Staple and plate hard tissue fixation

Abstract

A hard tissue fixation staple-plate interlocking device can include a recess in a staple body or a plate. The device can also include a locking part of the other of the staple body or plate. The device can be reconfigurable between an insertion configuration and an interlocked configuration. In the insertion configuration, the locking part can slide into the recess in a translation sliding motion that is parallel to a sliding motion of the legs of the staple, as the legs of the staple slide through the holes in the plate. In the interlocked configuration, the locking part can be at least partially in the recess, and recess surface portions can engage part surface portions and inhibit movement of the staple and plate out of the interlocked configuration. Also, multiple staples and screws can be interlocked with the plate, with staples being at non-parallel angles to each other.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A hard tissue fixation system comprising:
 a plate defining a pair of holes formed therein;   a staple comprising a body joining a pair of legs of the staple; and   a staple-plate interlocking device comprising:
 a recess formed in one of the staple body or the plate, with recess surface portions formed thereon, and with the recess widening as it extends deeper into the recess; 
 a locking part of the other of the staple body or the plate, with the locking part having part surface portions formed thereon, wherein the staple-plate interlocking device is reconfigurable between:
 an insertion configuration in which the locking part is configured to slide into the recess in a translation sliding motion that is parallel to a sliding motion of the legs of the staple, as the legs of the staple slide through the holes in the plate; and 
 an interlocked configuration with the locking part at least partially in the recess, in which the recess surface portions engage the part surface portions and inhibit movement of the staple and plate out of the interlocked configuration, with the legs of the staple extending through the holes in the plate and being configured to extend into hard tissue adjacent to the plate. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 1 , wherein the recess is a groove in the plate and the locking part is the staple body. 
     
     
         3 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 1 , wherein one of the locking part and the recess has a different curvature in the insertion configuration than in the interlocked configuration. 
     
     
         4 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 3 , wherein the one of the locking part and the recess that has a different curvature is formed of a shape memory alloy, and wherein an original shape of the shape memory alloy is a shape in the interlocked configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 1 , wherein the recess is a groove in the plate and the locking part is the staple body, and wherein at least a portion of the staple body has a different curvature in the insertion configuration than in the interlocked configuration. 
     
     
         6 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 5 , wherein a curvature of the at least a portion of the staple body aligns with an opening of the groove in the insertion configuration, and wherein the curvature of the at least a portion of the staple body misaligns with the opening of the groove in the interlocked configuration. 
     
     
         7 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 in the insertion configuration, the legs of the staple are substantially parallel to each other; and   in the interlocked configuration, the legs of the staple angle inwardly toward each other as the legs extend from the staple body and into the hard tissue.   
     
     
         8 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 7 , wherein, in the interlocked configuration, the plate is pinched between the legs of the staple, at or adjacent to a base portion of each leg. 
     
     
         9 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 1 , wherein the staple spans at least three holes in the plate that are each configured to receive a staple leg, wherein the at least three holes include the pair of holes and one or more intermediate holes between the pair of holes. 
     
     
         10 . A hard tissue fixation system comprising:
 a plate defining:
 a first pair of holes formed therein; and 
 a second pair of holes formed therein, wherein a line between centers of the first pair of holes is at a non-parallel angle to a line between centers of the second pair of holes; 
   a first staple comprising a body joining a pair of legs that are configured to extend through the first pair of holes and are configured to extend into hard tissue; and   a second staple comprising a body joining a pair of legs that are configured to extend through the second pair of holes and are configured to extend into hard tissue.   
     
     
         11 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 10 , wherein each hole in the first pair of holes is configured to receive a screw. 
     
     
         12 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 10 , wherein the plate further defines an additional hole, and wherein the fixation system further comprises a screw that is configured to extend through the additional hole and into hard tissue. 
     
     
         13 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 10 , wherein the first staple comprises more than two legs, with each leg of the first staple being configured to extend through a hole in the plate and into hard tissue. 
     
     
         14 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 10 , wherein the plate defines a first groove extending between the first pair of holes and a second groove extending between the second pair of holes, wherein the body of the first staple is configured to have a curvature that presses the body of the first staple against one or more surface portions defining the first groove to lock the body of the first staple to the plate in an interlocked configuration of the first staple, and wherein the body of the second staple is configured to have a curvature that presses the body of the second staple against one or more surface portions defining the second groove to lock the body of the second staple to the plate in an interlocked configuration of the second staple. 
     
     
         15 . The hard tissue fixation system of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the interlocked configuration of the first staple comprises the pair of legs of the first staple angling inwardly toward each other as the pair of legs of the first staple extend away from the body of the first staple, pinching the plate between the pair of legs of the first staple; and   the interlocked configuration of the second staple comprises the pair of legs of the second staple angling inwardly toward each other as the pair of legs of the second staple extend away from the body of the second staple, pinching the plate between the pair of legs of the second staple.   
     
     
         16 . A method of hard tissue fixation, the method comprising:
 positioning a plate adjacent to hard tissue, with the plate defining a pair of holes formed therein;   inserting a staple, with the staple having a pair of legs and a body joining the pair of legs, with the inserting of the staple comprising sliding the pair of legs of the staple in an insertion direction through holes in the plate and into the hard tissue, with a staple-plate interlocking device being in an insertion configuration during the inserting, and with a locking part of one of the staple body and the plate and a recess of the other of the staple body and the plate sliding together in a translation motion in a direction parallel to the insertion direction;   transitioning the staple-plate interlocking device from the insertion configuration to an interlocked configuration, with the interlocked configuration comprising:
 the legs of the staple extending through the holes in the plate and into the hard tissue adjacent to the plate; 
 the locking part of one of the staple body and the plate being at least partially within the recess in the other of the staple body and the plate; and 
 surface portions of the recess engaging with surface portions of the locking part, with the engaging of the surface portions inhibiting movement of the staple and plate out of the interlocked configuration. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the recess is a groove in the plate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein one of the locking part and the recess has a different curvature in the insertion configuration than in the interlocked configuration. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the one of the locking part and the recess that has a different curvature is formed of a shape memory alloy, wherein an original shape of the shape memory alloy is a shape in the interlocked configuration, and wherein transitioning the interlocking device to the interlocked configuration comprises transitioning the shape memory alloy to the original shape. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the recess is a groove in the plate, and wherein at least a portion of the staple body has a different curvature in the insertion configuration than in the interlocked configuration. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the interlocked configuration comprises at least five separate areas of engagement between the staple and the plate, with each of the five separate areas of engagement contributing to inhibiting movement of the staple and the plate out of the interlocked configuration.