US 12,357,356 B2
Surgical screw system
Stephanie Anne Bare, Naples, FL (US); and Christopher Kreulen, Sacramento, CA (US)
Assigned to ARTHREX, INC., Naples, FL (US)
Filed by ARTHREX, INC., Naples, FL (US)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/455,858.
Application 18/455,858 is a continuation of application No. 17/323,581, filed on May 18, 2021, granted, now 11,737,798, issued on Aug. 29, 2023.
Application 17/323,581 is a continuation of application No. 14/874,893, filed on Oct. 5, 2015, granted, now 11,020,157, issued on Jun. 1, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0397937 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 17/80 (2006.01); A61B 17/86 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/8014 (2013.01) [A61B 17/8057 (2013.01); A61B 17/863 (2013.01); A61B 17/8605 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A surgical method, comprising:
positioning a bone plate against a fractured bone such that a bone contacting surface of the bone plate is received against an outer surface of a first fragment of the fractured bone;
inserting a surgical screw through an opening of the bone plate such that the surgical screw extends across a fracture line between the first fragment and a second fragment of the fractured bone;
during insertion of the surgical screw, imparting compression across the fracture line to draw the first fragment and the second fragment closer together with a shaft portion of the surgical screw that includes a thread having a variable pitch, wherein the thread of the shaft portion has a minor diameter that decreases in a direction towards a longitudinal axis of the shaft portion from a proximal end of the shaft portion to a position intermediate the proximal end and a distal end of the shaft portion such that the shaft portion tapers inwardly towards the longitudinal axis of the shaft portion, the thread having the variable pitch is comprised of multiple segments each having a different pitch, the multiple segments comprise a first segment having a first pitch and a second segment having a second pitch, the first pitch is constant along the first segment, the second pitch is constant along the second segment, and the variable pitch decreases incrementally from the distal end to the proximal end; and
engaging the opening of the bone plate with a head portion of the surgical screw to substantially lock the bone plate to the fractured bone.