Tibial guide for knee surgery

Abstract

A joint replacement kit for use in a joint replacement procedure replacing a portion of a body joint. The kit includes a cutting guide and a trial component wherein the cutting guide and trial component are packaged together. There is also provided a method for replacing a portion of a body joint. The method includes providing a joint replacement kit having a cutting guide and a trial component, positioning the cutting guide against an end portion of a bone, cutting the end portion of the bone with a cutting instrument, positioning the trial component to the cut end portion of the bone, and disposing of the cutting guide and trial component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A single-use guide for use in the preparation of a tibia in knee surgery, the tibia having a proximal end, a distal end, a central longitudinal axis passing through the proximal end and the distal end, and a curved anterior portion, the guide comprising:
 a bone contacting surface configured to contact the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, an outwardly facing surface configured to face away from the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, at least a portion of the outwardly facing surface being opposite the bone contacting surface, a medial side, a lateral side opposite the medial side, a width from the medial side to the lateral side, and a height generally along the central longitudinal axis of the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, the height being perpendicular to the width, the width being greater than the height, a portion of the bone contacting surface being generally curved along the width of the guide, the generally curved portion of the bone contacting surface having portions configured to match the shape of portions of the curvature of the anterior portion of the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia; and   at least two pin holes extending from the outwardly facing surface to the bone contacting surface, the at least two pin holes being configured to guide a pin into the anterior portion of the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia,   wherein the guide is formed at least in part of a polymeric material for disposal after only a single use.   
     
     
         2 . The guide of  claim 1 , wherein the guide is formed entirely of the polymeric material. 
     
     
         3 . The guide of  claim 1  further comprising a non-circular opening extending from the outwardly facing surface to the bone contacting surface, the non-circular opening being configured to provide access to at least a portion of the tibia. 
     
     
         4 . The guide of  claim 3 , wherein the non-circular opening is a slot having a pair of parallel guide surfaces configured to guide a cutting instrument therethrough. 
     
     
         5 . The guide of  claim 1 , wherein the guide is a tibial resection guide configured to guide a cutting instrument across a portion of the proximal end of the tibia. 
     
     
         6 . The guide of  claim 5 , wherein the cutting instrument is one of a saw blade, a milling bit, a drill bit, and a chisel. 
     
     
         7 . The guide of  claim 1 , in combination with a plurality of pins configured for insertion into the pair of circular apertures. 
     
     
         9 . A system for use in the preparation of a tibia in knee surgery, the tibia having a proximal end, a distal end, a central longitudinal axis passing through the proximal end and the distal end, and a curved anterior portion, the system comprising:
 a single-use guide comprising:
 a bone contacting surface configured to contact the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, an outwardly facing surface configured to face away from the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, at least a portion of the outwardly facing surface being opposite the bone contacting surface, a medial side, a lateral side opposite the medial side, a width from the medial side to the lateral side, and a height generally along the central longitudinal axis of the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, the height being perpendicular to the width, the width being greater than the height, a portion of the bone contacting surface being generally curved along the width of the guide, the generally curved portion of the bone contacting surface having portions configured to match the shape of portions of the curvature of the anterior portion of the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia; and 
 at least two pin holes extending from the outwardly facing surface to the bone contacting surface, the at least two pin holes being configured to guide a pin into the anterior portion of the tibia when the guide is placed on the tibia, 
 wherein the guide is formed at least in part of a polymeric material for disposal after only a single use; and 
   a metallic cutting instrument sized and shaped to pass through at least one of the apertures of the guide and into the tibia.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the guide is formed entirely of the polymeric material. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the guide further comprises a non-circular opening extending from the outwardly facing surface to the bone contacting surface, the non-circular opening being configured to provide access to at least a portion of the tibia. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the non-circular opening is a slot having a pair of parallel guide surfaces configured to guide a cutting instrument therethrough. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the guide is a tibial resection guide configured to guide a cutting instrument across a portion of the proximal end of the tibia. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising a cutting guide. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the cutting guide is configured for disposal after only a single use. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the cutting instrument is one of a saw blade, a milling bit, a drill bit, and a chisel. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising a plurality of pins configured for insertion into the pair of circular apertures of the guide. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising a tibial implant configured for attachment to the tibia. 
     
