical procedure on a knee joint of a patient includes resecting a proximal end of a patient's tibia to create a resected surface of the patient's tibia and positioning a tibial paddle of a sensor module on the proximal end of the patient's tibia. The tibial paddle includes a sensor array generating sensor signals indicative of the joint force of the patient's knee joint. The method also includes performing a number of orthopaedic surgical steps while monitoring a display of the sensor module that provides a visual indication of the medial-lateral balance of the joint force of the patient's knee joint. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100274122 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING THE POSITION OF AN ORTHOPAEDIC PROSTHESIS - A system, apparatus, and method for determining a position of an orthopaedic prosthesis includes a patient support platform, a sensor array coupled to the patient support platform, and a controller electrically coupled to the sensor array. The sensor array is configured to generate data signals in response to an output signal of a signal source(s) coupled to the orthopaedic prosthesis and/or a bone of the patient. The controller is configured to determine a position of the orthopaedic prosthesis and/or the bone of the patient based on the data signals. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20110098577 | REGISTRATION POINTER AND METHOD FOR REGISTERING A BONE OF A PATIENT TO A COMPUTER ASSISTED ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY SYSTEM - A registration pointer includes a camera located in an elongated shaft having a distal end configured to be contacted to a bone of a patient to register the bone to a computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system. The camera may be a hemispherical camera and may include a panoramic camera and a wide-angle camera equipped with a fish-eye lens. The registration pointer is configured to transmit images received by the cameras to the computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system for display thereon. The computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system may be configured to generate an image, such as a hemispherical image, based on the images received from the registration pointer. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110136521 | Medical Device Communications Network - A medical device communications network comprises a plurality of medical devices including either or both of a first number of surgical instruments and a second number of implants configured for subcutaneous implantation in a biological body. A corresponding plurality of wireless communication circuits are each mounted to a different one of the plurality of medical devices. Each of the plurality of wireless communication circuits is configured to broadcast medical device information relating to the medical device to which it is mounted and to receive information relating to any other of the plurality of medical devices. The network may or may not include a master wireless communications circuit configured to receive the medical device information broadcast by any of the plurality of slave wireless communication circuits and to broadcast the information relating to any other of the plurality of medical devices. | 06-09-2011 |
