Bone anchors and surgical instruments (e.g., bone taps, drivers, etc.) are disclosed herein that include integrated guide tips. Use of these anchors or instruments can eliminate one or more of the steps in a conventional bone anchor installation procedure, improving surgical efficiency and safety. For example, a surgical instrument can include a guide projection configured for insertion through a cannulation formed in a bone anchor when the surgical instrument is coupled to the bone anchor. The surgical instrument can also include various mechanisms for adjusting the position of the guide projection relative to the bone anchor. The guide projection can replace the needle, stylet, and guidewire used in typical insertion procedures. The bone anchor can also include integrated tapping features to eliminate the need for a separate bone tap instrument. Thus, in some embodiments, targeting, tapping, and driving the bone anchor can be performed in a single step.

A bone screw includes a shank having a longitudinal axis, a tip configured to be inserted first into bone, a core, and a thread with a plurality of turns winding in a helix around at least part of the core to engage bone. The thread has a lower flank and an upper flank, wherein for a first section of the thread, the upper and lower flanks form a first angle for at least one full turn, and wherein for a second section of the thread, the upper and lower flanks form a second angle for at least one full turn that is greater than the first angle. An outer diameter of the second section adjacent to the first section is at least as wide as an outer diameter of the first section adjacent to the second section.

A surgical technique can be performed utilizing a detachable driver-implant system and comparatively small surgical incision. The clinician can make an incision through the skin of the patient and retract the skin along the incision to expose a first bone region. The clinician can insert an implant into one or more bone portions using a detachable driver-implant system and then detach the driver, leaving the implant in the one or more bone portions. The clinician can reposition the skin of the patient at least partially over the end of the implant to expose a second bone region not exposed while the first bone region was exposed. After optionally performing one or more surgical steps on second bone region, the clinician can reposition the skin to again expose the first bone region. The clinician can then reattach the driver to the implant and remove the implant from the bone portions.

The present disclosure describes a device and methods for safely and accurately placing screws into bones with a powered driving device. By employing multiple layers of fail-safe features and image-guidance systems, the powered driving device provides safe, accurate, and efficient screw placement. That is, the powered driving device may continuously monitor a screw advancement and placement and may automatically shutdown when improper placement is detected. Monitoring placement may be conducted by a microcurrent-monitoring system, by an image-guidance system, or by any other appropriate sensory system. Additionally, upon detecting that screw insertion is complete, the powered driving device may be automatically shutdown. As screw placement is continuously simulated by image-guidance in real time, multiple redundant verification steps are eliminated, providing highly accurate screw placement while decreasing clinician error, device contamination, and surgical time, the decreased surgical time associated with decreased patient-recovery time and associated medical costs.

A two-piece suspension pedicle anchor and its system and component-set is disclosed. The two-piece suspension pedicle anchor comprises a proximal piece and a distal piece that can rotate relatively. An external thread is arranged on the outer surface of the proximal piece, and a transverse through hole for an artificial ligament to pass through is arranged at the distal piece. As the two-piece suspension pedicle anchor is rotated and gradually locked into the bone, only the proximal piece is rotated, and the distal piece with the artificial ligament is pushed down but not rotated; in addition, the artificial ligament will be brought into the bone along with the distal piece and sandwiched between the outer surface of the proximal piece and the bone, that is, the artificial ligament will be sandwiched and fixed between the anchor-bone interface without wrapping around the outer surface of the proximal piece.

A bone fusion screw comprises a hollow elongated body having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and an open distal tip. The body defines an inner chamber bounded by an inner surface of the body extending between the proximal end and the distal tip. The body includes threads formed along at least a portion of the outer surface. At least one wedge-shaped tooth extends axially distally from the distal tip. The tooth comprises a cutting edge for cutting bone as the body is rotated. An intermediate fluted portion adjacent the distal tip comprises at least one flute. The flute has a first end adjacent the tooth at the distal tip for assisting removal of bone cuttings from the cutting edge and a second end intersecting the threads along the body. The body defines a plurality of apertures opening into the chamber.

A surgical screw for fixation into bone or soft tissue. The surgical screw includes a cannulated body having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end of the cannulated body has a tapered tip and a plurality of threads extend around the exterior of the cannulated body. An introducer extends distally from the tapered tip and has a diameter (which can be variable or constant) which is less than a diameter of the tapered tip. The surgical screw is cannulated such that a channel extends through the body from the proximal end to (and sometimes through) the distal end.

The present invention provides, in one aspect, a bone fixation device, the bone fixation device having a shaft, the shaft including a drive end and a tip end, at least a portion of the shaft configured to anchor into bone. The shaft further includes a first non-resorbable section extending from the tip end of the shaft, a second non-resorbable section extending from the drive end of the shaft, and a resorbable section. The resorbable section includes a tip side and a drive side, the resorbable section is between the first non-resorbable section and the second non-resorbable section, with the tip side of the resorbable section coupling to the first non-resorbable section and the drive side coupling to the second non-resorbable section.

An improved cortico-cancello-cortical screw (FIG. 8a-c) to hold properly in the cortical portion at the two ends of vertebral-body which has a threaded portion (L) provided with cortical thread for the cortical bone and cancellous thread for cancellous bone; a neck portion; a shoulder portion that connects the threaded portion to the screw head; a taper of approximately 2° along entire length of the screw to ensure smooth insertion and progress as the screw is fastened so that proximal portion of the screw would engage cortical bone the same way as the intermediate portion that would engage the cancellous bone. L is divided into L1 (proximal section) that engages the cortical bone of vertebra, L2 (intermediate section) that engages the cancellous bone and has flanges bent on itself and L3 (distal section) that engages distal cortical bone to provide increased surface area and better pull out strength.

The present invention provides for a joint fixation device and method utilizing a bone screw having a bi-directional drill point that is constructed and arranged to cut and form a hole in a bone when the screw is rotated or oscillated in both directions around the longitudinal axis of the screw. The screw can then be rotated into a final position by rotation in a single direction; and removed by rotating the screw in an opposite direction.