     
         19 . A kit for use in the preparation of a femur and a tibia in knee surgery, the tibia having a proximal end, a distal end, and a central longitudinal axis passing through the proximal end and the distal end, and a curved anterior portion, the kit comprising:
 a single-use tibial guide for use in the preparation of the tibia in the knee surgery, the tibial guide comprising:
 a bone-contacting surface configured to contact the tibia when the tibial guide is removed from the kit and placed on the tibia, an outwardly-facing surface configured to face away from the tibia when the tibial guide is positioned on the tibia, at least a portion of the outwardly-facing surface being opposite the bone-contacting surface, a medial side, a lateral side opposite the medial side, a width from the medial side to the lateral side, and a height generally along the central longitudinal axis of the tibia when the tibial guide is placed on the tibia, the height being perpendicular to the width, the width being greater than the height, a portion of the bone-contacting surface being generally curved along the width of the tibial guide, the generally curved portion of the bone-contacting surface having portions configured to match the shape of portions of the curvature of the anterior portion of the tibia when the tibial guide is placed on the tibia; and 
 at least two pin holes extending from the outwardly-facing surface to the bone contacting surface, the at least two pin holes being configured to guide a pin into the anterior portion of the tibia when the tibial guide is placed on the tibia, 
 wherein the tibial guide is formed at least in part of a polymeric material for disposal after only a single use; and 
   a femoral guide for use in preparation of the femur in the knee surgery.   
     
     
         20 . The kit of  claim 19 , wherein the tibial guide further comprises a non-circular opening extending from the outwardly-facing surface to the bone-contacting surface, the non-circular opening being configured to provide access to at least a portion of the tibia. 
     
     
         21 . The kit of  claim 20 , wherein the non-circular opening is a slot having a pair of parallel guide surfaces configured to guide a cutting instrument therethrough. 
     
     
         22 . The kit of  claim 19 , wherein the tibial guide is formed entirely of polymeric material. 
     
     
         23 . The kit of  claim 19  further comprising at least one of a saw blade, a milling bit, a drill bit, and a chisel. 
     
     
         24 . The kit of  claim 19 , further comprising a plurality of pins configured for insertion into the at least two pin holes of the tibial guide. 
     
     
         25 . The kit of  claim 19 , further comprising a tibial implant as part of the kit and removable from the kit for the knee surgery. 
     
     
         26 . A kit for use in the preparation of a tibia in knee surgery, the tibia having a proximal end, a distal end, a central longitudinal axis passing through the proximal end and the distal end, and a curved anterior portion, the kit comprising:
 a single-use tibial guide comprising:
 a bone-contacting surface configured to contact the tibia when the tibial guide is removed from the kit and placed on the tibia, an outwardly-facing surface configured to face away from the tibia when the tibial guide is positioned on the tibia, at least a portion of the outwardly-facing surface being opposite the bone-contacting surface, a medial side, a lateral side opposite the medial side, a width from the medial side to the lateral side, and a height generally along the central longitudinal axis of the tibia when the tibial guide is placed on the tibia, the height being perpendicular to the width, the width being greater than the height, a portion of the bone-contacting surface being generally curved along the width of the tibial guide, the generally curved portion of the bone-contacting surface having portions configured to match the shape of portions of the curvature of the anterior portion of the tibia when the tibial guide is placed on the tibia, 
 wherein the tibial guide is formed at least in part of a polymeric material and the tibial guide is configured for disposal after only a single use; and 
 at least two pin holes extending from the outwardly-facing surface to the bone contacting surface, the at least two pin holes being configured to guide a pin into the anterior portion of the tibia when the tibial guide is placed on the tibia; and 
   a plurality of pins configured for insertion into the at least two pin holes of the tibial guide.   
     
     
         27 . The kit of  claim 26 , wherein the tibial guide further comprises a non-circular opening extending from the outwardly-facing surface to the bone-contacting surface, the non-circular opening being configured to provide access to at least a portion of the tibia. 
     
     
         28 . The kit of  claim 27 , wherein the non-circular opening is a slot having a pair of parallel guide surfaces configured to guide a cutting instrument therethrough. 
     
     
         29 . The kit of  claim 26 , wherein the tibial guide is formed entirely of polymeric material. 
     
     
         30 . The kit of  claim 26  further comprising at least one of a saw blade, a milling bit, a drill bit, and a chisel.