A prosthetic disc can take the form of a sensing artificial disc that includes a resilient core and at least one sensor configured to sense one or more conditions within and/or experienced by the disc. The sensing artificial disc can serve as a replacement to a failed or injured disc between two vertebrae of a spine. The sensing artificial disc can include at least one element configured to change a condition or property of the resilient core in response to a condition sensed by the at least one sensor. A prosthetic disc can include therapeutic system configured to deliver medication to the body, which can include a reservoir of medication.

Provided are a polyethylene polymer powder and method of producing the same that can improve molding efficiency while maintaining high levels of molded product strength and wear resistance. The polyethylene polymer powder comprises an ethylene homopolymer or copolymer and has an intrinsic viscosity IV of at least 12 dL/g and not more than 35 dL/g, a melting peak full width at half maximum of at least 2 C. and not more than 7 C., a span (laser particle size distribution measurement) of at least 0.9 and not more than 2, and an -olefin content of 0 mol % to not more than 1.50 mol %. The method of producing this polyethylene polymer powder includes polymerizing ethylene or ethylene and an -olefin by slurry polymerization using a loop reactor. In the polymerizing, supply of a solvent and ethylene or supply of a solvent, ethylene, and an -olefin is performed by a plurality of supply lines.

An orthopedic device for implanting between adjacent vertebrae comprising: an arcuate balloon and a hardenable material within said balloon.

In some embodiments, the balloon has a footprint that substantially corresponds to a perimeter of a vertebral endplate. An inflatable device is inserted through a cannula into an intervertebral space and oriented so that, upon expansion, a natural angle between vertebrae will be at least partially restored. At least one component selected from the group consisting of a load-bearing component and an osteobiologic component is directed into the inflatable device through a fluid communication means.

Implantable devices for orthopedic, including spine and other uses are formed of porous reinforced polymer scaffolds. Scaffolds include a thermoplastic polymer forming a porous matrix that has continuously interconnected pores. The porosity and the size of the pores within the scaffold are selectively formed during synthesis of the composite material, and the composite material includes a plurality of reinforcement particles integrally formed within and embedded in the matrix and exposed on the pore surfaces. The reinforcement particles provide one or more of reinforcement, bioactivity, or bioresorption.

An additive-manufacturing system for printing spinal implants in-situ, within a patient, is disclosed. The system may include a robotic subsystem having scanning and imaging equipment and an armature including at least one dispensing nozzle and a controller apparatus having a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The controller may control the scanning and imaging equipment to determine a target alignment of a patients spine, develop an in-situ-printing plan including an in-situ material selection plan based on the target alignment of the patients spine, an interbody access space, and a disc space between adjacent vertebra of the patients spine, and execute the in-situ-printing plan. The controller may further control the armature to dispense at least one material chosen from a rigid material and a pliable material to form at least one motion-sparing implant.

A composite material for use, for example, as an orthopedic implant, that includes a porous reinforced composite scaffold that includes a polymer, reinforcement particles distributed throughout the polymer, and a substantially continuously interconnected plurality of pores that are distributed throughout the polymer, each of the pores in the plurality of pores defined by voids interconnected by struts, each pore void having a size within a range from about 10 to 500 nm. The porous reinforced composite scaffold has a scaffold volume that includes a material volume defined by the polymer and the reinforcement particles, and a pore volume defined by the plurality of pores. The reinforcement particles are both embedded within the polymer and exposed on the struts within the pore voids. The polymer may be a polyaryletherketone polymer and the reinforcement particles may be anisometric calcium phosphate particles.

A spinal implant comprises a first member, a second member and an actuator defining a transverse pivot axis. A first link is connected to the first member and the actuator adjacent the pivot axis. The first link includes an inner surface defining a cavity. A second link is connected to the second member and the actuator adjacent the pivot axis. The actuator is rotatable for translating the pivot axis such that the second link is movable within the cavity to move the members between a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration. Systems and methods of use are disclosed.

Provided are porous, biocompatible implant bodies and materials. These materials suitably comprise a population of randomly arranged and entangled thermoplastic constituents, with at least some of the constituents being bonded to one another The implant bodies are capable of being manipulated at room temperature from a first shape to a second shape, and of maintaining the second shape at about internal body temperature. Also provided are related methods of fabricating such implants and installing the implants into a subject.

A two-part joint replacement device for replacing damaged soft joint tissue, such as a meniscus or cartilage tissue. In one form, the device may include a free floating soft joint tissue replacement component comprising a first tissue-interface surface shaped to engage a first anatomical (bone and/or cartilage) structure of a joint having damaged soft tissue. The device may also include a free floating rigid base component comprising a second tissue-interface surface shaped to engage a second anatomical (bone and/or cartilage) structure of the joint. The free floating soft joint tissue replacement component may be shaped to slidably interface with the rigid base component. In another form, the free floating soft joint tissue replacement component and the rigid base component are fixed together.

A surgical instrument includes a first member and at least one lock. A second member includes at least one ramp that is translatable relative to the first member to engage and rotate the at least one lock relative to the first member between a locked orientation and a non-locked orientation with an interbody implant. The second member is engageable with the interbody implant to move at least a portion of the interbody implant between a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration. Implants, systems and methods are disclosed.