Driver System for Bone Screws

Abstract

A bone plate has first and second sides, each with the same structure. The plate includes nodes separated by deformable bridges. Each node defines a screw hole, and wings extending laterally therefrom. The wings taper in thickness between the first and second sides. Screw holes are threaded into the nodes. The plate can be shaped to the bone by deformation at the bridges or removal of portions of the plate at bridges.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for repair of bones, comprising:
 a) a first set of screws, the screws having a shaft and head with a square driver slot; and   b) at least a portion of a screwdriver including a driver shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end defining a tip adapted to be received in the square driver slot of the first set of screws to both pick up and drive the first set of screws, the tip having at most four sides extending distally in a parallel direction, the sides meeting at corners that are rounded by a taper that tapers toward the distal end.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the taper is a conical taper. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the taper is at a consistent angle. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the angle is between 3° and 5°. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the four side are of equal dimension. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the screwdriver includes a removable handle, and the driver shaft includes an AO coupling to removable engage the removable handle. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of screws are locking screws with a threaded head. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a bone plate including a plurality of threaded screw holes adapted to receive the head of the first set of screws.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the bone plate is a planar metal bone plate, the bone plate having a first side, an opposite second side, and a plurality of nodes and intervening bridges extending in a linear arrangement,
 at least a plurality of the nodes including the plurality of threaded screw holes and at least one of the nodes including an oblong screw hole,   the bridges having a reduced area moment of inertia relative to the nodes such that the bridges have an increased propensity to bending relative to the nodes when a force is applied thereto,   the nodes and bridges presenting a same surface structure when viewed from either of the first and second sides.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a second set of screws,
 wherein the bone plate includes an oblong screw hole, and 
   the second set of screws can be received in at least one of the threaded screw holes or the oblong screw hole, the second set of screws having a square driver slot such that the tip of the driver shaft can pick up and drive the second set of screws within either of the threaded screw holes or the oblong screw hole.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a bending tool adapted to apply a deformation force to one of the nodes of the plate adjacent one of the bridges of the plate in order to re-shape the bone plate.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one K-wire.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of screws are all of the same length. 
     
     
         14 . In a screwdriver for driving screws for orthopedic fixation, the screwdriver having a shaft, the shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the improvement comprising:
 the distal end defining a tip having at most four sides of equal dimension, the sides meeting at corners that are rounded by a taper that tapers toward the distal end.   
     
     
         15 . The improvement of  claim 14 , wherein the four sides extend distally in a parallel direction. 
     
     
         16 . The improvement of  claim 14 , wherein the taper is a conical taper. 
     
     
         17 . The improvement of  claim 14 , wherein the taper is at a consistent angle. 
     
     
         18 . The improvement of  claim 14 , wherein the angle is between 3° and 5°. 
     
     
         19 . In a screwdriver for driving screws for orthopedic fixation, the screwdriver having a shaft, the shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the improvement comprising:
 the distal end defining a tip having at most four sides that extend distally in parallel, the sides meeting at corners that are rounded by a conical taper that tapers between 3° and 5° toward the distal end.   
     
     
         20 . The improvement of  claim 19 , wherein the four sides are of equal dimension.