A bone cement comprising a first component and a second component, wherein contacting the first component and the second component produces a mixture which attains a high viscosity an initial period and the viscosity of the mixture remains relatively stable for a working time of at least 5 minutes after the initial setting period, and the mixture is suitable for in-vivo use.

The invention primarily relates to fastening and stabilizing tissues, implants, and/or bondable materials, such as the fastening of a tissue and/or implant to a bondable material, the fastening of an implant to tissue, and/or the fastening of an implant to another implant. This may involve using an energy source to bond and/or mechanically to stabilize a tissue, an implant, a bondable material, and/or other biocompatible material. The invention may also relate to the use of an energy source to remove and/or install an implant and/or bondable material or to facilitate solidification and/or polymerization of bondable material.

Systems and methods for treating bone, such as vertebral compression fractures are disclosed. A method includes controllably applying energy to a bone cement volume outside of a patient's body to selectively accelerate the polymerization rate of the bone fill material volume prior to introduction into a bone. The method further includes sequentially introducing a plurality of cement carrying structures with the accelerated polymerization rate bone cement volume into the bone. A system for use in the method includes at least one elongated cement-carrying structure sized to carry a bone cement volume therein and an energy source operatively coupleable to the cement-carrying structure. The energy source applies energy to the bone cement volume to selectively accelerate a polymerization rate thereof. An elongated injector insertable into the bone has a passageway that removably receives the elongated cement-carrying structure to allow delivery of the accelerated polymerization rate bone cement into the bone.

Systems and methods for restructure and stabilization of bones that provide an anti-microbial effect are disclosed herein. A device includes a delivery catheter having an inner void for passing at least one light sensitive liquid, and an inner lumen; an expandable member releasably engaging the distal end of the delivery catheter; at least one channel positioned in the expandable member; and a light conducting fiber sized to pass through the inner lumen of the delivery catheter and into the expandable member, wherein, when the light conducting fiber is in the at least one channel, the light conducting fiber is able to disperse light energy to provide an anti-microbial effect. When the light conducting fiber is in the expandable member, the light conducting fiber is able to disperse the light energy to initiate hardening of the light sensitive liquid within the expandable member to form a photodynamic implant.

The present invention relates in certain embodiments to medical devices for treating vertebral compression fractures. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to instruments and methods for controllably restoring vertebral body height by controlling the flow of bone cement into the interior of a vertebra and the application of forces causes by the cement flow. An exemplary system utilizes Rf energy in combination a conductive bone cement for selectively polymerizing the inflow plume to increase the viscosity of the cement. In one aspect of the invention, the system utilizes a controller to control bone cement flow parameters to either allow or disallow cement interdigitation into cancellous bone. A method of the invention includes pulsing the flows of bone cement wherein high acceleration of the flow pulses can apply expansion forces across the surface of the cement plume to reduce a vertebral fracture.

A medical system and method can used to treat a bone. The system and method can include the preparation of bone cement to be used in the treatment. A non-liquid component and a liquid component can be combined to form a bone cement. A vacuum system can be used to saturate the non-liquid component with the liquid component. The bone cement and/or components can be heated and/or cooled.

Systems and methods for treating bone, such as vertebral compression fractures are disclosed. A method includes controllably applying energy to a bone cement volume outside of a patient's body to selectively accelerate the polymerization rate of the bone fill material volume prior to introduction into a bone. The method further includes sequentially introducing a plurality of cement carrying structures with the accelerated polymerization rate bone cement volume into the bone. A system for use in the method includes at least one elongated cement-carrying structure sized to carry a bone cement volume therein and an energy source operatively coupleable to the cement-carrying structure. The energy source applies energy to the bone cement volume to selectively accelerate a polymerization rate thereof. An elongated injector insertable into the bone has a passageway that removably receives the elongated cement-carrying structure to allow delivery of the accelerated polymerization rate bone cement into the bone.

An injection device includes a housing, a plunger, and a heating unit. The plunger is slidably arranged within the housing thereby performing a plunging movement therein. The heating unit is disposed within the housing for generating a heat energy inside the housing such that a filling material inside the housing can be soften and be transformed into a movable filling material with viscosity by absorbing the heat energy from the heating unit.

The invention comprises a system for securing an implant to a bone comprising an implant which is affixed to the bone, a grout or bone cement comprising a composition that cures in an exothermic reaction and which is capable of securing the implant to the bone in a cured state, and a tester which measures temperature over time to detect a rate change of temperature and uses a novel discrete differentiator circuit to determine when the composition reaches cure.

Internal bone fixation devices and methods for using the devices for repairing a weakened or fractured bone are disclosed herein. A device for use in repairing a fractured bone includes a delivery catheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween, wherein the delivery catheter has an inner void for passage of at least one reinforcing material and an inner lumen for passage of a light source; a conformable member releasably engaging the distal end of the delivery catheter, wherein the conformable member moves from a deflated state to an inflated state when the at least one reinforcing material is delivered to the conformable member; and an adapter releasably engaging the proximal end of the delivery catheter for receiving the light source and the at least one reinforcing material.